Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Obsessive-compulsive disorder in one such personality disorder, which is characterized by anxious thoughts or rituals. OCD can start at any age, although it usually begins before middle age and in as many as one in three cases it starts in childhood. Many people still carry the misperception that they somehow caused themselves to have these compulsive behaviors and obsessive thoughts. OCD is more common than schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or panic disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Obsessive-compulsive disorder has been split into two factions by a bitter feud over the exact cause of the illness. On one side is a group who believe that obsessive-compulsive behavior is a psychological disorder. This group believes that OCD is caused when people believe that they are personally responsible for the obsessional thoughts they experience. Some type of abnormality in the neurotransmitter serotonin , among other possible psychological or biological abnormalities. People with OCD worry so much that they can spend many hours, or even the whole day, worrying about things and trying to make sure the bad things they worry about don't happen. OCD obsessions are repeated, persistent, unwanted ideas, thoughts, images or impulses that you experience involuntarily and that appear to be senseless. The obsessions or compulsions cause marked distress, are time consuming (take more than 1 hour a day), or significantly interfere with the person's normal routine, occupational (or academic) functioning, or usual social activities or relationships.