Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized
by obsessive thoughts, which are recurrent, unwanted and usually
anxiety-provoking, and by compulsions, which are repeated acts performed to
relieve feelings of tension. An example is repeated hand-washing because of
thoughts of contamination. The differential diagnosis is from normal checking
behaviour and from delusional beliefs about thought possession. OCD is equally common
in men and women.
Management and prognosis
OCD usually responds to antidepressant drugs
such as clomipramine, and to CBT which helps patients expose themselves to the
feared thought or situation without performing the anxiety-relieving
compulsions. Relapses are common and the condition often becomes chronic.
