Passion rules the world. Many people love computer games, spend hours cleaning their apartment or go to all the concerts of their favorite band. We understand in which case this is the norm, and in which it is a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder and a reason to see a doctor.
It's okay to get carried away. But there are nuances
Every person at least once in his life was very fond of something. Teenagers can listen to their favorite song or watch a popular video blogger all day long, and fathers of families can grab fishing rods and go in the direction of the fish at any convenient moment.
We can endlessly arrange plates by color and size, love to clean up, cook for ourselves just macaroni and cheese or running obsessive thoughts in our heads — simply because we like it that way.
“A strong passion is not necessarily a bad thing, if obsession with a person, a song, or some food is pleasurable, then this is not a cause for concern,” explains clinical psychologist and founder of the center for the treatment of people with anxiety disorders Jenny Yip.
“Even if obsessions cause anxiety, for example, due to problems at work or in personal life, they are unlikely to become a medical problem if they are not accompanied by compulsive (obsessive) behavior,” notes the psychologist , MD Doreen Dodgen-Magi.
BREATHE DEEPLY
You can prevent an impending anxiety attack with simple breathing exercises:
- Place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest, take deep breaths and slowly exhale to the count of ten;
- take a deep breath and then exhale very slowly, which in duration should be 1.5-2 times longer than the inhale;
- take several short, sharp breaths in succession through your nose, and then exhale slowly and calmly through your mouth.
When doing breathing exercises, you must completely focus on technique. This will allow you to distract from what caused you negative emotions.
When to sound the alarm
The diagnosis of «obsessive-compulsive disorder» is made when obsessive thoughts completely subjugate a person, when anxiety becomes a familiar background of life. And the second important point: with OCD, obsessive desires lead to obsessive (compulsive) actions, rituals that remove anxiety and give a person temporary relief.
The brain receives positive reinforcement for compulsions, and a person with OCD falls into a vicious circle: he loses control of his thoughts and actions and cannot stop even if he feels that his behavior is funny or strange.
Often, OCD patients describe a sudden intrusion into their minds of unwanted thoughts or unpleasant images. These obsessions are usually accompanied by deep feelings of fear and a desire to perform certain actions.
OCD symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe. They usually get worse during times of stress. Obsessions can be divided into four conditional subgroups:
- Excessive fear of germs or contamination.
- Unwanted, forbidden or taboo thoughts about sex, religion.
- Aggressive thoughts towards self or other people.
- A passion for perfect order or symmetry.
Thus, fear of germs can cause a person to constantly wash their hands and wipe them with antiseptics. That is, not just several times a day — before meals and after the street, but endlessly and in any circumstances.
According to psychologist Dodgen-Magi, it can be hard for family and friends to understand the intensity of the internal struggles of people with OCD and why it takes up so much of their lives.
Anxiety and Anxiety Disorder
How do they differ and how to get rid of the painful premonition «something is about to happen.»
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How to distinguish a disease from a mental disorder
We have come to the main topic of our article — how to independently find out what we are faced with: mental disorders or a real illness itself. Scientists believe that there are three main differences between OCD and just obsessive thoughts.
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Check to see if intrusive thoughts are interfering with your daily life. If they aren't, chances are you're lucky and it's not OCD. “If obsessive thoughts prevent a person from living a normal life or encourage compulsive behavior, then he may have OCD,” says psychologist Dodgen-Magi.
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< strong>The second significant difference is whether a person can control his thoughts or not.For a person without OCD, their own obsessions usually do not cause concern, they often seem to be part of their personality and may even like them. But people with OCD have a very different experience: obsessive thoughts bother them, they would like to get rid of them, but they cannot do it.
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And the last important difference is that in a person with OCD, an obsession is always combined with a compulsion, that is, with an obsessive action.Try to determine if your compulsive behavior is due to or in response to an obsessive thought.
Figure 1. Differences between pathological and natural anxiety. Image: stories/freepik.com
So what to do now?
If you feel bad, if you are worried about your condition, then regardless of the diagnosis, you should consult a doctor. With the help of a professional, you can learn to control your emotions and manage anxiety.
“If the compulsive behavior that “calms” obsessions takes more than one hour a day, is bad for your personal life or causes fear, then you should contact seek professional help,” adds the psychologist Dodgen-Magi.
In case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, it is worth seeking help from specialists as soon as possible, the results of treatment largely depend on this. Patients with OCD are usually prescribed various types of psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). According to the International OCD Foundation, antidepressants of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) group can reduce the symptoms of OCD.