OCD: Do your Quirks Rise to the Level of this Disorder?
by
Dr. Ilona L. Tobin
Mary felt like a prisoner to her fear of burning her house down.
Despite having never left the stove on, Mary was convinced that if she left the house without checking the stove three times, her house would catch fire. If she left the house and forgot to check, or couldn’t remember if she had, she would turn the car around and come back.
One day, Mary had had enough. She just stopped going back, telling herself, “Well, I guess the house is going to burn down then. I’m not turning back.”
At first she was terrified, convinced her house wouldn’t survive, but after a couple of times of confronting her fear, she now feels free of it.
Is Mary quirky or does she have OCD?
Used in everything from creating eccentric TV characters to being the punch line on late
night TV talk shows, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often oversimplified and misused. But for those who suffer from OCD it’s no joke.
What Is It?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder where people experience obsessions and/or compulsions.
Obsessions are unwanted, persistent thoughts, such as about germs or intruders, or
images of doing—or actual impulses to do—something destructive.
Compulsions are deliberate behaviors (washing, checking, organizing, hoarding) or mental rituals (praying, counting, repetitive statements) typically performed to reduce the anxiety triggered by the obsessions.
For instance, people with an obsessive fear of uncleanliness and infection may wash their hands repeatedly or refuse to shake hands or touch things that they believe are contaminated.”
People who have an obsessive desire for exactness and need everything to be “just so” and “in its place” may be compelled to organize food cans by size and with the labels facing in the same direction.
How Does OCD Impact People’s Lives?
Left unchecked, OCD can rule a person’s life by taking up significant amounts of time and
energy and leaving sufferers feeling anxious and exhausted. This can interfere with one’s ability at work, impeding professional development and advancement. It can also prevent some people from forming intimate relationships.
So how do you know if your quirk rises to the level of OCD?
The Thought/Behavior May Be OCD If It:
- Is constant, recurring and intrusive.
- Interferes with a person’s ability to function in daily life.
- Is out of control.
- Is compulsive or highly ritualistic.
- Causes the person to feel anxious and nervous most of
the time.
What Can You Do?
If you or someone you know has OCD there are ways to
help.
- Insight. Educating oneself about the symptoms and treatment is a critical first
step. - Redirect attention. When obsessive thoughts or compulsive urges surface, try
diverting your attention to other, healthier thoughts or activities. Do something you
enjoy, such as walking, listening to music or visiting with a friend. - Self-care. Eat healthfully, exercise, get enough sleep, and avoid alcohol, caffeine and nicotine. (The latter two are powerful stimulants.)
- Find healthy outlets. Focus your energies on hobbies, exercise and recreational activities.
- Structure your time. Daily time management helps you stay organized and can help reduce anxiety and stress.
- Therapy. A therapist can help you learn to respond to (or even curtail) obsessive thoughts without resorting to compulsive behavior.
- Support groups. Interacting with others who can relate can decrease feelings of isolation.
- Medication. This may be warranted for severe symptoms.
It’s not unusual for people to repeat behaviors, such as checking to see if they tuned off the stove or not, or to have thoughts that are upsetting or out of character. It doesn’t mean a person has OCD.
But when these thoughts and behaviors impede daily functioning by becoming frequent, intrusive, time consuming, debilitating and out of control it may be time to consult a doctor or mental health provider.
Ilona Tobin has been a psychologist and a marriage and family therapist for more than 25 years in Birmingham, Michigan. For more information, please visit her listing on the Therapist Directory.
April 2nd, 2017 at 10:54 pm
Hello Dear, are you truly visiting this web site regularly,
if so then you will absolutely take good knowledge.
July 10th, 2017 at 3:13 pm
Great site you’ve got here.. It’s hard to find high-quality writing like yours these days.
I seriously appreciate people like you! Take care!!
August 19th, 2017 at 8:20 pm
I visit everyday some websites and blogs to read content, except this blog presents feature based posts.
September 4th, 2017 at 7:57 am
I blоg quite often and I ѕeriously appreciate
your content. This great article has really peaked my interest.
I’m going to book mark yⲟur site and keep checking for new infоrmation about once per week.
I opted in for your RSS feed as well.
November 20th, 2017 at 12:38 am
Hello to every one, it’s really a good for me
to pay a quick visit this site, it includes important Information.
May 6th, 2018 at 10:22 pm
Very rapidly this web page will be famous amid all blogging visitors, due to it’s nice
content
May 10th, 2018 at 7:54 am
Very shortly this web site will be famous among all blog visitors, due to it’s
good articles
May 10th, 2018 at 2:19 pm
Hello there, You have done a great job. I will certainly digg it and personally recommend
to my friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this web site.
May 10th, 2018 at 3:33 pm
Simply want to say your article is as astonishing.
The clearness in your post is simply nice and i can assume you are
an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission allow
me to grab your RSS feed to keep updated with forthcoming post.
Thanks a million and please continue the gratifying work.
May 11th, 2018 at 2:27 am
Great article.
May 11th, 2018 at 4:56 am
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post! It’s the
little changes that produce the greatest changes. Thanks for sharing!
May 11th, 2018 at 9:16 am
Magnificent site. A lot of useful information here. I
am sending it to a few buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious.
And obviously, thank you to your effort!
May 16th, 2018 at 10:19 am
This is my first time pay a visit at here and i am truly happy to read everthing at alone place.
May 17th, 2018 at 10:34 pm
If you want to increase your familiarity only keep visiting this site and be updated with the most up-to-date
news posted here.
May 18th, 2018 at 11:10 am
Hello, after reading this amazing article i am too cheerful to
share my familiarity here with friends.
May 18th, 2018 at 1:58 pm
Thanks for some other great article. The place else may anyone get that kind of info in such a perfect manner of writing?
I’ve a presentation next week, and I’m at the look for such information.
May 18th, 2018 at 2:37 pm
Hello, I think your site might be having browser compatibility issues.
When I look at your blog in Opera, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping.
I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, amazing blog!
May 20th, 2018 at 11:06 am
hi!,I really like your writing so so much! share we keep up a correspondence more about your
article on AOL? I require a specialist in this
space to solve my problem. May be that is you!
Looking forward to look you.
May 20th, 2018 at 12:24 pm
If you are going for finest contents like me, only visit this web site all the time since it provides feature
contents, thanks
May 20th, 2018 at 5:12 pm
Admiring the dedication you put into your blog and
detailed information you offer. It’s awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same out of date
rehashed material. Great read! I’ve saved your site and I’m
adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.
May 22nd, 2018 at 4:19 pm
I can’t believe how great this site is. You keep up the good work. That’s my advice pal.
November 26th, 2019 at 11:03 am
Thank you for every other informative website.
Where else may just I get that type of info written in such an ideal means?
I’ve a mission that I’m simply now operating on, and I have been at the glance out for such
info.