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People with obsessive-compulsive disorder an anxiety disorder, suffer intensely from recurrent, unwanted thoughts obsessions and repetitive behaviors compulsions that they feel they cannot control. Repetitive behaviors such as handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these so-called "rituals," however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety. Left untreated, obsessions and the need to carry out rituals can take over a person's life. OCD is often a chronic, relapsing illness. A person with OCD has much more brain activity then a normal person, demonstrating the amount of anxiety that they feel all the time. The picture above shows the increased amount of activity.
About 3 million people a year are diagnosed with OCD every year. More facts and statistics can be found at the Understanding OCD website:
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