Rogers' expert explains: What is OCD?

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Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, affects men, women, and children, of all walks of life, and can start at any age. It involves unwanted and intrusive thoughts, known as obsessions, that cause discomfort. People then perform physical or mental acts, called compulsions, to try to get rid of these thoughts.

Most people experience unwanted thoughts and will occasionally do things such as checking to see if they locked their car. But these thoughts consume people with OCD.

“People get on a treadmill of feeling anxious and needing to fix it,” says Martin E. Franklin, PhD, executive clinical director of OCD and Anxiety Services. “They start to lose sight of how they’re spending their time,” he explains. “What they’re trying to do to make it go away is actually making it worse.”

Click the video above to hear more from Dr. Franklin.

If you're wondering if you might have OCD, take a short quiz.

OCD treatment at Rogers

Rogers offers multiple levels of OCD treatment for children, adolescents, and adults, including inpatient and residential in Wisconsin, and PHP and IOP in a growing number of communities nationwide. Call 800-767-4411 for a free, confidential screening.