definition of obsessive-compulsive disorder--DSM

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Does it seems strange that Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD, is defined by the APA's DSM as behavior driven by anxiety? Just because you have an image or impulse to do something does not mean you have to... therefore people who do not act on compulsive thoughts do not technically have OCD? Obviously, if a compulsion is murdering somebody, you think someone with OCD would not actually do that.

Silly definition given by the APA. Just sayin'.

i worked for a guy at my last job who has ocd. his brother has ocd. his sister has ocd. his other sister has ocd. his father has ocd. they are pritty sure it runs in the family. I think I may know what ocd is from what I have seen. for instance, if you get bit by a mosquito, you must scratch it, and squeeze it, and wash it, and squeeze it, and scratch it, untill your whole arm is red, and the bite mark is the size of a golf ball. you must think about morbid things ALOT!! ! gloom and doom. and prey ALOT!! because all the gloom and doom might get you a one way ticket to HELL!! ! you must, and I mean always MUST worry about what others think about you and the way you look. if you are disgusted by ANYTHING, wich is ALL THE TIME, you must change it or you will not be able to deal with it. ESPECIALLY IF IT A SPOT ON THE FLOOR THAT ONLY TAKES 500$ OF NEW TILE TO MAKE GO AWAY!! ! OMG IT'S HORRIBLE, I CAN'T BELIEVE ANYONE CAN STAND LOOKING AT THIS!! !! you must, and I mean always must, have everything clean, all your ducks must be in a row, and if someone moves the duck. OMG!! THAT GUY I DON'T LIKE STOLE MY DUCK!! ! I CAN'T HANDLE THIS, I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW I'M GOING TO EVEN WORK WITHOUT THAT DUCK I DON'T EVEN NEED FOR ANYTHING, THAT IS NOT IN MY ROW ANYMORE!! !! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!! !! ! o.k. I found my duck. I'm o.k. now. I won't apologise for anything. now im just going to do those 5 things I have been thinking about. I will do one thing at a time. I will spend one minute on each one. that means I can do 5 different things, 5 minutes at a time. I need to make sure that one thing does not relate to the other either, and just bounce around, one minute at a time in order to greatly increase my chances of getting absolutely nothing done. (the phone rings)... OMG!! ! I CAN'T GET ANYTHING DONE AROUND HERE, BECAUSE PEOPLE WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!! ! (in my customer based market I have created). thank god for hired help??? 4 months of that, and he was soo fired.

I have it, and you way you described is not the way I experience it.

It is driven by anxiety, it's an anxiety disorder. The obsessive thoughts are because of anxiety and the compulsions are a maladaptive way of dealing with the anxiety. You may not feel anxious all the time but if you have to repeat certain actions or else you'll feel a sense of impending dread or think something bad will happen then you have anxiety. If you have obsessive thoughts about something you're afraid of (like contamination, for example) that's a form of anxiety.