obsessive-compulsive disorder

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), type of mental disorder in which an individual experiences obsessions or compulsions or both. Either the obsessive thought or the compulsive act may occur singly, or both may appear in sequence. Obsessions are recurring or persistent thoughts, images, or impulses that, rather than being voluntarily produced, seem to invade a person’s consciousness despite his attempts to ignore, suppress, or control them. Obsessional thoughts are frequently morbid, shameful, repugnant, or merely tedious; they...