Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders: Gender and Sex Differences

The obsessive-compulsive and related disorders—that is, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), hoarding disorder, trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder), excoriation (skin-picking disorder), substance/medication-induced obsessive-compulsive and related disorder, obsessive-compulsive and related disorder due to another medical condition, other specified obsessive-compulsive and related disorder, and unspecified obsessive-compulsive and related disorder—are a group of mental health conditions that share a number of common features, including obsessional ideation and repetitive behaviors (i.e., compulsions). Obsessions are recurrent, unwanted, and distressing thoughts, images, or impulses. Compulsions are repetitive mental or behavioral acts in which the person engages to decrease the distress associated with the obsessions. In OCD, the content of obsessions typically involves thoughts about contamination, violence, sex, religion, and/or being responsible for harm to others. Compulsive behaviors connected to these ...

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