Are My Hands Clean? - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
We all have moments when we doubt ourselves around if we successfully completed a task. Did I wash my hands after using the bathroom? Did I turn my alarm on to wake me up in the morning? Did I lock my car in the parking lot? These moments of doubt are quite normal. We can be so focused on other parts of our lives that we forget if we did a common task that particular time.
But for others, that doubt can take hold of them in a much more profound way. Their mind fixates on a particular worry and they just can’t stop thinking about it. They may look at their hands and wonder if they are really clean. Did they miss a spot under their nails? Did they really get the germs cleaned out from between their knuckles? Thoughts like these will plague them until they act.
They return back to the bathroom. They scrub their hands. Use tons and tons of soap. They dig under their nails, use scalding hot water. They wash their hands for some predetermined amount of time that they monitor closely on their phone.
Yet they can’t help it. No amount of logic can alleviate their thoughts or the need to perform these specific actions. Even if they exceed the standards of a doctor before surgery, that is not enough for them. They have to keep doing it until they feel complete. Until they can get back so some semblance of comfort with themselves and then the pattern can stop.
Unfortunately, the thoughts and the pattern return. All it takes is accidently touching the door knob on the way out of the bathroom to restart the cycle. “I’m not clean anymore. I have to get clean or I will get sick.” As infuriating as this may be for people observing them, it is utter torture for the person afflicted with these obsessive thoughts and behaviors.
What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common, long-lasting anxiety disorder where a person has uncontrollable reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and/or behaviors (compulsions) that they feel the urge to repeat over and over again. These symptoms can interfere with all aspects of their life, such as work, school & personal relationships.
Roughly 1.2% of US adults have had OCD in the past year. OCD is slightly more common with women (1.8%) than for men (0.5%).
Symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessions
Repeated thoughts, urges or mental images that cause anxiety. Examples include:
Fear of germs or contamination
Unwanted or taboo thoughts involving sex, religion or harm
Aggressive thoughts towards others or self
Having things be symmetrical or in a perfect order
Compulsions
Repetitive behavior that a person with OCD feels the urge to do in response to an obsessive thought. Examples include:
Excessive cleaning and/or hand washing
Ordering and arranging things in a particular way
Repeatedly checking on things, such as seeing if the door is locked or that the oven is off
Compulsive counting
Not all rituals or habits are compulsions. People with OCD generally:
Can’t control their thoughts or behaviors, even when they recognize that they are excessive
Spends at least 1 hour a day on these thoughts or behaviors
Doesn’t get pleasure from performing the behaviors, but may feel some relief from the anxiety the thoughts cause
Experience significant problems in their daily life due to the thoughts and behaviors.
Treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Antidepressants
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly used to reduce OCD symptoms. Often times higher doses are required and it may take 8 to 12 weeks to start working. Antipsychotic medication may be used if an SSRI is not effective. Research on the effectiveness of the use of antipsychotic medication for treating OCD is mixed.
Emotional Freedom Technique:
EFT, also known as tapping, can be an effective way of treating obsessive compulsive disorder. EFT involves tapping on acupressure points on your own body in order to calm the amygdala, the fear center of the brain. The tapping allows for the Chi (emotional energy) to move more freely and bring a sense of relief and calm to the mind and body.
Tapping can be used during the onset of the obsessive thoughts to help alleviate their intensity and help prevent the need to follow through with the compulsive behavior. EFT can be used with an experienced mental health practitioner to alleviate the source of the obsessive thoughts and the underlying anxiety, thus preventing any discomfort from being experienced at all.
Breaking Free from the Cycle of OCD
A person suffering from OCD has developed this thought & behavior pattern as a way to deal with the anxiety they are experiencing in life. Though OCD is very disruptive to one’s life, it is serving as a self-soothing pattern.
When you resolve the underlying anxiety, the need for the self-soothing pattern is removed. The obsessive thoughts stop occurring and the need of the compulsive behaviors goes away.
If you are ready to let go of this disruptive pattern in your life, then feel free to take advantage of the free tapping session that I offer to see if EFT and I are a good fit for you.