The information below includes a limited overview of the disorder based on the DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria. Only a licensed therapist can provide a diagnosis.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Characterized by presence of obsessions and/or compulsions.

  • Repeated unwanted urges and thoughts, often causing anxiety or distress.

  • Individual attempts to ignore or neutralize the urge with an action (compulsion).

  • Includes repetitive behaviors in response to obsession or rules (washing hands, counting, etc.)

  • Behaviors are intended to reduce anxiety.

  • Obsessions/compulsions are time-consuming or cause social and work-related issues.

Hoarding Disorder

Characterized by difficulty parting with possessions.

  • Difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of value.

  • Feeling a need to save the possessions.

  • Excessive inability to part with items results in the accumulation of these items in active living areas and limiting functions.

  • Hoarding causes significant impairment on social and work-related functioning.

Hair-Pulling Disorder (Trichotillomania)

Characterized by repeated pulling out of one’s own hair.

  • Hair loss resulting from repeatedly pulling out one’s own hair.

  • Includes attempts to stop removing one’s hair.

  • Hair-pulling causes social and work-related issues.

Skin-Picking (Excoriation Disorder)

Characterized by repeatedly picking one’s own skin.

  • Skin lesions resulting from picking one’s own skin.

  • Repeated attempts to stop skin picking.

  • Social and/or work-related issues have been caused by skin picking.

Citation:

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

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