Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by compulsive behavior and rituals that are reactions to recurring thoughts, called obsessions, the National Institute of Mental Health states. The behaviors of OCD are the individual's attempt to make the intrusive thoughts disappear. Men and women are equally affected by the disorder, which occurs in 2 percent of the population, according to the Merck Manual. Obsessions are the negative thoughts of OCD, while the actions they cause are compulsions.
Obsessive Fears
Obsessions often center on fears of losing something, such as a child, forgetting something important, such as turning off appliances, or of something bad happening. Fears that you forgot to lock a door, pick up a child at school, make an important phone call or finish an important project lead to compulsive checking to be sure you did what you were supposed to do.
Compulsive Checking
Obsessive fears lead to compulsive checking to make sure a child is safe, repeated money counting or returning home repeatedly to make sure you didn't leave the stove on. Compulsive checking can be combined with ritualistic behavior; when you check a door to see if it's locked, you must try it three times to be sure, or must touch the light switch before each turn of the knob.
Rituals
Rituals may not always be apparent to other people. People with OCD may count under their breath, repeat numbers to themselves or repeat a task over and over in exactly the same way. Rituals are an attempt to decrease anxiety and keep bad things from happening by imposing control. People with OCD recognize at some level that their obsessions aren't valid concerns, unlike people who are psychotic, but are powerless to stop them, the Merck Manual states. People with OCD may try to hide their behaviors from other people, but eventually their rituals take up so much time and effort that they have little left for anything else.
Cleaning and Ordering
People with OCD often have an obsessive need to clean things or put things in order. Items must be lined up at right angles, placed alphabetically or otherwise made to fit into some type of pattern. Items must be washed over and over, because the person isn't sure they're clean. Hands can be washed until they're raw, if a person with OCD has a germ obsession. Some people with OCD are hoarders, unable to part with objects.
Frightening Impulses
People with OCD may fight impulsive desires to shout obscenities, display inappropriate sexual behavior or hurt their children or other people, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Physical Injuries
People with OCD can cause themselves physical harm by pulling on their hair, picking at their skin or obsessively washing. These behaviors aren't designed to self-mutilate but to quell fear or to quiet anxiety.
