Obsessive-compulsive disorder (or OCD for short) is the name given to a condition in which a person has obsessions and/or compulsions, but usually both.
An obsession is a thought, image or impulse that keeps coming into a person’s mind and is difficult to get rid of. There are lots of different obsessions that can affect someone with OCD, but a few examples are:
- being afraid of contamination by dirt and germs
- worrying that something is not safe, such as an electrical appliance
- thoughts and fears of harming someone else
- wanting to have things in a particular order or arrangement (such as in a symmetrical fashion).
Please complete the quiz below
