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Criterion A

• Obsessions, compulsions, or both are present.

Criterion A1: Obsessions

• Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced as intrusive and unwanted.
• The obsessions usually cause marked anxiety or distress.
• The person attempts to ignore, suppress, or neutralize the obsessions with another thought or action.

Criterion A2: Compulsions

• Compulsions are repetitive behaviors such as washing, checking, or ordering, or mental acts such as praying, counting, or repeating words silently.
• The compulsions are performed in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.
• The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing anxiety or distress, or at preventing some dreaded event or situation.
• The behaviors or mental acts are either not realistically connected to what they are meant to prevent or are clearly excessive.

Criterion B

• Obsessions or compulsions are time-consuming or cause clinically significant distress or impairment.

Criterion C

• The symptoms are not due to substances or another medical condition.

Criterion D

• The disturbance is not better explained by another mental disorder such as GAD, body dysmorphic disorder, illness anxiety disorder, or psychosis.

Related Guides

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms and Signs
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Scales and Assessment Tools
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatments and Medications
• When to Seek Professional Help for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder