OCD mental disorder treatment. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: why it occurs, how it manifests and is treated

Obsessive-compulsive mental disorder (also called neurosis obsessive states) can significantly worsen the quality of life. Despite this, many of those who notice alarming symptoms, do not rush to see a doctor, explaining this with prejudices, a sense of false shame and other reasons.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: what is it in simple words

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neurotic pathology that is characterized by the appearance of restless thoughts that provoke the performance of actions that have the meaning of a ritual for the patient. In this way, a person manages to reduce the level of anxiety for some time.

Symptoms of OCD include:

• obsessions - obsessive thoughts, images or urges to action that the patient receives in the form of stereotypes;
• compulsions - repeated actions caused by worries and fears. They serve as “magical” rituals that can protect from harm or prevent an undesirable event.

Psychologists consider a striking example of OCD:

• nosophobia - pathological fear of incurable conditions;
• mania to constantly wash your hands for fear of catching an infection.

It is noteworthy that people suffering from OCD, as a rule, have a high intellectual level, are punctual, conscientious and neat.

Causes

The reasons for the development of OCD have not been precisely established, but there are various hypotheses about this.

Symptoms and treatment of Bipolar affective disorder:

1. Biological. As causal factors she considers:
   • brain pathologies, including those resulting from birth injuries;
   • functional anatomical anomalies;
   • features of work vegetative department CNS;
   • hormonal disorders.
2. Genetic, which does not exclude the development of OCD in the presence of a hereditary predisposition.
3. Psychological theories, including:
   • psychoanalytic, which explains obsessive states by saying that they are a tool for reducing anxiety in cases where it, together with aggression, is directed at another person;
   • exogenous-psychotraumatic, which as a cause puts forward a theory about the impact of severe stressful situations associated with the family, labor activity, various types sexual relations.
4. Sociological theories explain OCD by saying that it is a pathological reaction of the body to traumatic situations.

Mechanism of disease formation

As mentioned above, there are different explanations for the formation of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Currently, the neurotransmitter theory, which is part of the biological one, is considered a priority. Its essence is that the cause of OCD lies in incorrect communications between individual parts of the cerebral cortex and a complex of subcortical neural nodes.

The interaction of these structures is ensured by serotonin. Scientists have concluded that in obsessive-compulsive disorder, there is a deficiency of this hormone caused by increased reuptake, which interferes with the transmission of impulses to the next neuron.

To summarize, we can state that the pathogenesis of OCD is quite complex and has not been sufficiently studied.

OCD in men, women and children – differences in manifestation

Obsessive-compulsive disorder affects many people, with approximately the same number of men and women. As for age indicators, it is believed that symptoms appear more often in adults, but there is information that up to 4% of children and adolescents suffer from OCD to one degree or another. Among older people there are also a considerable number of those who suffer from obsessive disorders. The statistics provided contain information about the number of people who sought help.

Manifestations of pathology in men and women have much in common, in particular:

• always manifests itself first with obsessive thoughts;
• a restless stream of consciousness creates anxiety;
• against the backdrop of fears, actions are born that remove nervous tension and, according to the patient, are able to prevent terrible consequences.

For men, the source of anxiety is:

• work activity;
• career and business development;
• the desire to preserve and increase what has been acquired.

For example, a man is worried that he may be fired from his job and left without a livelihood. Against the background of anxiety, anxiety is born, and therefore a person begins to compulsively: pray or perform other rituals (actions), which, as it seems to him, will miraculously help avoid troubles.

Women's anxieties are largely due to:

• worry about the health of family members;
• fear of the possibility of divorce;
• pathological fear of loneliness.

There is a special thing - postpartum OCD, when the mother worries about the health and life of her newborn baby so much that it takes on the character of a pathology. She is tormented by the thought that he might:

• suddenly fall ill and die;
• fall and get injured;
• stop breathing in your sleep.

This leads to the fact that significant part time is devoted to experiences and behavior dictated by OCD.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder in older people is associated with such phenomena as:

• loneliness, without prospects to change anything;
• inactive lifestyle;
• worries about the health and well-being of younger relatives;
• deterioration in quality of life;
• development of ailments leading to physical limitations.

Elderly people stop sleeping at night and start calling their grandchildren and children frequently to make sure they are alive and well. Inexplicable rituals are born along the way - for everything to go well, you need to:

• take a swim;
• rearrange things in the closet;
• swap flowers on the windowsill;
• perform other actions.

In children it occurs, for the most part, due to genetic reasons or because of problems at school, at home, among friends. Children often suffer due to:

• poor academic performance;
• quarrels and loneliness;
• violent acts of a physical and psychological nature.

Like the adults, in the background increased anxiety they begin to perform certain rituals.

Types and types of obsessive-compulsive disorder and their distinctive features

It has been noted that OCD can occur in a chronic, progressive or episodic form:

1. A chronic condition indicates that the disorder is constantly present, stable, and unchanging.
2. A progressive condition means that the patient is experiencing a chronic process, the symptoms of which intensify, which is dangerous.
3. Episodic is characterized by the fact that symptoms appear from time to time. There are cyclic, conditional and mixed types of episodic forms of the disorder, with:
   • cyclical states depend on the body’s biorhythms;
   • conditional ones manifest themselves under the influence of traumatic circumstances, which include a sharp change in the usual lifestyle, the impact of psycho-emotional stress, various pathologies of the body;
   • mixed represent a combination of biorhythmic and conditional factors.

Depending on the degree of predominance of the main symptoms, several types of OCD are classified:

1. Mixed, including both compulsions and obsessions;
2. “Pure” types are obsessive and compulsive.

It is noteworthy that in single-component types, upon closer examination, one way or another, the influence of the pair component can be traced.

For example, a person leisurely placing objects on a table in a certain order (compulsion). He performs these actions in order to suppress the feeling of anxiety (obsession) that inevitably manifests itself from the contemplation of disorder.

Compulsions can be expressed:

• external actions (counting stripes on trousers, rearranging small objects, frequent hand washing, and so on);

Obsessions are present in the form of:

• annoying thoughts (for example, about one’s own professional incompetence);
• groundless fears;
• doubts about the impeccability of one’s own actions and reasoning;
• obsessive anxiety about personal relationships;
• exciting memories relating to the distant past;
• pathological fear of doing something wrong or discovering signs (character, appearance, lifestyle) that are condemned and ridiculed in society;
• obsessive feeling of physical discomfort.
• a feeling of anxiety that occurs suddenly and prompts you to perform a certain action.

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder include:

• a person worries about order, small, unimportant details, imaginary dangers so much that many truly important points lives fade into the background;
• perfectionism does not allow you to complete the work you started due to endless rework caused by doubts and worries about insufficient quality;
• All the time and attention is devoted to working for the sake of high results. At the same time, a person sacrifices rest, friendship, interesting leisure, although objectively “the game is not worth the candle,” that is, the sacrifices are not comparable to the reward for the results of labor;
• those suffering from OCD are distinguished by a pathologically high level of consciousness and responsibility, are meticulous and completely inflexible in matters of morality and ethics;
• a person experiences real suffering when it is necessary to throw away damaged and unnecessary things;
• difficulties arise whenever we're talking about about the need to share at least a small part of their powers with other people. If this happens, it is only on the condition that the work will be carried out according to already existing rules;
• People with OCD are strong-willed and stubborn. In addition, they are extremely economical and reluctant to spend money, because in the future there may be difficulties, tragedies and disasters that will require financial expenses,

If anyone has discovered or loved one 4 or more of the signs listed above, there is a possibility that these are symptoms of the development of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

Treatment options

Treatment for obsessive disorders includes drug treatment and psychotherapy as mandatory elements

Psychotherapy

It involves the use of such therapeutic techniques, How:

1. Cognitive-behavioral correction, which was developed by the American psychiatrist D. Schwartz. The technique gives the patient the opportunity to resist the influence of the disorder by changing the order of ritual actions, simplifying them, in order to gradually reduce them to a minimum. The method is based on a person’s conscious attitude towards his mental problem and gradual resistance to its symptoms.
2. “4 Steps” is another technique developed by the same specialist in the field of psychiatry. Its action is based on what the doctor explains to the patient:
   • which of his fears are justified and which are provoked by the influence of OCD and therefore make no sense;
   • how, if found in a particular situation, a healthy person would act;
   • how can you stop intrusive thoughts.
3. Exposure and warning is one of the most effective forms behavioral correction in OCD sufferers. In this case, exposure consists of immersing the patient in conditions that provoke discomfort due to obsessions. The therapist instructs how to resist urges to perform compulsive actions, forming a warning for a pathological response. According to statistics, the vast majority of those who have undergone such treatment achieve lasting improvement in their condition. The effect of psychotherapy can last for many months.

Other types of psychocorrection are also used in the treatment of OCD:

• group and family,
• rational and aversive:
• other types.

Drug therapy with psychotropic drugs

Antidepressants have shown maximum effectiveness for OCD. When anxiety increases in the first stages of treatment, they are supplemented with tranquilizers. In chronic cases of OCD, when serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants are ineffective, atypical antipsychotic drugs are increasingly prescribed.

It is impossible and unacceptable to treat the disease at home.

How to live with OCD and is it possible to get rid of it completely?

There is no universal answer to this question, since it all depends on:

• severity of the disorder;
• characteristics of a particular person;
• presence of motivation to overcome the problem.

The latter is extremely important, since it would be wrong to accept the situation and adapt to the standards of the disorder. In order for life to be long, happy, rich and interesting, you must recognize the problem and take measures to solve it. Of course, it is better to consult a doctor immediately. Many people try to cope with the disease on their own, but in the absence of special knowledge and skills, this can lead to wasted time and increasing symptoms.

To change your life for the better, it is important:

• Get as much information as possible about obsessive-compulsive disorder. New knowledge will provide an understanding of where obsessive states come from and how to manage them;
• be open to positive changes, no matter how unrealistic they may seem;
• understand that the healing process requires time, persistence and patience;
• communicate with other people suffering from OCD. There are similar communities on the Internet. They are useful not only as an opportunity to talk, but also as a chance to receive new, useful information.

OCD, which lasts for years, is exhausting, takes a lot of energy and time, brings discomfort into life, but has been successfully treated for a long time.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is mental disorder, which may be progressive. OCD is accompanied by repetitive thoughts and actions. This disorder is characterized by obsessions (uncontrollable, disturbing and frightening thoughts and intrusive ideas) and compulsive actions (repetitive rituals, rules and habits that serve as an expression of obsessions and figure prominently in everyday life). If you like cleanliness and order, this does not mean that you have OCD. However, OCD is quite possible if obsessive thoughts begin to dominate and control your everyday life: For example, you may check that the door is locked many times before going to bed, or believe that people around you will get hurt if you do not perform certain ritual actions.

Steps

Identifying symptoms

Learn about the obsessions and thoughts that are common in OCD. With obsessive-compulsive disorder, people experience recurring, intrusive thoughts that are often distressing and frightening. These can be various doubts, fears, obsessions or sad images that are difficult to control. With OCD, these thoughts appear at inopportune moments, completely take over your mind and paralyze it with anxiety and fear. The following obsessions and thoughts are common:

• Strong physiological craving to order, symmetry and precision. You may feel a lot of discomfort because the silverware on the table is not arranged neatly enough, your plans are not carried out down to the smallest detail, or simply one sleeve is a little longer than the other.
• Fear of contamination and infection. You may feel goosebumps at the thought of touching a trash can or handrail in public transport, or just shake someone's hand. Such obsessive thoughts are accompanied by excessive hand washing and increased attention to cleanliness. Constant worry about imaginary symptoms and fear of various diseases can also be expressed in suspiciousness and hypochondria.
• Excessive indecisiveness and need for constant reassurance; fear of making a mistake, getting caught awkward situation or behave inappropriately. This can lead to inertia and passivity. When you try to take action, you will often give up because of doubts and fears that something will go wrong.
• Fear of unpleasant and evil thoughts; intrusive and terrifying thoughts of harm to oneself or others. You may be overcome by terrible intrusive thoughts (as if rising from the subconscious) about possible accidents with you or other people, although you try in every possible way to drive them away. As a rule, such thoughts arise in everyday situations: for example, you can imagine that your friend was hit by a bus when you are crossing the street with him.

1. Learn about the compulsive behaviors that often accompany obsessive thoughts. These are various rituals, rules and habits that you perform again and again in order to get rid of obsessive and frightening thoughts. However, these thoughts often return and become even stronger. Compulsive behaviors are also distressing in themselves because they gradually become more intrusive and require more and more time. Often compulsive behavior includes the following:

   • Too much frequent use baths, showers and hand washing; refusal to shake hands or touch door handles; repeated checks (is the lock closed, is the iron turned off, etc.). You may wash your hands five, ten, or twelve times in a row before they feel truly clean. You can also lock, unlock, and re-lock your door many times before falling asleep.
   • Constant calculation, silently or out loud, when performing ordinary actions; eating food in a strictly established order; the desire to place things in a certain order. Perhaps before you start thinking about anything, you need to arrange things on your desk in a strictly defined order. Or maybe you can't eat while the different parts of the dish on your plate are touching each other.
   • Intrusive words, images or thoughts, usually disturbing, that can negatively affect sleep. You may experience images of a horrific, violent death. You may not be able to shake off thoughts of various frightening options and worst-case scenarios.
   • Frequent repetition of special words, phrases and spells; the need to perform certain actions a certain number of times. For example, if you fixate on the word “sorry,” you will repeat it whenever you feel regret about something. Or you might regularly slam your car door ten times before driving away.
   • Collecting and hoarding objects without a specific purpose. You may compulsively collect various useless items that you will never need and end up overfilling your car, garage, backyard or bedroom with them. You may have strong irrational cravings for certain items, despite your mind telling you not to pick up trash.

2. Learn to recognize the common "types" of OCD. Obsessions and compulsions often relate to specific topics and situations. There are several most common categories, and it is not always possible to summarize specific case under one of them. However, these categories, or types, make it easier to identify factors that lead to compulsive behavior. The most common OCD behaviors include washing, checking, doubting and self-deprecating thoughts, counting and organizing, and collecting.

   • Washers afraid of pollution. In this case, compulsive behavior consists of frequent hand washing and other cleansing actions. For example, you can wash your hands five times after taking out the trash, or, after spilling something on the floor, vacuum it again and again.
   • Inspectors recheck anything that may pose a threat. For example, you can check ten times to see if the front door is locked and the stove is turned off, although you remember exactly that you closed the door and turned off the stove. After leaving the library, you can check many times whether you took the right book. You can check the same thing ten, twenty or thirty times.
   • Those who doubt and have committed wrongdoing They are afraid that something will go wrong, something terrible will happen and they will be punished. These thoughts can lead to a desire for excessive clarity and precision or paralyze the will to act. You may be constantly examining your thoughts and actions for shortcomings and mistakes.
   • Counters and fans of order obsessed with the desire for order and symmetry. Such people are characterized by superstitions regarding certain numbers, colors, or the arrangement of objects. “Bad” omens or “wrong” placement of objects make them anxious and uncomfortable.
   • Gatherers They really don’t like to part with various items. At the same time, you can collect absolutely unnecessary things that you will never need, and experience a strong irrational attachment to them, although you understand that they are useless trash.

3. Consider how severe the symptoms you are experiencing are. Typically, OCD symptoms are relatively mild at first, but their intensity may change over the course of a person's life. The disorder usually first appears in childhood, adolescence or youth. Symptoms worsen in stressful situations, and in some cases the disorder acquires such acute form and consumes so much time that the person becomes incapacitated. If you frequently experience some of the intrusive thoughts described above and engage in compulsive behaviors that fall into one category or another of OCD, and it takes up a significant amount of your time, see a doctor for an accurate diagnosis.

   Diagnosis and treatment of OCD

   1. Talk to a doctor or psychologist. Don't try to diagnose yourself: While you may at times experience anxiety and intrusive thoughts, hoard unwanted items, or worry about germs, OCD has a spectrum of conditions and symptoms, and just because you have one symptom does not mean you need treatment. Only professional doctor can determine whether you actually have OCD.

      • There are no standardized tests or tests that can definitively identify OCD. Your doctor will base your diagnosis on your symptoms and how long it takes you to perform ritual activities.
      • Don't worry if you've been diagnosed with OCD - although there is no "complete cure" for the disorder, there are medications and behavioral therapies to help you mitigate and successfully manage your symptoms. You can learn to live with intrusive thoughts and not let them take over you.

   2. Ask your doctor about cognitive behavioral therapy. Also called “exposure therapy” or “confrontational anxiety suppression technique,” ​​the goal of this technique is to teach people with OCD to cope with their fears and suppress anxiety without engaging in ritualistic behavior. This therapy It also helps reduce the tendency toward exaggeration and negative thinking that is common in people with OCD.

      • To begin CBT, you will need to see a psychologist. Ask family doctor recommend a suitable specialist or contact your local psychological clinic. It won't be easy at first, but if you really set out to control obsessive thoughts, you can achieve it.

   3. Ask your doctor about drug treatment. People with OCD often take antidepressants, in particular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which include Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft. Older drugs such as tricyclic antidepressants (for example, Anafranil) are also used. Some atypical antipsychotics, such as Risperdal and Abilify, taken alone or together with SSRIs, are also prescribed to reduce symptoms of OCD.

   Warnings

   • If you don't have OCD, don't refer to it every time you have it. Bad mood. OCD is a serious and progressive disorder, and your words may offend someone who actually suffers from this disease.

Are you still carrying hand sanitizer? Is your wardrobe organized in every sense in your closet? Such habits may simply be a reflection of personality or beliefs, but sometimes they cross an invisible line and become obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which affects almost 1% of Americans.

How to distinguish a habit from medical diagnosis requiring specialist help? The task is not easy, says Professor Jeff Zymanski. But some symptoms indicate a problem openly.

Frequent hand washing

Obsessive urges to wash hands or use hand sanitizer are common among OCD sufferers, so much so that they have even been identified as separate category"washers". The main reason obsessive hand washing is a fear of bacteria, less often - a desire to protect others from one’s own “uncleanness”.

When to ask for help: If you can't forget about germs even after washing your hands, are afraid that you didn't wash them thoroughly enough, or that you might have contracted AIDS from a supermarket cart, there's a good chance you're one of the "washers." Another a clear sign- rituality of washing: you think that you should soap and rinse your hands five times, while soaping each individual nail.

Obsession with cleaning

People with OCD and a passion for handwashing often go to another extreme: they become obsessed with cleaning the house. The reason for this obsessive state is also germophobia or the feeling of “uncleanness”. Although cleaning relieves germ anxiety, the effects don't last long and the urge to clean again becomes stronger than before.

When to ask for help: If you spend several hours every day cleaning your home, there's a good chance you have obsessive-compulsive disorder. If satisfaction from cleaning occurs within 1 hour, it will be more difficult to make a diagnosis.

Obsessive checking of actions

If you need to make sure that the stove is turned off and the front door is closed 3-4, or even 20 times, this is another common (about 30%) manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Like other compulsive behaviors, repeated checking stems from fear for one's own safety or a deep-seated feeling of irresponsibility.

When to ask for help: It's perfectly reasonable to double check something important. But if obsessive checking interferes with your life (you start being late for work, for example) or takes on a ritual form that you cannot break, you may be a victim of OCD.

An inexplicable desire to count

Some people with obsessive-compulsive disorder attach great importance to counting and count everything that catches their eye: the number of steps, the number of red cars passed, etc. Often the reason for counting is superstition, fear of failure if some action is not performed a certain “magic” number of times.

When to ask for help:“It all depends on the context,” explains Rzymanski. - Does this behavior make sense for you? Counting steps from the door to the car, for example, can be done out of boredom. But if you can’t get rid of the numbers in your head and the constant counting, it’s time to turn to a specialist.”

Total organization

People with obsessive-compulsive disorder are capable of perfecting the art of organization. Things on the table should lie smoothly, clearly and symmetrically. Always.

When to ask for help: If you want your desk to be clean, neat and organized, it may be easier for you to work this way, and you do it from a completely normal necessity order. People with OCD may not need this, but still organize the surrounding reality, which otherwise begins to frighten them.

Fear of trouble

Everyone has anxious thoughts about a possible unpleasant incident or violence. And the harder we try not to think about them, the more persistently they appear in our heads, but for people with OCD, fear goes to the extreme, and the troubles that happen cause too strong a reaction.

When to ask for help: It is important to set the line between periodic unpleasant thoughts and fears and excessive worries. OCD is possible if you avoid, for example, walking in the park for fear of being robbed, or calling several times a day dear person to inquire about his safety.

Obsessive thoughts of a sexual nature

Just like thoughts of violence, obsessive-compulsive disorder often involves intrusive thoughts about inappropriate behavior or taboo desires. Those suffering from OCD may, against their will, imagine themselves harassing co-workers or strangers, or begin to doubt their sexual orientation.

When to ask for help:“Most people will tell you: No, I don’t want to do this at all and it doesn’t reflect my inner beliefs at all,” comments Zymanski. “But a person with OCD will say differently: These thoughts are disgusting, they don’t come to anyone but me, and what will they think about me now?!” If a person’s behavior changes because of these thoughts: he begins to avoid acquaintances with gay people or people who appear in his fantasies - this is already an alarming sign.

Unhealthy relationship analysis

People with OCD are known for their obsessive tendency to analyze relationships with friends, colleagues, partners and family members. For example, they may worry for a particularly long time and analyze whether the incorrect phrase they said became the reason for the detachment of a colleague or a misunderstanding - a reason to part with a loved one. This state can extremely increase the sense of responsibility and the difficulty of perceiving unclear situations.

When to ask for help: Breaking up with a loved one may get stuck in your head, which is normal, but if these thoughts snowball over time, developing into a complete erosion of self-confidence and a negative attitude towards yourself, you should seek help.

Finding support

Those suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder often try to relieve their pain with support from friends and family. If, for example, they are afraid of messing up at a party, then they ask their friends to “rehearse” in advance possible situation, and more than once.

When to ask for help: Asking friends for help is a completely normal part of friendship, but if you find yourself regularly asking the same question - or friends telling you so - it could be a sign of OCD. Worse, receiving approval and support from loved ones can worsen the manifestation of this obsessive state. It's time to turn to professionals.

Dissatisfaction with your appearance

Body dysmorphophobia - the conviction that there is some kind of flaw in one's appearance, often accompanies OCD, and forces people to obsessively evaluate their body parts that seem ugly to them - the nose, skin, hair (by the way, unlike eating disorders, dysmorphophobia does not focus their attention on weight or diets).

When to ask for help: It's completely normal to not be excited about some part of your body. It’s another matter when you spend hours in front of the mirror, looking at and criticizing this place.

What is OCD, how does it manifest itself, who is prone to obsessive-compulsive disorder and why, what accompanies OCD. Causes

Hello! Usually in articles I try to give useful recommendations, but this one will be more educational in nature to generally understand what people are facing. We will look at how the disorder most often manifests itself and who is most prone to it. This will give you some idea of ​​what to pay attention to and where to start moving towards recovery.

What is OCD (obsession and compulsion)

So, what is obsessive-compulsive disorder and, in particular, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)?

Obsession – obsession, a periodically occurring annoying, unwanted thought. People are bothered by repetitive thoughts and thought images. For example, about possible errors, omissions, inappropriate behavior, the possibility of infection, loss of control, etc.

compulsion- this is an obsessive behavior that a person feels he is forced to do in order to prevent something bad, that is, actions aimed at avoiding a perceived danger.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder was not so long ago considered a disease, but now in the international medical classification (ICD-10) OCD is classified as neurotic disorders, which can be successfully and permanently treated with modern psychotherapeutic methods, in particular CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), founded by the famous psychotherapist Aaron Beck (although, in my opinion and experience, this method lacks some important points).

It is very viscous, tenacious and serious condition, which is capable of absorbing almost all the time, filling it senseless actions and repetitive thoughts and images. Against this background, people begin to experience difficulties in communication, in everyday activities, study and work.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is divided into two forms:

1. Obsessions when a person has only obsessive thoughts and images, be they contrasting (single) or numerous thoughts replacing each other on various occasions, which he is afraid of, tries to get rid of and distract himself from them.
2. Obsessions-compulsives when obsessive thoughts and actions (rituals) are present. If a person is completely unable to control his anxious thoughts and feelings, he can try to do something, use some actions to extinguish anxiety and get rid of annoying thoughts and fears.

Over time, these actions themselves become obsessive and seem to stick to the person’s psyche, then an irresistible feeling arises to continue performing rituals, and in the future, even if the person decides not to do them, it simply does not work out.

Compulsive disorder – obsessive behavior.

Most often, rituals are associated with double-checking, washing, cleaning, counting, symmetry, hoarding and, sometimes, the need to confess.

Such actions include, for example, counting windows, turning lights off and on, constantly checking the door, stove, arranging things in a specific order, frequent washing hands (apartments) and so on.

There are also many who use mental rituals associated with pronouncing certain words, self-persuasion, or constructing images according to a specific pattern. People do such rituals because it seems to them that if everything is done exactly (as needed), then terrible thoughts will go away, and the first time they use it, it really helps them.

As I wrote earlier, the main cause of obsessive-compulsive disorder is people’s harmful beliefs, which are often acquired in childhood, and then everything is reinforced by emotional addiction.

Such beliefs and beliefs primarily include:

Thought is material - when unwanted thoughts come to mind, there is a fear that they will come true, for example, “what if I hurt someone if I think about it.”

The belief of perfectionists is that everything must be perfect and mistakes cannot be made.

Suspiciousness – belief in amulets and evil eyes, a tendency to exaggerate (catastrophize) any more or less possible danger.

Hyperresponsibility (I must control everything) - when a person believes that he is responsible not only for himself, but also for the appearance of thoughts and images in his head, as well as for the actions of other people.

Beliefs associated with the internal assessment of any phenomena and situations: “good - bad”, “right - wrong” and others.

Manifestations of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

So, let's look at all the most common manifestations of OCD in life.

1. Constant hand washing

Obsessive thoughts and desire to wash hands frequently (for a long time) (bathroom, apartment), use them everywhere protective equipment hygiene, wear gloves due to fear of infection (contamination).

Real example. As a child, one woman was frightened by her mother, who was anxious by nature, with a good intention - to warn her daughter - with worms. As a result, fear stuck in the child’s psyche to such an extent that, having matured, the woman learned everything she could about worms: from the stages of reproduction, how and where one can catch it, to the symptoms of infection. She tried to protect herself from the slightest possibility of infection. However, knowledge did not help her catch the infection and, on the contrary, her fear worsened and grew into a constant and alarming suspicion.

Please note that the risk of infection when modern life with frequent examinations, hygiene and good conditions life is small, nevertheless, it is this fear as a risk to life, and not other possible threats, even more probable ones, that has become constant and main for a woman.

This can also include an obsession with cleaning around the house, where fear of germs or a disturbing feeling of “uncleanliness” manifests itself.

In general, you can teach a child to fear everything, even God, if you raise him in religion and often say: “Don’t do this and that, otherwise God will punish you.” This often happens that children are taught to live in fear, shame and before God (life, people), and not in freedom and love for God and the entire world (universe).

3. Obsessive checking of actions (control)

Also a common manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Here people check many times whether the doors are locked, whether the stove is turned off, etc. Such repeated checks, to convince themselves that everything is in order, arise out of anxiety for the safety of themselves or their loved ones.

And often a person is driven by an anxious feeling that I did something wrong, missed something, didn’t finish it and am not in control; the thought may arise: “what if I did something terrible, but I don’t remember and don’t know how to check it.” Background (chronic) anxiety simply suppresses a person's will.

4. Obsessive counting

Some people with obsessive-compulsive disorder count everything that catches their eye: how many times the lights are turned off, the number of steps or blue (red) cars that have passed, etc. The main reasons for this behavior are superstitions (suspiciousness) associated with the fear that if I don’t do it exactly or don’t count the exact number of times, then something bad might happen. This also includes an attempt to escape from some disturbing, intrusive thoughts.

People “by counting”, without realizing it, pursue main goal- to extinguish the pressing anxiety, but in their minds it seems to them that by doing the ritual they will protect themselves from some consequences. Most realize that all this is unlikely to help them in any way, but by trying not to do the ritual, anxiety intensifies, and they again begin to count, wash their hands, turn on and off the light, etc.

5. Total correctness and organization

The same is a common form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. People with this obsession are able to bring organization and order to perfection. For example, in the kitchen everything should be symmetrical and on shelves, otherwise I feel internal, emotional discomfort. The same applies to any work or even eating.

Able severe anxiety, a person ceases to take into account the interests of others, just like others negative emotions, exacerbate a person’s selfishness, so it also affects close people.

6. Obsessive-compulsive dissatisfaction with one's appearance

Dysmorphophobia, when a person believes that he has some kind of serious external defect (ugliness), is also classified as obsessive-compulsive disorder.

People, for example, can stare for hours until they like their facial expression or some part of their body, as if their life directly depends on it, and only by liking themselves can they calm down somewhat.

In another case, it is avoiding looking in the mirror for fear of seeing one’s “flaws.”

7.Beliefs of wrongness and feelings of incompleteness.

It happens that some people are oppressed by a feeling of incompleteness, when it seems that something is not good enough or that something has not been completed; in such a situation, they can shift things from place to place many times until, finally, they are satisfied with the result.

And believers (although not only them) very often encounter the “wrongness” and “obscenity” of their thoughts. Something comes to their mind, in their opinion, obscene (blasphemous), and they are absolutely convinced that thinking (imagining) like that is a sin, I shouldn’t have people like that. And as soon as they start thinking like that, the problem immediately grows. Others may even have fear associated with words, such as black, devil, blood.

8.Compulsive overeating (in brief)

The most common causes of compulsive overeating are psychological factors associated with society, when a person is ashamed of his figure, experiences negative emotions, and with food, often sweet, unconsciously tries to extinguish unpleasant feelings, and it works to a certain extent, but it does affect the appearance.

Psychological (personal) problems - depression, anxiety, boredom, dissatisfaction with some areas of your life, uncertainty, constant nervousness and inability to control your emotions - often lead to compulsive overeating.

Best regards, Andrey Russkikh