THE SPECIALIST: DR. WAYNE GOODMAN ON OCD
The chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai, Goodman has spent the past 20 years specializing in obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is one of the founders of the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, a patient advocacy group.
WHO’S AT RISK
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, commonly known as OCD, is an anxiety disorder that affects an estimated 5 million Americans.
“To fit the qualifications, you have to have obsessions and/or compulsions,” says Goodman. “Obsessions are recurrent or disturbing thoughts, images or impulses, and compulsions are undeniable urges to do repeated behaviors.” Compulsions are sometimes referred to as rituals — repetitive behaviors, like excessive hand- washing, that people with OCD use to reduce their anxiety..." More
