Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a wrongly understood term. While talking to a friend of mine, Nikhil, the other day, he mentioned about his nature of keeping the house clean, saying that being a bachelor and working ten hours a day, it does not give him time to maintain the house on a regular basis. Thus he prefers to do it on a Sunday where he cleans up his house, organises his cupboard and plans for the week. This one week, Nikhil had a house guest who was a slob. So every evening, when Nikhil returned home and found his house in a mess, he would get upset. When he brought it to his friend’s notice, his friend simply remarked that Nikhil had OCD.
On the other hand, I have a client who has
to wash her hands every time she has a negative thought, has to check the house
15 times before leaving the house or check the car at least 10 minutes if it is
locked properly.
Now who has OCD, Nikhil or my client? I
think we all have a certain amount of borderline Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
that we are probably not aware of. As a therapist, I too am obsessed with a
certain amount of cleanliness, organised approach, or for that matter, keeping
my things in a certain way or certain manner. However, these behaviours need
not hamper your peace of mind or your daily life.
Even checking your phone every five
minutes, or going on social sites every 15 minutes is a type of OCD. But, is it
a word that can be loosely applied to any given situation?
Let’s understand what Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder is. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder where
people feel the need to check things repeatedly, perform certain routines
repeatedly (called ‘rituals’), or have certain thoughts repeatedly. People are
unable to control either the thoughts or the activities for more than a short
period of time. Common activities include hand washing, counting of things and
checking to see if a door is locked. Some may have difficulty throwing things
out. These activities occur to such a degree that the person’s daily life is
negatively affected. Often they take up more than an hour a day. Most adults
realise that the behaviours do not make sense. The condition is associated with
tics, anxiety disorder, and an increased risk of suicide.
So how do you identify whether you really have OCD? I would say,
start by observing yourself as to how you are in your entire day. If you find
it difficult to keep track of yourself and if you have close, reliable and
genuine friends, you can ask them for help; tell them to let you know if they
notice you doing such repetitive actions.
It has been observed that OCD affects about 2.3 per cent of
people at some point in their lives. Rates during a given year are about 1.2
per cent and it occurs worldwide. It is unusual for symptoms to begin after the
age of 35, and half the people develop problems before 20. Males and females
are affected about equally. In English, the phrase ’obsessive–compulsive’ is
often used in an informal manner unrelated to OCD to describe someone who is
excessively meticulous, absorbed, or otherwise fixated.
Every problem or concern has a solution and there are various
ways that you can do it, once you have identified a certain habit that falls
under the category of OCD. Be aware of what areas of your life are getting
affected with that, as awareness itself is a step towards change.
Also, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a type of
psychotherapy, is effective for many people with OCD. Exposure and Response
Prevention (ERP), a type of CBT therapy, involves gradually exposing you to a
feared object or obsession, such as dirt, and having you learn healthy ways to
cope with your anxiety. ERP takes effort and practice, but you may enjoy a
better quality of life once you learn to manage your obsessions and
compulsions.
I personally would say, just be aware and do not categorise
people based on some incident you noticed, as opinions formed based on
perceptions can really hamper relationships.
The
writer, Aysha Sharma, is a psychotherapist, clinical hypnotherapist and
integrated energy therapist