What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

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In modern formulations of OCD, compulsions are defined by their functional relationship with obsessions.

Compulsions are often not unpleasant or involuntary.

Contemporary understanding of OCD shows that many compulsions are actually quite consciously voluntary.

A typical example of OCD consists of someone compulsively washing their hands in an agitated state, feeling compelled to follow OCD-imposed “rules” about how to, and how many times to, wash, and when it is safe or acceptable to stop washing. They seem to know that most people do not feel the need to wash this way; they know there is something wrong going on here but they just can’t help it. They are clearly miserable.

The term “compulsion“ implies behaviors that are irrationally driven and irresistible. In modern formulations of OCD, compulsions are defined by their functional relationship with obsessions – they lessen the impact of an unwanted intrusive thought or a doubting narrative or a stuck repetitive image

The purpose of a compulsion is to counteract the anxiety, disgust, guilt or discomfort that the obsession (intrusive thoughts, doubts or imagined story) has raised. Sometimes a compulsion can be a response to a “not just right“ feeling. Compulsions typically provide some measure of safety, certainty,........

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