1.5% of women and 1.0% of men worldwide suffer from OCD, a chromic neurodevelopmental anxiety disorder characterized by recurring, intrusive thoughts or images that cause extreme distress and anxiety – and the compulsive need to carry out repetitive, ritual acts to reduce that anxiety.
The WHO lists anxiety disorders, including OCD, as the sixth largest contributor to non-fatal health loss globally. Currently 9.45 million people live with moderate or severe OCD in Europe, the US, Japan and the UK.
A safe, fully effective pharmaceutical therapy still does not exist.