Constant hand washing, dressing ritual, jealousy, etc. What is OCD? Interview with Gleb Schwartz

Washing your hands too often may be a sign of mental illness

Oddly enough at first glance, excessive hand washing, like showering, may be one of the most common signs of mental illness. Psychiatrists are familiar with the disease obsessive-compulsive disorder.

People suffering from OCD are constantly haunted by intrusive thoughts, which they try to cope with on their own, with the help of the same intrusive ideas and actions. Many of the symptoms that describe this disorder are common to most people, but there is still a way to distinguish the disease from everyday activities. So, if a person can live freely without a certain habit, and this does not lead him into a state close to panic, then there is no need to bother.

Psychologists' answers to questions

Good afternoon, Anastasia Andreevna,

Perhaps, I repeat, perhaps this is a manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Obsessive-compulsive disorder has approximately the same clinical picture in all adults. First of all, the disease manifests itself in the form of obsessive, painful thoughts. . Such thoughts terrify the OCD sufferer. He clearly understands their groundlessness. However, he cannot independently cope with fears and superstitions that all his fantasies will one day come true.

The disorder also has external symptoms that are expressed in the form of repetitive movements. For example, such a person can constantly count the steps and wash his hands several times a day. Manifestations of the disease are often noted by colleagues and co-workers. People suffering from OCD always have perfect order on their desks, with all objects arranged symmetrically. Books on the shelves are arranged either alphabetically or by color.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by a tendency to worsen in crowded places. The patient may experience increased panic attacks even in a crowd. Most often, they are caused by the fear of catching a dangerous virus or losing personal belongings, becoming another victim of pickpockets. Therefore, such people tend to avoid public places.

Sometimes the syndrome is accompanied by a decrease in self-esteem. OCD is a disorder that is especially susceptible to suspicious individuals. They have a habit of controlling everything, from things at work to the diet of their pets. A decrease in self-esteem occurs due to awareness of the changes taking place and the inability to fight them.

If you experience symptoms that indicate anxiety obsessive-compulsive disorder, you should seek help from a mental health professional. Often people with OCD are unaware of their problems. In this case, close relatives or friends should very carefully hint at this diagnosis. This disease does not go away on its own.

Its diagnosis can only be made by a psychiatrist or psychotherapist with appropriate qualifications and experience in this field. Usually the doctor pays attention to three things:

1. The person has pronounced obsessive obsessions.
2. There is compulsive behavior that he wants to hide in any way.
3. OCD interferes with the usual rhythm of life, communication with friends and work.

To be medically significant, symptoms must recur on at least 50% of days within two weeks. There are special rating scales (for example, Yale-Brown) to determine the severity of OCD. They are also used in practice to track the dynamics of therapy.

Based on the tests performed and a conversation with the patient, the psychotherapist can confirm the final diagnosis. Typically, during a consultation, psychotherapists explain what obsessive-compulsive disorder is and what manifestations it has.

Sincerely,

Grishin Vladimir, psychologist

Frequent hand washing, a habit that interferes with life

In other words, if habits do not interfere with normal life, they should not be considered deviations. If a person does not leave the house until he sets the cups in the kitchen according to size or, for example, steps over the threshold here and there a certain number of times, because something very terrible happens, then “Yes!”, This is a problem.

It is believed that most fears that are observed in people with OCD are related to safety. But still, if they are irrational and simply interfere with a normal life, it is worth taking action.

The first and most common sign is excessive hand washing. Healthy people wash their hands for personal hygiene reasons. When upset, a person is unreasonably afraid of catching something or simply being dirty. He will never eat fried meat at a picnic, or, holding the phone in his hands, will not immediately take candy. In particularly advanced cases, patients, after shaking hands upon meeting, immediately go to the sink to wash them.

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Once I watched one of the episodes of the detective story “Trace”. The central figure is a murderer who suffered from an obsession with washing his hands. In general, this was what let him down; he used a special soap that he made himself. As a result, he left traces of soap at the crime scene, which led to his identification. I thought - what is the reason for the formation of this obsessive desire? There are probably many such reasons. According to Louise Hay, hands are an organ that, in a psychological sense, expresses the ability to preserve one’s life experiences, and also characterizes how a person deals with his past. L.H., however, considered the problem of pain in her works, but maybe frequent hand washing indicates that a person is trying to “wash away” his past, which bothers him? Modern psychotherapists believe that a person who experiences this obsessive state can be driven by fear of illness and germs. Every touch seems “dirty” to him and therefore there is a desire to wash his hands as often as possible. By the way, remembering the above-mentioned film, the killer also thought that his hands were “dirty” and there was also fear in him, which arose from his attitude towards women as something dirty. It would be interesting for me to see a series of reincarnations of a real person with this type of obsession. I think I would find a lot of amazing things there... Speaking about men and women, one cannot help but recall the well-known Freud. That's who has taken this type of neurosis to pieces. Yes, exactly neurosis. In his opinion, strong desires that a person cannot fulfill for some reason in real life are repressed into the subconscious. And they don’t disappear there, as if in a black hole, but float out in the form of neurotic symptoms and in a very disguised form. One of his patients was a woman who suffered from a compulsive urge to wash her hands. This really interfered with her life, but if she didn’t do it, anxiety arose. The disease came to her when her husband left her and went to another woman. She didn’t say a word to her husband and accepted what was happening without complaint, although she was very dependent on her husband. However, the fact that she outwardly accepted the divorce gently did not mean that she did not experience anger, which gave rise to feelings of hostility in her. And it forced her to wash her hands, because she perceived touching any surface as something destructive to herself. In addition, this same patient had an overbearing father, whom she also did not contradict. In her fantasies, she imagined his death or how he was crippled. The desire for revenge grew in her, hatred grew. But her fear and remorse prevented her from voicing her attitude to what was happening to her father. And my husband too. Thus, this neurosis was a reaction to her hostility to the environment. She washed her hands as if there was blood on them. In general, comrades. In my practice, I often came across people who could not afford to say what they thought in relation to someone. What can I say? At some point in my life I couldn’t afford such luxury. So far, Vishuddha has not cramped.) But do you see WHAT is going on?)) Pay attention, ask yourself a question - why do I wash my hands often and is this not an obsessive craving? Remember your parents, ex-husbands/wives and all those people towards whom you restrained yourself for a long time. And don't be silent. And also, try to fulfill your desires, provided they are expedient.) So that they do not fall to the bottom of your subconscious and “muddy the waters.” Hello everyone!)

Witch Vechniyzov
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Frequent hand washing and cleaning the apartment are common symptoms of mental illness

Among other symptoms that characterize OCD, there are several more that can be identified even by the average person. Among them, for example, is an unhealthy, almost paranoid desire to clean. If a person constantly washes, cleans and rubs something until it shines. But in the end there is a feeling that the space around him is not clean enough, then this is OCD. There is nothing wrong with striving for order, but if you can’t sleep because you think that bacteria are multiplying somewhere in an unwashed saucepan, then you should think about it.

The most common examples are constantly double-checking your own actions - whether the door is locked, whether the lights are turned off, whether the iron and oven are turned off. The habit of counting everything around is also an obsessive state. For example, a person cannot calm down until he counts how many peas are in his plate, or how many tiles are in the bathroom. And if suddenly the result of the calculation turns out to be a mystical and unlucky number, then this will force the person to resort to some incomprehensible ritual.

It is worth paying attention to your condition when you constantly want all the objects in the house to be in “their place” (in a certain direction or order). Symptoms of OCD also include a total obsession with one's body. It's okay to take care of your health and eat healthy. It’s not normal to ask and ask people around you every hour if your breath smells bad, for example. The main thing is that all these actions and questions distract them from normal life and everyday activities.

Why you need to wash your hands

So, the issue of hygiene cannot be the problem of one person. In addition to his desire, he can become a spreader of serious diseases within the family. Relatives and friends are in danger near such a “dirty” place. Various infections can affect the entire family at once, and not just one person. The issue of hand hygiene is especially acute in children's institutions and catering establishments.

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It is known that during epidemics, many people avoided illness precisely because they washed their hands on time and regularly. There is reliable information about the effect that the simple act of washing your hands has on germs. It has been found that germs die within 10 minutes if they are placed on clean skin of the hands. But microbes on the skin of dirty hands are preserved and continue to live in 95% of all cases.

You don't even need to set a reminder on your mobile phone to remember to wash your hands. Try to make this process natural, without unnecessary reminders. Develop a skill and habit for yourself and your loved ones. If you have a child growing up in your family, try to instill in him the skills of personal hand hygiene from an early age. Be sure to explain that you must wash your hands thoroughly before sitting down at the table.

How does the fear of dirt and germs manifest itself?

A person with a fear of germs and dirt sees potential danger everywhere and tries to protect himself. Mysophobes clean the house several times a day, thoroughly washing food, including jars and packaging. They constantly wash their hands, wear gloves and closed clothing. They are frightened by going to the store, traveling on public transport, visiting a public toilet, going to a cafe, or contacting an animal. They try to avoid places and people that seem dangerous to them. After contact with people, animals, handrails, or handles, the patient tries to wash his hands as soon as possible or at least wipe them with a napkin or disinfectant solution.

Mysophobia - what is it from the point of view of human behavior:

• fear of contacts even with close people;
• horror at the thought of leaving the house;
• absence of pets, avoidance of contact with them;
• desire for isolation;
• the need to wash hands frequently;
• use of gloves, masks;
• the desire to make the house a sterile room;
• irritation at the sight of dirt and dust.

A person who is afraid of dirt treats absolutely everything with disinfectants: furniture, clothes, body, floor, walls, etc. If guests come to him, he asks them to put on shoe covers. In advanced stages, the patient stops using the kitchen and does not lie down on the bed because he is afraid of getting it dirty. But at the same time, he continues to put things in order and process already clean things.

When the patient thinks that he has encountered dirt, he begins to have a panic attack. A panic attack is manifested by a feeling of horror and a number of somatic symptoms:

• cardiopalmus;
• nausea;
• headache;
• dizziness;
• increased blood pressure;
• weakness;
• dyspnea;
• chest pain;
• dyspepsia.

The patient seeks to run away, hide, and remove dirt from himself.

Fear of dirt and difference from disgust

From the outside, fear of dirt looks like disgust, but these states have two important differences:

• disgust is manifested by disdain for contaminated things and people (mysophobes perceive dirt as a threat to life);
• signs of mysophobia are much more pronounced.

Symptomatic differences between the fear of dirt and germs:

1. Instead of contempt, there is an increase in anxiety and tension when someone in the environment sneezes, coughs, or when the patient encounters dirt or dust. The higher the risk of infection, the more the patient is protected: a medical mask, closed clothing, frequent ventilation of the room, sanitary treatment of hands, clothing, workplace, home.
2. Nervousness turns into uncontrollable behavior. If a person sees a threat, then he cannot concentrate on anything else.
3. The person does not allow the use of his own things and does not take other people’s things, even work and office supplies.
4. A person withdraws more and more into himself and does not allow anyone into his home.
5. A mysophobe will never go into a public toilet. He cannot calmly be in public transport or crowded places.

A person with disgust is unlikely to decide to resign or refuse to communicate with loved ones. He does not experience physical deterioration when in contact with dirt. He's disgusted, not scared.