Many were students - 48 percent of men and 17 percent of women. Around 55 percent of women were homemakers, the study said.

It found that 64 percent of men who had OCD showed aggression, while 38 percent had sexual obsessions. In case of women, 82 percent were obsessed about contamination.

'Most men think of sex. But if they think about it all the time even when they are doing something else then it is called OCD,' Khandelwal added.

'In our culture, we think that sexual matters do not apply to women, so even if they think about it, they do not come forward with the problem. But as cleaning, arranging, washing and checking are considered women's jobs, most don't realise when it has become an obsession for them,' he added.

'People should recognise the signs if their problem gets out of control, poses a problem in their daily lives and is no longer normal,' Khandelwal told IANS.

Men are more likely to have a higher rate of social phobia, tic disorders, sexual disorders, hypochondria and psychosis while women have a significantly higher rate of depression and panic disorder.

Jiloha said there is no exact reason for the onset of OCD. 'There are many factors - development and training as a child, bio-chemical changes in the body or it could be a genetic problem,' he said.

'Such behaviour stems from buried obsessions and compulsions. Some people are able to take care of their depression but for some it manifests in different ways. They take it out on themselves,' he said.

'We can control the illness and in some cases, people have been able to get relief from their obsessions,' he said.

'If people ignore it and live with it, it could have a bad impact on their personal lives,' Jiloha added.

(Kavita Bajeli-Datt can be contacted at kavita.d@ians.in)