What Is OCD?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD can affect anyone regardless of age or background. When you have OCD, you may struggle with obsessions and compulsions, which are repetitive behaviors. Obsessions are unwanted and intrusive thoughts or urge. These unwanted thoughts and urges create extreme distress. Compulsions are behaviors you might engage in to avoid obsessions or experience less related stress. Everyone has obsessive thoughts and perhaps compulsive behavior at some point or another in their daily life, but that doesn’t mean they have OCD. OCD is a mental health disorder with formalized diagnostic criteria. For an OCD diagnosis, you would experience obsessions and compulsions at such an extreme level that it would consume much of your time and impact your quality of life and daily activities. Do I Have OCD? If you’ve ever asked yourself, “do I have OCD,” or “was I born with OCD?” you aren’t alone. If you’re concerned that you could have obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms, fi