Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - Symptoms

While some children may experience OCD, symptoms usually begin when a person reaches adolescence. While everyone has a tendency to double check to make sure that the doors are locked or the stove is turned off when leaving the house, the compulsions of OCD sufferers are so great that they may interfere with daily life. Individuals with the disorder have been known to wash their hands for hours at a time or to rearrange and clean their household several times throughout a day. They usually recognize that their behavior is irrational, but they have no control over their actions.