Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Essential Phenomenology and Overlap with other Anxiety Disorders

Very few of the emotional disorders described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) are as devastating as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Individuals suffering from OCD are likely to have difficulty with work or school, falter in maintaining social and emotional relationships, and struggle with daily life events that others take for granted. They are more likely than patients with other anxiety disorders to suffer fromsevere depression, require inpatient treatment, and undergo psychosurgery (Barlow, 1988). Additionally, the psychopathology in OCD is among the most complex of the emotional disorders. Intense and often senseless and bizarre thoughts that run contrary to the individual's logic, sense of self, and core values come to mind, often at the worst possible times. More overt, yet equally impairing signs of OCD include profound avoidance and performance of senseless and excessive compulsive rituals that can dominate the sufferer's day.