Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders

Introduction

• OCD is characterized by the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions.

Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced as intrusive and unwanted, whereas compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that an individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.

• Some other obsessive-compulsive and related disorders are also characterized by preoccupations and by repetitive behaviors or mental acts in response to the preoccupations.

• Other obsessive-compulsive and related disorders are characterized primarily by recurrent body-focused repetitive behaviors (e.g., hair pulling, skin picking) and repeated attempts to decrease or stop the behaviors.

• The obsessive-compulsive and related disorders differ from developmentally normative preoccupations and rituals by being excessive or persisting beyond developmentally appropriate periods.

The distinction between the presence of subclinical symptoms and a clinical disorder requires assessment of a number of factors, including the individual's level of distress and impairment in functioning.

Studies Related to Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders

• In Medical Students

Harries, M.D., Kim, S.W. & Grant, J.E. A Comparative Study of Obsessionality in Medical Students, Law Students, and Controls. Psychiatr Q 88, 603–610 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-016-9481-8