Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that involves two primary symptoms: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are thoughts, ideas, images, impulses, or doubts that are experienced as senseless, unwanted, and distressing. Although people with OCD recognize the thoughts as irrational, these thoughts often evoke anxiety about dreaded consequences. Common themes of obsessions include contamination; responsibility for causing terrible harm (e.g., by making mistakes); violent, sexual, or blasphemous thoughts; or thoughts about things not being just right. Beyond these common themes, some individuals may exhibit unusual obsessions, such as a fear of having an extramarital affair with a stranger by mistake.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology
Publisherwiley
Pages1-3
Number of pages3
ISBN (Electronic)9780470479216
ISBN (Print)9780470170243
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2009

Keywords

  • anxiety disorder
  • cognitive-behavioral therapy
  • compulsions
  • obsessions
  • serotonin

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this