It is a mental disorder where people feel the need to check things repeatedly, perform certain routines repeatedly (called "rituals"), or have certain thoughts repeatedly (called "obsessions"). People are unable to control either the thoughts or the activities for more than a short period of time. Common activities include hand washing, counting of things, and checking to see if a door is locked. Some may have difficulty throwing things out. This often takes up more than an hour a day. Most adults realize that the behaviors do not make sense.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental illness that causes repeated unwanted thoughts or sensations (obsessions). It also can give you an urge to do something over and over again (compulsions). Some people have both obsessions and compulsions.

Everyone has habits or thoughts that repeat sometimes. People with OCD have thoughts or actions that takes up hours a day and Aare beyond your control

OCD comes in many forms, but most cases fall into at least one of four general categories:

Checking, such as locks, alarm systems, ovens, or light switches.

Contamination, a fear of things that might be dirty or a having a compulsion to clean (you may hear this called "obsessive cleanliness disorder"). Mental contamination involves feeling like you’ve been treated like dirt.

Many people who have OCD know that their thoughts and habits don’t make sense. They don’t do them because they enjoy them, but because they can’t quit. Treatment usually invloves a combination of Psychotherapy and Medication Management.