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obsessive-compulsive

Anything that's obsessive-compulsive relates to a kind of anxiety characterized by a combination of obsessive thoughts and repetitive behaviors that help relieve the anxiety these thoughts cause.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder that causes people to think or worry obsessively, and to become so anxious that they feel a need (or compulsion) to perform some kind of ritual. These obsessive-compulsive actions can include counting, tapping things, moving or jerking their bodies, turning lights on and off, and nail biting. The term obsessive-compulsive dates from the 1920s, combining Latin roots obsessus, "besiege," and compulsus, "forced."

Definitions of obsessive-compulsive
  1. adjective
    characterized by obsessions and compulsions
    obsessive-compulsive neurosis”
    synonyms:
    neurotic, psychoneurotic
    affected with emotional disorder
  2. noun
    a person with obsessive-compulsive characteristics
    see moresee less
    type of:
    mental case, neurotic, psychoneurotic
    a person suffering from neurosis
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