Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

A. Presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both:

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 a) Obsessions are defined by (1) and (2):

1. Recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and unwanted, and that in most individuals cause marked anxiety or distress.

2. The individual attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, urges, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action (i.e., by performing a compulsion).

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b) Compulsions are defined by (1) and (2): 

1. Repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.

2. The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing anxiety or distress, or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent, or are clearly excessive. 

(Note: Young children may not be able to articulate the aims of these behaviors or mental acts.)

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B. The obsessions or compulsions are time-consuming (e.g., take more than 1 hour per day) or cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

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C. The obsessive-compulsive symptoms are not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or another medical condition.

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D. The disturbance is not better explained by the symptoms of another mental disorder.

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References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). 

https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

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