OCD Facts

Dr. Elspeth Bell, a licensed psychologist at the Behavior Therapy Center of Greater Washington, speaks on behalf of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America. She describes the mental illness OCD, which stands for obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD is a serious and often debilitating chronic anxiety disorder that causes people to have unwanted and intrusive thoughts, or obsessions. To try to ease their anxiety or distress, people with OCD often repeatedly perform ritualistic behaviors and routines, called compulsions.