Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

What is it?

  • Pervasive pattern of preoccupation
  • Effects orderliness, perfectionism, mental, interpersonal control
  • Inhibits flexibility, openness, efficiency
  • OCD is time consuming, interferes with routine/academic functioning
  • Usually emerges in early adulthood

Obsessions:

  • Recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, images
  • Thoughts are intrusive, inappropriate
  • Thoughts cause extreme anxiety, distress

Compulsions:

  • Repetitive behaviors (hand washing, ordering, checking)
  • Repetitive mental acts (praying, counting, repeating words silently)
  • Behaviors and thoughts are internally driven, uncontrollable

What does it look like?

  • Forming perfect circles around the answers on a multiple choice test
  • Making all the letters identical on a 1000 word essay
  • Struggling to say the correct thing, continually correcting themselves
  • Appearing inattentive, having a lack of focus

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