Someone with OCD is troubled by thoughts that are often violent or inappropriate. It is these disturbing thoughts or images that are the obsessions while the actions that the individual feels forced to perform are called the compulsions.

The obsessions can become all consuming causing the sufferer to build rituals around almost every action they must perform.

People who suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder get bogged down in their anxious need to count everything and senselessly repeat certain actions. Their compulsions are supported by the fear that if they don't count, order or repeat these things something terrible will happen.

In all cases it is the obsessive thoughts that drive the compulsive actions. An individual may have images of themselves covered in germs and dirt and feel compelled to wash their hands repeatedly. They may feel that they need to count the lines on the sidewalk or be sure not to step on them in case someone they love may die.

Most adults with this condition are aware that what they are doing is irrational and senseless but they feel that they are unable to control it. Young children with the condition may not be aware that what they are doing is abnormal.

The National Institute of Mental Health statistics report that 3.3 million adult Americans are troubled by this affliction that affects both men and women equally. The disorder typically appears in childhood, adolescence or early adulthood and the course of the disease is variable.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder may be accompanied by other disorders like depression, anxiety or eating disorders. The National Institute of Mental Health considers the illness responsive to treatment with medications and carefully targeted psychotherapy.