Maria brushes her teeth at least 20 times a day as she is convinced if she does not, oral germs will infect her mouth and throat and she will die. maria is exhibiting classic symptoms of

The correct answer is obsessive compulsive disorder.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) refers to an anxiety based disorder in which suffers engage in compulsive behaviors (such as repeatedly washing  hands due to the fear or germs and contamination) as a result of obsessive and intrusive thoughts that are distressing and cause significant anxiety. OCD sufferers engage in compulsive behaviors in order to decrease their levels of anxiety.

South central region