ABSTRACT
Obsessive compulsive disorder is classified as one of a number of anxiety disorders on Axis I. The essential features are recurrent obsessions or compulsions of such severity as to involve marked distress, consume great amounts of time, and/or significantly interfere with normal routine. The most common obsessions, that is, persistent ideas, thoughts, impulses or images, experienced as intrusive, are repetitive thoughts of violence, contamination and doubt. Compulsions such as handwashing, counting, checking, and touching are the repetitive intentional behaviors that are the stereotypic responses to obsessional thoughts. This disorder is often associated with depression, anxiety, and phobic avoidance.
