Ocd

OCD research papers show that OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder, is an anxiety disorder which consists of a variety of symptoms. However, obsessive-compulsive disorder basically involves two components. Both may occur together, or each may occur separately. Thus, this disorder involves the occurrence of an obsession or a compulsion. However, they generally occur in some type of relationship to one another.

For a long time, OCD was thought to be an infrequent disorder. In other words, it was believed to be rare among the "general population". Now, it is estimated that over the course of a lifetime approximately 2.5 percent of individuals will develop this disorder. For children and adolescents, it is estimated that approximately the same percentage suffers from this disorder. In fact, this figure appears to be consistent with regard to American populations and worldwide populations, as well as male and female occurrences.

Generally, this is a disorder that manifests itself in during the teenage years or early twenties. OCD can occur during childhood. For males, OCD typically occurs during the age range of six to fifteen. Females typically develop this disorder during their twenties. The course is generally one of getting worse and getting better. Stress generally causes the symptoms to worsen. This is to be expected since many of the compulsions are performed in order to reduce stress or anxiety in some way.

Interesting, research appears to show that OCD is sometimes present in an individual who also experiences psychosis. Thus, the individual exhibits many compulsive types of behaviors in conjunction with his or her delusions and hallucinations.