Mental Illness

An obsession is a persistent preoccupation with a certain mental content, typically an idea or a feeling. A compulsion is an impulse to engage in some behavior experienced as irresistible. Thus in obsessive-compulsive (OCD) individuals feel compelled to think about or to carry out some action, often pointlessly ritualistic, seemingly against their own will. These individuals usually having high level of manifest anxiety realize that their behavior is irrational but cannot seem to control it.

Most of us have experienced minor obsessive thoughts, such as persistent thoughts about a coming trip or a haunting melody that we cannot seem to get out of our minds. In the case of obsessive reactions, however the thoughts are much more persistent, appear irrational to the individual, and interfere considerably with every day behavior. Neurotic obsessive thoughts may center on a variety of topics, such as a concern over bodily functions, committing immoral acts, attempting suicide, or even finding the solution to some seemingly unsolvable problem. A wife may be obsessed with the idea of poisoning her husband; a daughter may constantly imagine pushing her mother down a flight of stairs.

An obsessive-compulsive disorder is considered maladaptive because it represents irrational and exaggerated behavior in the face of stressors that are not unduly upsetting to most people. In addition such patterns reduce the efficiency and flexibility of behavior and the capability for self-direction. Generally people exhibiting such behavior are characterized by feeling of inadequacy and insecurity, rigid and perfectionistic conscience development, a tendency toward feelings of guilt, and high vulnerability to threat.