The report is based on the work of Naomi Fineberg of the University of Hertfordshire. It suggest that those with OCD might benefit more from therapies that are designed for those with addictions.
My own work has long made me think that there are similarities. Addictive activities always seem to take the person into a zone in which all other feelings other than the excitement of the addictive behaviour are eliminated. It is like entering a zone in which all painful emotional feelings are drowned out by the intensity of the addictive behaviour. This is similar to the effect that repetitive patterns of OCD behaviour provide. For a while there is nothing else other than touching or washing or counting or whatever form the OCD takes.
You can find the New Scientist report here: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129603.400-is-ocd-an-addiction-l...
