Perfectionism or obsessive-compulsive disorder? How to recognize that you have a problem

Pedantic, responsible, neat – not a person, but the dream of a boss or kindergarten teacher. Isn’t this the set of qualities that the demanding modern society wants to see in us? But still, the desire to make things better and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are different things. Let’s talk about the key differences.

educational psychologist, neurologist

There’s nothing wrong with loving cleanliness and order. But if you realize deep down that you “escape” into cleaning from heavy thoughts, if it becomes a mania – it’s time to think about whether it’s not a “bell”. Could it be that you have OCD? Here’s how you can figure it out.

How obsessive-compulsive disorder manifests itself

The characters in “It Doesn’t Get Better,” “Psycho,” “The Clinic,” or “Dirty Love” clearly demonstrate the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. If OCD is about you, chances are:

• you replay negative thoughts and images in your head, they keep up with you, following unstoppable, like a shadow;
• you have irrational fears and anxieties;
• you’re particularly bothered by germs and dirt;
• you constantly double-check everything: whether the door is closed, whether the light is off, whether the iron is on;
• you are afraid of making the slightest mistake in your work;
• you tend to hoard and collect.

Actually, the disorder includes “obsession”, i.e. repetitive, unrelenting thoughts, and “compulsion” – compulsive actions, which a person has to reproduce in order to relieve his anxiety.

What causes OCD

Scientists have long been working on finding the causes of the disease. And here are the factors that influence its formation, they have identified.

• Genetic predisposition. Mutation of a group of genes responsible for the distribution of the hormone serotonin.
• Heredity. OCD is transmitted from parents to children.
• Autoimmune diseases. Streptoderma, acute tonsillitis, scarlatina and other infectious diseases suffered at an early age.
• Birth trauma.
• Imperfect upbringing. Strictness and perfectionism of parents, their exorbitant demands on themselves and the child.

What is the difference between obsessive-compulsive disorder and perfectionism

A person with OCD lives in a very dangerous, joyless world where nothing can be relied on. Maybe burglars will break into the house, or the house will be set on fire, or an airplane will fall on him or her. A person with this disorder instantly constructs a catastrophic scenario in which there is no logic.

What is most interesting – such images and visions visit everyone. But a conditionally healthy “fantasizer” meets with a horrifying thought and says goodbye to it. A carrier of obsessive-compulsive disorder fights with it and cannot let it go. The only thing that makes him feel better is stereotypical behaviors. He washes, cleans, controls whether things are evenly laid, and so on.

Habit for such people is sometimes first nature, not second nature. For example, I had a patient who held a high position. When he came in, he had to wash his hands thoroughly, hang his clothes in a strictly defined place, and sit at a specific desk.

The meticulous “dream employee” actually often causes discomfort to those around him. The peculiarity of a patient with OCD is that any manifestation of emotions in his direction can provoke aggression, a depressive episode and even push him to suicide. The situation is overshadowed by the fact that the inability to get rid of intrusive thoughts and actions often limits the social activity of the patient, leads to isolation and depression.

OCD can and should be treated by a psychiatrist. And although in the minds of many this disorder has acquired some mysterious flair, in reality it worsens the quality of life of the patient and his loved ones and has sad consequences.