Meticulousness disease; Meticulousness disease; The disease that causes people to think that they are still dirty, germy, dirty after finishing the necessary cleaning stages is called meticulousness disease.
Cleaning disease is the name given to the person's obsession with constant cleaning and obsession with everything about cleanliness.
Symptoms of Cleanliness Disorder
Although cleanliness disorder is quite common today, it was similarly prevalent in the past. However, it is often overlooked that people we used to call 'fastidious' may have a hidden OCD. It is such a challenging disorder that it is also called 'cancer of the soul'.
It includes thoughts, feelings and behaviors that are reflections of these thoughts, feelings and behaviors that the person cannot get out of his/her head even though he/she knows that they are absurd. It is evaluated in two main sections: 'uncontrollable obsessive thoughts that come to mind', which we call Obsession, and 'behaviors that these obsessive thoughts want us to do or not to do', which we call Compulsion. For example, if a person washes his/her hands 'with the thought that his/her hands are dirty' and says 'my hands are still dirty and not clean (obsessive thought)' and 'washes his/her hands repeatedly (compulsive behavior)', we can say that there is a cleaning disease.
The main symptoms of cleanliness disorder are related to the cleanliness of the hands, the cleanliness of the house, and the cleanliness of the body. Taking off your clothes in front of the door every time you come home, going directly to the bathroom and having all the individuals in the house do this, cleaning every nook and cranny almost every day, taking more than 1 hour in the bathroom, the frequency of washing your hands and the duration of washing your hands, performing ablutions over and over again, washing the laundry over and over again, washing the dishes with bleach, cleaning every packaged product bought from outside, washing the toys every day, etc. The list can be quite long.
While obsessive thinking sometimes manifests itself as 'I'm not clean or I'm dirty', it can also be seen that bad things will happen to ourselves or our loved ones. For example, with the thought 'If I don't apply shampoo 3 times, something bad will happen to my mother', the person thinks that by 'using shampoo 3 times' he/she has prevented the bad thing that could happen to his/her mother.
Causes of Cleaning Disease
Cleaning disease can be attributed to many causes. First of all, it seems to be caused by changes in brain chemistry. In other words, it can be said to be caused by impaired transmission in some parts of the brain. Not only physiological reasons but also psychological reasons can cause this disorder. These are; The fact that the modeled person, that is, the mother - father or caregiver, has such a disorder, feelings of guilt that may be felt due to some events, past traumatic experiences, conflicted - unhappy relationships, feelings and situations such as loneliness are among the causes of cleaning disease.
Which Gender is More Likely to Suffer from Cleaning Sickness?
Cleaning disease is more common in women because they spend more time at home. While it is seen to be more common in men in early childhood, there is no significant difference according to gender in adulthood.
Cleaning Disease Treatment
Cleaning sickness is known to be minor at the beginning, without bothering the person too much. People who are meticulous, who are prone to order, symmetry and control are even more likely to suffer from cleaning disease. Therefore, it is very important for them to consult a specialist as soon as they or those around them start to feel uncomfortable. If no measures are taken, the disease may manifest itself in a different form and with greater severity. For example, we know that people who previously cleaned the house for 1 hour a day, if left untreated, clean the house by staying at home for the rest of their sleep.
Patients who come in less than 6 months seem to get a very quick solution to the disease. However, the improvement of disorders that have been going on for many years also causes the treatment period to be prolonged. As a result of the psychiatric examination in the treatment, drug treatment is initiated as needed, while this treatment is supported by psychotherapy and well-being is tried to be gained quickly. Research also shows that the benefit of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in cleaning disorder is quite high. Cleaning disorder is a treatable disorder. The person suffering from cleaning disease can return to his/her normal life through therapy processes.
Symptoms of Cleanliness Disorder
- Not being sure even though they have cleaned/been cleaned,
- Feeling obliged to clean your own body, the environment, things again,
- Asking to wash your clothes immediately when you come in from outside or keeping them separate from other clothes,
- It is characterized by many different forms of symptoms such as not being able to receive guests or outsiders,
- It is characterized by intense anxiety, restlessness, which arises from the thought that no matter how the forms are, they are not all cleaned. With these thoughts and feelings, the behavior of the individual repeats.
It may be related to the body of the person suffering from meticulousness, or it may be related to everything such as household items, bags, phones, clothes, etc.
For example; when a person washes his/her hands once after using the toilet, he/she thinks that his/her hands are still dirty and washes his/her hands again in a certain number of times as a certain ritual. When he washes his hands less than this number, he thinks that he is not clean. Or, after cleaning the house, he thinks that the house is still dusty and unclean and he sweeps it over and over again. What is most striking here is that the individual constantly thinks that he/she is "dirty, unclean" and the repetitive behaviors he/she does to cope with the intense anxiety that arises with this thought. This disorder may also be characterized by feeling unable to leave the toilet, taking extreme precautions against urine, feces, etc. before entering the toilet, and feeling obliged to take a shower after the toilet with a certain ritual. In some cases, the person cannot let anyone into the house or invite guests because of the fear that the house will get dirty. When guests arrive, the person experiences intense anxiety and restlessness, and when the guest leaves, he/she performs all the cleaning rituals from the beginning. In this way, the condition also restricts social life.
It is observed that the mothers of the individuals with picky eating are also obsessed with cleanliness, and their fathers are harsh, accusatory and have a strict authority. The person repeats these behaviors in order not to be blamed or to keep up with this parental system. The aim is actually to avoid guilt and to calm the anxiety.
Obsessions with cleanliness are more common in women. This may be related to the roles that are socially attributed and taught to women. In men, obsessions with control and aggression are more prominent.
How to Treat Pickiness Disorder?
Pickiness disorder is a disease that needs to be treated.
If left untreated,
- Fussiness often leads to divorces, a complete breakdown of the social circle, social problems such as not being able to go to work, not being able to spend time with children,
- Skin or cutaneous diseases of the hands or body due to excessive washing and chemicals,
- It can be accompanied by psychiatric illnesses such as depression and suicide risk.
It is recommended that a two-pronged approach is followed in the treatment of picky eating. Studies also support this approach in the treatment of meticulousness. Individuals with such problems are recommended a two-pronged treatment using psychotherapy in combination with medication, which studies have shown to produce the best results. Psychotherapy involves an in-depth exploration of the sources of feelings such as anxiety and guilt, as well as other factors that create and maintain the behaviors. The use of psychotherapy contributes significantly to the treatment of individuals with the disorder.
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For detailed information about OCD: https://cdn.npistanbul.com/obsesif-kompulsif-bozukluk-okb-takinti-hastaligi
