OCD: An Analysis of Clinical Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Modern Society

Abstract

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, known as OCD in short, is a relatively recent psychological phenomena that has begun to demand an increasing amount of attention and focus from medical and psychiatric institutions due to higher rates of clinical diagnosis. While estimates of OCD sufferers range from less than 1% to more than 5% of the total population, symptoms of OCD are commonly found within a significant percentage of all individuals at one point or another of their lives. This paper attempts to examine the current research that has been conducted of OCD and to examine released statistical data for any emerging patterns of diagnosis. This paper also attempts to clear up any current myths about OCD as portrayed by either the media or pop culture. The importance of research on OCD to our society is also mentioned within the paper, as well as potential root causes of the disorder. Finally, a prescriptive section dealing with possible effective treatment techniques and methods is detailed at the end of the paper.