Anxiety disorder forces you to repeat certain action because unless you do it you feel complete out of control. For example, you would feel that you needed to wash your hands every time you touched anything or you would feel you were exposed to unknown diseases that are likely to attack your system with the help of the germs that crawled all over the place. As you can see, this affliction mixes careful realty and imagination creating a world of its own where your mind becomes prisoner.

Far from the funny and tongue-in-cheek representation of this condition by Jack Nicholson in the movie 'As Good As It Gets' there is nothing attractive or even remotely amusing about this condition. The compulsion of doing things repeatedly cannot only be an extreme self-irritant but also a factor that alienates others from you, often aggravating the situation.

When you suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD as it is otherwise known, you are swamped by morbid thoughts, which refuse to go away. The repetitive behavior seems to be the only way for you to counter these morbid thoughts so you could protect yourself from whatever it could happen. This condition may happen suddenly following some mental or physical trauma or it could develop gradually right from childhood. As mentioned earlier, certain environmental stressors would trigger morose thoughts in your mind and you would find the repetitive action as the only way to get rid of or at least control them.

For example, following a violent robbery, which landed you in the hospital for a few weeks to recover, you would develop the habit of continuously locking and unlocking the door just to feel reassured that the trauma would not repeat itself. Alternatively, assume that you were a victim of rape, following which you feel constantly dirty and need to take showers all the time to get back the feeling of being clean.

The obsessive-compulsive disorders fall roughly into four main categories:

1.    Washing compulsion - people falling under this category would be mortified at the thought that they are risking contamination every time they touched something unclean. The worst part is that they consider everything they touch unclean.

2.    Checking compulsion - here people feel they would invite mortal danger through negligence. This is why they feel compelled to check and re-check the doors, windows, oven, car, and so on.

3.    Fear of punishment - people falling under this category would be terrorized by the thought that anytime they would do something that is not the best possible or perfect, they would invite terrible punishment. They drive themselves to the limit because for them the 'liability to be punished' is very real and inescapable. Out of all the disorders, this one is the most difficult to redress without appropriate medical intervention.

4.    Hoarding compulsion - under this classification, people would dread to throw anything away lest that would invite some terrible consequence.

Check out whether you are experiencing any of the following thoughts and/or behavior patterns. If you find that you answer with 'yes' to more than three in any one category, it would be a good idea to set up an appointment with a medical practitioner.

Do you indulge in any of the following compulsive obsessive thoughts?
1.    I am afraid that I would be contaminated by germs, which crawl all over the place, wherever I go
2.    I am afraid I might get hurt or I that I could hurt someone inadvertently
3.    I keep getting violent sexual images involving myself or people who are dear to me
4.    I keep getting fixated on extreme moral or religious issues
5.    I am afraid that I will not have what I need in a time of danger; that is why I tend to carry and hoard a number of things that I think 'may come in handy in time of need'<
6.    I cannot stand to see something 'not just right'. For example, I have to straighten that picture on the wall, wipe that smudge off the table, and so on. Anything asymmetrical or out-of-place disturbs me a great deal.
7.    I am extremely touchy about horoscopes, superstitions, bad luck and good luck knick-knacks and rituals. I dread anything that is termed unlucky or jinxed.

Do you indulge in the any of the following compulsive obsessive behavior?
1.    I need to check and re-check everything constantly to be assured that I am safe
2.    I need to keep checking on my close family members and friends to feel reassured that they are safe
3.    Whenever I am worried, I find myself repeating certain phrases/ words, counting in my mind or aloud, taping feet or fingers, doing some silly rituals such as touching wood three times, or crossing fingers and uncrossing them for good luck. I feel that if I do not do these things, something dreadful would happen to someone or me.
4.    I cannot seem to stop washing my hands, taking showers, laundering, cleaning things around me and so on.
5.    I keep feeling compelled to pray for forgiveness so I would not be punished for my sins and mistakes
6.    I keep accumulating things, and am unable to throw anything for fear that I would need it anytime in the future.