Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is one of the most common mental disorders. Today, we are trying to understand the causes of the problem and looking for ways to treat OCD.
People with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder suffer from a type of anxiety disorder. They are ashamed of their symptoms and try to hide them. Constant excitement, obsessive thoughts, anxiety are all symptoms of OCD, and if you do not promptly start the treatment of the disease, it can develop over the years and aggravate the patient’s mental state.
- Intrusive thoughts (obsessions) are repetitive intrusive thoughts and images that a person tries to get rid of and finds unpleasant.
- Obsessive actions (compulsions) are behaviors by which a person tries to get rid of obsessive thoughts and images.
- Consider a typical pattern for the development of OCD that powerfully influences the way a person thinks, feels, and acts:
- The sudden appearance of vague thoughts
- A feeling that such thoughts are disgusting and unpleasant
- An urge to push and drive them away
- A simultaneous urge to calm these thoughts down with certain obsessive behaviors
The person with OCD feels like they can’t control their thoughts. They invade the stream of consciousness without permission and begin to direct the process. Often these patients feel the need to do something to reduce anxiety and neutralize the flow of thoughts.
For example, repeated washing of hands, checking locks, keys, avoiding contact with dirt, excessive meticulousness in work, hoarding, constantly seeking solace from others.
Whole rituals can also be intrusive. For example, a person constantly says certain words, prayers, and phrases to himself.
An important point in the psychological correction of OCD is not fighting these thoughts, but accepting them. It is necessary to gradually reduce the excess activity associated with getting rid of depressing thoughts.
It is also important to consider that genetic predisposition plays a major role in the formation of OCD – parents of the patients with such a disorder pay more attention to directives, perfectionism and responsibilities.
An increased level of stress can also have an impact – this factor makes OCD one of the most common diseases of this century. In addition, the cause of the disease can be a traumatic childhood experience in which the child believes that his thoughts have harmed another significant person.
Hence, excessive control of thoughts appears, leading to negative consequences.
There are seven basic mantra rules for the psychological correction of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder:
- My thoughts are normal.
- My thoughts are not dangerous. If I imagine something complex and negative, these are just my fantasies that have nothing to do with reality.
- I cannot control my thoughts. I let go of my thoughts and just watch them all from the outside, without resistance. It is safe and natural.
- A mistake is just my personal life experience. Sometimes it is important to be wrong in order to choose the right path.
- I am not responsible for the whole world. I am responsible only for myself and my life.
- The world is full of surprises, and I have no power to control everything that happens.
- I easily change my attitude towards obsessive states because suppressing thoughts is ineffective and laborious.
If you regularly follow these guidelines, you can revise the attitude towards your own state. However, the most correct decision in the presence of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder will be a timely appeal to a specialist who will help you find the right treatment method and help get rid of obsessive thoughts.
