Human behaviour is a very intriguing subject, one that is constantly conditioned by several external factors. However, through this evolution, some tendencies tend to stick out like a sore thumb. An Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one such tendency.
You may have noticed a friend who constantly sanitises their hand, even at times that are generally regarded as unnecessary, or perhaps they walk in certain patterns, avoiding the lines in the pavement where the tiles meet.
Being thrown off balance if someone touches only a side of their body (like a pat on the shoulder or an accidental graze), unable to concentrate if things are not ‘in place’ and sometimes even being paranoid about certain things are all indicators of someone with an obsessive compulsive disorder.
In many cases, OCD is manageable and in fact, goes unnoticed. Since all of us follow certain organisational patterns, our OCD patterns also do tend to get tucked away in our day-to-day life. However, the trouble begins when one’s usual routine becomes disrupted by these tendencies.
For instance, leaving the house and being on time at appointments is a big task because you are constantly rechecking the locks to your house, owing to a paranoia of being robbed. While many of us double check our locks when we leave home, a person with OCD may tend to fall into a cycle of double checking what has been cross checked already. Ultimately, the chain takes a long time to break, and a premature stop to it could lead to anxiety.
Explaining more, Dr S Bhaskar Naidu, a clinical psychologist at Roshni Counselling Centre in the city says, “People with OCD generally have elevated levels of anxiety when they are curbed from performing their compulsive tasks but there is an in-built mechanism in the brain such that the anxiety reduces naturally. We have to wait and tolerate it for sometime. Often people tend to look for immediate solutions; that is how they engage in compulsive behaviours which are time tested solutions for quenching their anxiety.”
Tiny things like folding one’s clothes in a particular way or arranging business cards in a certain pattern don’t really matter. But larger issues like being unable to step out of one’s house will inhibit one’s lifestyle.
Some also feel that OCD tendencies are a precursor to perfectionism given the attention to detail.
While perfectionism on one hand is not an achievable state, research suggests that striving to attain perfection and exhibiting an excessive responsibility towards something could be a cause for developing these kind of behaviours.
“Perfection is not attainable; no one can claim of having achieved perfection. But if we chase perfection by setting realistic goals, we can catch excellence,” says Sujatha Raman, a consultant psychotherapist at KIMS Hospital, Secunderabad.
Striking men and women alike, the first symptoms of OCD begin usually in early childhood. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that the average onset of the disorder is around the age of 19 years and is usually due to elevated levels of anxiety.
Major developments in science have found ways to mitigate these tendencies in a healthy manner. While identifying the symptoms, becoming aware of them and approaching a therapist is the first major step in dealing with OCD, the most popular second step is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).
This exposes patients to their obsessions, but puts a hold on their responses, eventually teaching the person to tolerate the anxiety provoking stimulus.