235 Obsessive-Compulsive and
Related Disorders
Obsessive-compulsive  and related disorders in clude obsessive-compulsive
disorder (OCD), body dysmor phic disorder, hoarding diso rder, trichotillomania (hair-
pulling disorder), excoriation (skin-picking) disorder, substance/medication-induced ob-
sessive-compulsive and related disorder, obsessive-compulsive and related disorder due
to another medical condition, and other spec ified obsessive-compulsive and related dis-
order and unspecified obsessive-compulsive and related disorder (e.g ., body-focused re-
petitive behavior disorder, obsessional jealousy).
OCD is characterized by the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions. Obsessions
are recurrent and persistent th oughts, urges, or images that are experienced as intrusive
and unwanted, whereas compulsions  are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that an indi-
vidual feels driven to perform in response to  an obsession or according to rules that must
be applied rigidly. Some other obsessive-comp ulsive and related disorders are also char-
acterized by preoccupations and by repetitive behaviors or mental acts in response to the
preoccupations. Other obsessive-compulsive and related disorders are characterized pri-
marily by recurrent body -focused repetitive behaviors (e.g.,  hair pulling, sk in picking) and
repeated attempts to decrease or stop the behaviors.
The inclusion of a chapter on  obsessive-compulsive and rela ted disorders in DSM-5 re-
flects the increasing evidence of these disorders’ relatedness to one an other in terms of a
range of diagnostic validators as well as the c linical utility of grouping these disorders in
the same chapter. Clinicians are encouraged to  screen for these cond itions in individuals