How common is OCD?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder affects approximately 1 in 30 individuals. The disorder usually appears in childhood or adolescence and for the most part runs a lifelong course with symptoms fluctuating in intensity over time, but rarely completely disappearing.
Males and females of all social and ethnic backgrounds appear to be equally prone to developing the disorder. The obsessions and compulsions in OCD cause marked distress, are time consuming and interfere with social and occupational functioning.
It is frequently a disabling disorder; many sufferers spend much of their time preoccupied with obsession behaviours.