Advice on ... OCD

1 June 2009 3 mins read Health

OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, is a serious anxiety-related illness that affects on average two or three out of every 100 young people in the population. Joanne Sharman explains what the condition is and where young people can turn to for help.

Q: What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?

OCD is a disorder characterised by unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and rituals (compulsions) carried out to alleviate the anxiety these thoughts cause. OCD affects between two and three per cent of the population. This means that in a year group of 100 students, on average two or three students will suffer from the illness. OCD can be extremely debilitating, especially when it occurs in conjunction with other illnesses (such as depression). It is important that it is treated as soon as possible, as the sooner treatment commences the more likely it is that the OCD can be controlled and limited. All experts on the subject agree that it is possible to get the disorder under control to such a level that it no longer affects a person's life.

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