If you are one of those people who wash your hands every ten minutes, or you have an obsession with having your closet organized following a perfect color scale, you have probably been told at some point that you suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Recommended reading: “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: what is it and how does it manifest?”
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: how do you know if you suffer from it?
In many cases, small “manias” for cleaning or other rituals may not constitute any type of psychological problem. In fact, there are people who may prefer to wash their hands very often, but who do not have the obsessive need to perform this act of cleaning. We would be talking about a case of preference.
However, other people cannot avoid carrying out these types of compulsions in their daily lives. These people suffer from a disorder called Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a condition that, in addition to the aforementioned compulsive rituals, also refers to the obsessive thoughts that they must deal with on a daily basis. OCD affects 1% of adults in the United States.
Signs, symptoms and signs of people suffering from OCD
How can we know if someone has signs and symptoms of needing professional help? OCD is a complex disorder and there are multiple diagnostic tests that help mental health professionals know if a person suffers from this disorder.
Furthermore, OCD can manifest itself sub-clinically, that is, there are individuals who are affected by some of its characteristic signs, but not others. These are cases of OCD that do not meet the minimum diagnostic criteria, but that undoubtedly pose a relative problem for the person’s well-being.
10 signs and symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
There are certain behavioral patterns and symptoms that can warn us that we are dealing with a person who suffers from some degree of OCD. These are the ten most common.
1. Wash your hands compulsively
Compulsively washing your hands or using hand sanitizing products is often a sign of OCD.. This category of people who wash very often are considered a “subtype” within people affected with OCD.
This act of constant cleaning is motivated by their fear of germs. But it can also be due to a phobia of contracting infectious diseases or infecting someone.
How to seek help if you suffer (or know someone who suffers) from this symptom? If you often think about the danger posed by germs and wash your hands, are afraid that you have not washed them completely properly, or have a permanent and irrational phobia of contracting a disease (such as AIDS or an infection), you may have one of the main signs of compulsive handwashing. It is also a negative sign that you feel the need to have routines for this type of cleaning, such as having to go wash every two hours.
2. Thorough and excessive cleaning
Another category within people who suffer from OCD is that of “cleaners.” As can be easily deduced, Cleaners are those individuals who clean compulsively.. They may sweep, scrub, and disinfect their homes to avoid germs or the feeling of impurity. Although the act of cleaning temporarily calms their obsessive thoughts, they soon feel the urge to clean again even more thoroughly than the last time.
You should consider seeking professional help if you spend several hours a day cleaning. Despite everything, and although obsessive cleaning is a sign that we may suffer from some psychological imbalance, it is not necessarily a sign linked to OCD. Obsessive cleaning may be related to anxiety symptoms.
Related post: “Obsession with cleanliness: causes, characteristics and tips”
3. Review conduct
Checking behaviors consist of the person having the need to return 3,4 or 20 times to check if the oven is on or not, if the door has been left open or closed. It is one of the compulsions most frequently linked to OCD, and It affects almost 35% of people who suffer from it.
As with other compulsive behaviors, revisions can lead to a series of obsessions, such as irrational fear of harm or feelings of irresponsibility.
Is it necessary to seek help if someone has this sign? Well, it depends. It is normal that sometimes we check some things, such as if we have left the gas on or if we have locked the car properly. But if the review negatively interferes with daily life, and for example makes us arrive late to places, it can be a clear sign of OCD.
4. Count
Some people who suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder perform tasks according to certain numerical patterns, or count in their heads while doing daily choresfor example when washing dishes or climbing stairs. These behaviors may be manifestations of superstitions or irrational beliefs, such as believing that the number 7 is the lucky number, and this may lead them to take seven steps when crossing a pedestrian crossing. This can be dangerous.
Is this sign worrying? It depends on the context. Does it make sense to do it? Probably, in some situations it is convenient to count. But people with OCD count obsessively and in contexts in which it does not bring them anything positive, but rather the opposite: they can put themselves in danger or see how their thoughts are hijacked by this pathological habit: they cannot get the thoughts out of their heads. numbers and the habit of counting.
5. Organization
People who suffer from OCD They can be extremely organizedand tend towards perfectionism. Everything must be arranged symmetrically, or following a perfect chromatic order, etc. It is a sign that alludes to your need to organize everything in an unhealthy way.
We should seek help if we see that our need to organize things goes beyond what is rational. It is natural and perfectly logical that we want to have our desk well organized and with the tools at hand, but if we feel the need for all the pencils and pens to be organized according to some perfectionist criterion (for example, the year in which we acquired each of them ) and feel anxious if they are not as we think they should be arranged, we may need to talk to a psychologist.
6. Fear of violence
We all take care not to expose ourselves to dangers that could cause our physical integrity to be compromised. We all flee (to a greater or lesser extent) from violent situations and dangers. Also, from time to time, we think about the possibility that we could suffer an accident. The more we try to get rid of these types of negative thoughts, the more they come to us, various scientific research shows. But this is especially true for people who suffer from OCD, who They may try to eliminate these thoughts, without success, or they may be very upset by the recurrence of these types of fatalistic ideas..
When to seek help? Negative thoughts do not only affect people with OCD. We all have them quite frequently. But the sign that we suffer from OCD is shown when we carry out behaviors (or stop carrying them out) to avoid possible dangers, such as not getting into any car or constantly warning someone about the danger of using the gas stove.
As with violent thoughts, People with OCD may experience recurring thoughts around sexual topics.. These thoughts cause discomfort, because they are usually disturbing and completely unwanted. For example, they can imagine having homosexual relationships while being heterosexual (or vice versa).
These obsessive thoughts can be very annoying and can lead someone who suffers from OCD to distance themselves from certain people who they consider “putting their sexuality at risk.” This may be a sign that we should seek professional support.
8. Obsession with their romantic partners
People who suffer from OCD also They are characterized by having obsessive thoughts about their romantic partners.. And, sometimes, they can also manifest this symptom towards their friends, co-workers and other acquaintances. For example, they are obsessed to the point of breaking off a romantic relationship when they cannot overcome a false rumor about their partner’s fidelity.
This psychological problem can be reflected in discomfort in facing uncertainty, and can destroy many of your personal relationships.
Breakups create a situation of stress and sadness, and it is normal for us to even feel a little obsessed with him or her. But the sign of OCD occurs when these thoughts become entrenched in our mind and generate an excessive feeling of guilt, failure or fear.
9. Security Search
The way some people with OCD try to mitigate their anxiety is by Ask the opinion of those close to you if your behavior is visible or annoying to others. They may feel very worried and uncomfortable during a party, and resort to certain compulsions or rituals to feel safe with themselves.
What are the behaviors that are cause for warning? People who use a friend to calm their anxiety with constant questions may suffer from OCD.
10. Hate your physical appearance
Body Dysmorphic Disorder is usually a condition related to OCD. People with BDD They obsessively focus on some feature of their body that they consider asymmetrical, disproportionate or simply unaesthetic (it can be the nose, skin, eyes, ears… or any other part of the body). These obsessive thoughts are quite similar to those suffered by people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. In fact, they are disorders that are often interconnected and suffered simultaneously.
This doesn’t mean that anyone who dislikes any part of their physique suffers from BDD, of course. But subjects who suffer from BDD can develop OCD traits. If the influence that this supposed physical defect has on your daily routine and psychological balance is notable, it will be necessary to seek psychological help.
