Mindfulness and obsessive-compulsive disorder
developing a way to trust and validate one's internal experience
pp. 189-219
in: Fabrizio Didonna (ed), Clinical handbook of mindfulness, Berlin, Springer, 2009Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and often severe psychiatric disease. It is characterized by recurrent, intrusive and distressing thoughts, images, or impulses (obsessions) and/or repetitive mental or overt acts (compulsions or neutralizing behaviors) performed to reduce or remove distress and anxiety caused by these obsessive thoughts and to prevent any perceived harmful consequences (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). This disorder has a lifetime prevalence of approximately 2–3 percent worldwide (Weissman et al., 1994) and often begins in adolescence or early adulthood, usually with a gradual onset (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).