obsessive-compulsive disorder

In psychiatry, anxiety disorder that manifests itself in the need to check constantly that certain acts have been performed ‘correctly’. Sufferers may, for example, feel compelled to wash themselves repeatedly or return home again and again to check that doors have been locked and appliances switched off. They may also hoard certain objects and insist in these being arranged in a precise way, or be troubled by intrusive and unpleasant thoughts. In extreme cases, normal life is disrupted through the hours devoted to compulsive actions. Treatment involves cognitive therapy and drug therapy with serotonin-blocking drugs such as Prozac.

There are approximately 1 million OCD sufferers in Britain and 5 million in the USA.