Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. OCD can affect men, women and children - with some people showing symptoms from as early as age six, but it often begins around puberty and early adulthood. About one in every 50 people suffer from OCD at some point in their lives, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists , with a fairly even split between men and women.
That adds up to over one million people in the UK. There are different theories about why someone develops OCD. No theory can fully explain every person's experience, but research suggests that it may be to do with personal experiences, and biological factors.
The condition is more complicated than being clean and tidy. It can manifest in a number of different ways which can make it a little hard to detect from the outside looking in. If you have OCD, you'll usually experience frequent obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.
It can be distressing and significantly interfere with your life, but treatment can help you keep it under control. Mental health charity MIND explains that obsessions are unwelcome thoughts, feelings, images, urges, worries or doubts that keep coming into your mind. They may feel stuck in your mind, no matter what you do, and you may worry what they mean or why they won't go away.
A compulsion is a repetitive behaviour or mental act that you feel you need to do to temporarily relieve the unpleasan.