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Obsessional and Compulsive Disorders

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Comprehensive Handbook of Psychopathology

Abstract

Although psychiatric discussions of obsessional and compulsive phenomena date only to 1838, literary descriptions of such behavior may be found much earlier. Euripides (480–406 B.c.) and Shakespeare (1564–1616) both provided eloquent descriptions of obsessional jealousy in the plays Medea and Othello. Shakespeare also provided an illustrative description of obsessional guilt coupled with compulsive ritualistic behavior in his portrayal of Lady Macbeth after the violent murder of King Duncan (Coleman, Butcher, & Carson, 1980):

It is an accustomed action with her, to seem thus washing her hands. I have known her continue in this a quarter of an hour... .

Completion of this project was facilitated by grants from the University of North Carolina Research Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi, Jackson, Mississippi, 39216, USA

    Ellie T. Sturgis

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  1. Ellie T. Sturgis
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA

    Henry E. Adams Ph.D.

  2. Psychology Service, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

    Patricia B. Sutker Ph.D.

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Sturgis, E.T. (1984). Obsessional and Compulsive Disorders. In: Adams, H.E., Sutker, P.B. (eds) Comprehensive Handbook of Psychopathology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-6681-6_10

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