Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric anxiety disorder that is most commonly characterized by an individual’s obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or “rituals”). These compulsions attempt to neutralize their obsessions.

To be diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you must have either obsessions or compulsions alone, or obsessions and compulsions, according to the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria.

Obsessions are defined by:

• Persistent and recurrent thoughts, images or impulses that are experienced at some time during the disturbance. These are intrusive and inappropriate, and they cause marked anxiety or distress.
• These thoughts, images or impulses are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems.
• You try to ignore or suppress such thoughts, images or impulses, or you try to neutralize them with some other thought or action.
• You recognize that the obsessional thoughts, images or impulses are a product of your own mind and are not based in reality.

Compulsions are defined by:

• Repetitive mental acts or behaviors that you feel driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.
• The mental acts or behaviors are aimed at reducing or preventing distress, or preventing some dreaded situation or event; however, these mental acts or behaviors either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent, or are clearly excessive.

In addition to these criteria, at some point during the course of the disorder, you must realize that your obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable or excessive.

There are many different effects of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  Some of these are:

• Repeated hand washing
• Repeated clearing of your throat when nothing needs to be cleared
• Fear of acting out violent or aggressive impulses, or feeling overly responsible for the safety of others
• Unwanted sexual thoughts or obsessions
• Fear of going crazy
• A fear of contamination
• An obsession with numbers
• A need for both sides of your body to feel even
• Fear of transformation into someone or something else.
• Fear of germs or being hurt.

You or a loved one may have obsessive-compulsive disorder. It may be the cause of your disability.

You or your loved one may need help. You may need financial assistance.

You or your loved one may have tried to get financial help by applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by obsessive-compulsive disorder. Were you or your loved one denied?

If you or your loved one is thinking about appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration, there is something important that you should know. People who are represented in this procedure by a disability attorney like the one you will find at socialsecurityhome.com are approved more often than those people who do not have a lawyer.