"Compulsive" and "obsessive" have become everyday words. "I'm
compulsive" is how some people describe their need for neatness, punctuality,
and shoes lined up in the closets. "He's so compulsive is shorthand for calling
someone uptight, controlling, and not much fun. "She's obsessed with him" is a
way of saying your friend is hopelessly lovesick. That is not how these words
are used to describe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD, a strange and
fascinating sickness of ritual and doubts run wild. OCD can begin suddenly and
is usually seen as a problem as soon as it starts.
Compulsives (a term for patients who mostly ritualize) and obsessives
(those who think of something over and over again) rarely have rituals or
thoughts about nuetral questions or behaviors. What are their rituals about?
There are several possible ways to list symptoms of OCD. All sources agree that
the most common preoccupations are dirt (washing, germs, touching), checking for
safety or closed......
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