How to get rid of obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Sometimes it’s only natural to go back to check if we’ve turned off the iron or if we’ve locked the door. After all, everyone gets distracted sometimes and can slip away from something they normally do routinely.

However, when this behavior starts to become manic and interferes with your life at every opportunity, then it is an obsessive compulsive disorder.

What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?

This is a type of anxiety disorder that manifests itself in uncontrollable and unwanted thoughts, as well as repetitive ritualized behaviors that you feel compelled to perform.

If you suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder, you are most likely aware that you have obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, but you most likely cannot find the strength to resist them and break this chain.

And just as an old gramophone record can loop, so can the human mind, which can become obsessively focused on a thought and unable to move forward.

On this principle, you can check 20 times whether you have turned off the oven, you can wash your hands dozens of times and walk around the neighborhood for hours until you are reassured that the sound, what you heard is not the sound of a person being run over in a moment of distraction.

Most often, an intrusive image, thought or urge to act appears in your mind, which in most cases is in the form of something embarrassing for you. It just so happens that you don’t want that thought in your head, but you can’t stop it.

Compulsions are compulsions that compel you to do something over and over again. For example, if you are afraid of contracting a disease, you may become obsessed with cleaning rituals or washing your hands.

If you satisfy the mind’s need to perform the action, that need will most often return stronger and more disturbing.

It is characteristic of compulsions that they become more and more difficult to perform and more and more demanding, and adherence to the ritual begins to take more and more time.

How can the behavior of people with OCD be generally described?

– Washers. These people fear that if they don’t wash their hands dozens times something very bad will happen and they will contract some disease.

– Checkers. They want to make sure again and again that they haven’t forgotten something included. They associate the lack of inspection with danger or damage.

– Perfectionists. These people fear that if they don’t do things in a certain perfect way something very unpleasant will happen.

– The counters and sorters. They worry that everything should be arranged by color and shape, and if it is not, it does not give them peace.

– Accumulating items. These are people who accumulate all kinds of junk at home and are afraid that if they throw it away, someday they will have to buy it again or that something bad will happen.

Does every person with similar symptoms have OCD?

Not really. These symptoms can also appear in a completely healthy person. We speak of a disorder if intrusive thoughts and actions create difficulties in a person’s daily life or if they are a threat to their relationship.

Treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder

The most effective treatment for patients with obsessive compulsive disorder is the application of cognitive behavioral therapy. It is sometimes possible to add adjunctive medication, butthis is not always effective for this type of disorder. Obsessive compulsive disorder is usually not treated with medication alone.

What is therapy?

Therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder usually consists of two key points.

1. The first key element is that in which the person confronts the “irritant” many times in a controlled setting. This causes the patient to gradually experience what is troubling him. For example, if you have a compulsion to wash your hands, your therapist might ask you to touch the door handle of a public restroom and not wash your hands afterward. This way you will get used to the anxiety caused by the need to wash your hands and the anxiety will gradually decrease.