Rates of OCD have not gone up, but public interest in the disease (and it's various forms) has. Hoarders and those compelled to engage in rituals to ward off disturbing thoughts have lately appeared as characters on the big and small screens. A slew of real life sufferers of OCD have written memoirs and sought help in the public eye.

There is also evidence that sub-clinical obsessiveness about cleaning and germs could be on the rise.