by KYW's medical editor Dr. Brian McDonough
Imagine feeling as if you have to wash your hands again and again day after day. I am not talking about washing them to get clean but an unusual desire to get them clean. Or, think about having to go back over and over again to see if the door is locked. People who consistently have this feeling and obsessions like this suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder.
OCD as it is called can cause marked distress and disability. For people with OCD, the problem is characterized by repetitive distressing thoughts and repetitive physical or mental tasks to relieve anxiety. Many people with OCD are ashamed of the fact that they have to perform these tasks.
In the general population, obsessive compulsive disorder affects one to two of every hundred people. Symptoms usually begin during the teen years or early twenties. There are treatments for OCD including medications to treat anxiety and counseling. One of the most important things is to get help and not suffer in silence.
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