Question: I have always had certain thoughts in my head that I can’t get rid of. They drive me crazy, but I can’t get rid of them unless I say certain things over and over until they go away. It’s really embarrassing. I can’t tell anyone. I don’t think anyone else has this problem. Have you ever heard of this? Is there anything I can do about it?
Anne Fenton, MD: You may be surprised to learn that your problem is actually quite a common one. If I understand you correctly, you are experiencing symptoms to the condition that is called obsessive compulsive disorder. Most people think of this as compulsive handwashing. Some people use the term loosely to describe a person who is very neat or orderly. Actually, it refers to any repetitive activity or thought that seems to have no basis in reality, but is extremely annoying or worse, and only seems to fade or stop when the person does some repetitive action or thought to “make it go away”. Many times, people are embarrassed by the symptom because it defies logic. One hallmark of the condition is that the individual knows it makes no sense, but also can’t stop it.
There are behavioral therapies for the condition, as well as medications that can work very well to suppress the symptoms, so that they won’t interfere with daily living. Research suggests that a combination of combining the techniques is optimal for treatment.