Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is an anxiety disorder. Children with OCD feel compelled to take action in an attempt to manage anxiety driven by involuntary fears, thoughts and ideas.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder that involves recurrent thoughts and actions. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) defines an obsession as an intrusive thought, image or impulse that persists in the mind and provokes anxiety.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is an anxiety-based disorder impacting over three million American adults in a given year, notes Family Doctor.