Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an illness that traps people in endless cycles of repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions). Although we all have habits and routines that help us organize our daily lives, people with OCD develop patterns of behavior that take up too much time and interfere with their daily lives. Obsessions are unwanted and intrusive ideas, images and impulses that run through the person's mind over and over again. Sometimes these thoughts come only once in a while and are only mildly annoying, but at other times the thoughts come constantly and cause great distress. A compulsion is a behavior that is performed on purpose in response to an obsession. People perform these compulsive behaviors according to "rules" they make up themselves to try to control the nervous feelings that come along with the obsessive thoughts. Sometimes compulsive behaviors are called rituals. For example, a person may have a profound fear of germs and spend hours......
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