In my clinical experience, symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder are an ineffective defense against  strong objectionable feelings  like anxiety and anger. This may seem like a radical notion.  While my data are anecdotal in nature, there seems to be clinical evidence to support my claim. For example, at an intake interview, a suburban housewife said that she has been plagued with thoughts that she has run down a pedestrian every time she backs  her car out of the  driveway.  She reported that she must circle her block 10 times or more, to make sure she didn’t hit anyone, before she can drive away. “Mary” said she can’t take it anymore; these obsessional thoughts and  compulsive behavior are controlling her life. Almost as an aside, when I asked her to tell me about her personal life, she told me that  she recently discovered that her husband was having an affair with their next door neighbor. I thought but didn’t say:” She feels guilty about her murderous fantasies, wanting to ‘run down’ her neighbor.  To allay her anxiety, her compromise solution is to circle the block many times to assure herself that she hasn’t hit anyone”.  Mary’s compromise solution is just that–a compromise.  It allows her to function, harboring feelings of anger, hurt and betrayal but at a cost.