Obsessive–Compulsive and Related Disorders

Abstract

"I know it's stupid. I feel like a crazy person, but I know that I'm not crazy!" These are typical statements from a patient with obsessive–compulsive disorder who for the past 10 years has spent more than six hours a day washing her hands, although she recognizes that it is senseless. Other patients are compelled to check and recheck that a stove is off or the doors locked, for hours every day. An internist calls the laboratory 15 times to confirm that he heard the white-cell count correctly. After hours of viewing, a pathologist cannot decide whether a slide reveals . . .