Many people have rituals. But when are they harmless – and when are they a warning sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder? A specialist explains what is important.
He always arranges the spices alphabetically. She checks the front door again before going to bed. And someone else basically puts their right shoe on first. Almost everyone knows such little peculiarities – in themselves or in others. But how can you tell whether these are just harmless quirks or a manifestation of an underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder?
The decisive factors for a clinical classification are, among other things, the level of suffering associated with the compulsive behavior and the time required, as Tobias Hornig, specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy, explains.
An irrepressible inner urge
Basically, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have “the urge to think or do something even though they don’t want to and find it pointless or even harmful,” according to a definition by the portal “gesundheitsinformation.de”.
Tobias Hornig, chief physician at the Median Klinik St. Georg Bad Dürrheim, illustrates it with an example: “Imagine sorting your handbag. If you’re happy about the order afterwards, that’s a healthy preference.” However, a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder sorts the bag not out of joy, but out of deep fear. The person feels compelled to do it again and again in order to prevent an internal catastrophe scenario.
When professional help is important
If you want to recognize whether there are compulsions that require treatment, you should take an honest look at yourself. According to the specialist, a first step can be to admit that the compulsive behavior does not bring control but is stressful.
Tobias Hornig advises seeking professional help as soon as inner unrest dictates courses of action, social contacts suffer, you are ashamed of your actions or hide them from others.
The first point of contact can, for example, be your family doctor’s office. The diagnosis usually takes place in a psychotherapeutic practice. According to the portal “gesundheitsinformation.de”, obsessive-compulsive disorder cannot be cured, but with professional support the symptoms can be “reduced to a tolerable level so that a normal life is possible again”.
Psychotherapy and medication can be used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder; cognitive behavioral therapy is often helpful. Self-help groups can also offer those affected space to exchange ideas.
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