Most people are familiar with obsessive compulsive disorder as is popularized in many TV shows and movies. My favorite is Monk, a TV show about Adrian Monk, an investigator who works with the San Francisco police department. Due to Monk's severe OCD (along with other disorders), he was forced into retirement as a detective with the San Francisco PD. The show is unflinching about the negative effects of Monk's disorder, but of course it introduces humor into his predicament.
According to the DSM-5, obsessions are "recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images" that are intrusive and cause distress. The individual attempts to ignore the obsessions, but is generally unable to. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors - such as hand washing, checking, praying, counting, or word repetition - that the individual feels compelled to perform in order to reduce anxiety and distress.
