9781422285749

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What Is OCD? At the beginning of the chapter, we talked about someone who could not stop wondering if the door was locked. That nagging thought is called an obsession . The act of checking the door again and again is a compulsion . That is why we say this person has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is a mental disorder involving intrusive thoughts and rituals that have a negative effect on the person who has them. Let’s say you have a video game collection and you want the games arranged in a certain way. That’s not necessarily a problem—even if other people don’t understand why you arrange them. But if arranging the games becomes something you think about a lot , and if it prevents you from completing other activities, that can be a problem. OCD involves thoughts and rituals that are upsetting and make daily life difficult.

Washing and rewashing hands is a classic OCD ritual.