OCD

abbreviation or noun

ˌō-ˌsē-'dē

: a chronic disorder characterized by recurrent obsessions or compulsions or both that cause significant distress, are time-consuming, and interfere with normal daily functioning : obsessive-compulsive disorder

The subjects of the experiment were 18 people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)—unwanted and pointless but irresistible intrusive thoughts (e.g., fear of contamination by germs) and repetitive actions (e.g., handwashing or change-counting).—

The Harvard Medical School Mental Health Letter

OCD is a mental health condition that "involves both obsessions and compulsions that take up a lot of time and get in the way of important activities, such as school, family life, extracurricular activities, developing friendships, and self-care," according to the International OCD Foundation.—

Sarah D. Collins

Examples of OCD in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Howie Mandel on His Daughter Jackie Also Suffering from Anxiety and OCD After getting married in their hometown, the couple welcomed three children: a son, Alex, born in 1989, and two daughters, Jackie and Riley, born in 1984 and 1992, respectively. —

Kelly Martinez, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023 Anecdotal experience shows that CBD may be effective in reducing symptoms of GAD, PTSD, OCD, panic disorder, restlessness, and even depression. —

The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 Sep. 2023 Extreme safety seeking is core to every painful form of anxiety: PTSD, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, OCD. —

Julia Digangi, Fortune Well, 29 Aug. 2023 Animals can suffer from many of the same mental illnesses that humans do, such as anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). —

Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 28 Aug. 2023 For Allison Raskin, dating with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) used to be a minefield. —

Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2023 The researchers took advantage of these high-quality fossils, which are now housed at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, to study the incidence of OCD in the extinct animals. —

Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 July 2023 The team found small defects in many bones that are consistent with a specific manifestation of bone disease called osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD). —

Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'OCD.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.