At some point in our lives we have felt involved under an obligation of our own thoughts, such as trying to solve something that we are sure is already done or that is simply spontaneously under control.
Most people at some point have experienced obsessive ideas such as pollution, trying to always stay safe from any infection or personal dirt that they may suffer, but there is something very characteristic in these people and it is knowing that things are not as their mind indicates, but they still maintain extreme cleanliness and order around them, reaching the point of generating anguish and inconvenience in their day to day life.
What is obsessive compulsive disorder?
Obsessive compulsive disorder is one of the most significant diseases in the area of mental health, which is characterized by making people have unwanted thoughts, on a recurring basis, interfering with activities and daily life.
These thoughts tend to generate a lot of anguish, since these are literally impossible to control, which turn out to be very unpleasant, causing emotional affectations.
This disorder is related to anxiety and can sometimes cause problems with the people around us, even with our partner.
Are obsessive thoughts different from obsessive disorder?
It is important to know how to differentiate obsessive disorders from obsessive thoughts, because based on that, a study will be adequately addressed and thus be able to treat each of them.
Obsessive thoughts are thoughts, images and impulses that appear involuntarily, which are related to anxiety, impatience and worry, leading the person to perform some type of behavior, with the aim of completely eliminating all those thoughts and disappear the discomfort.
Obsessive disorder is one that goes beyond any daily concern that we could have on a day-to-day basis, it is the one that generates excessive repetitions, which become rigid, consuming a lot of time and can become very harmful instead of causing relief.
This disorder is a manifestation of anxiety, which implies that people experience obsessions and compulsions, which are recurrent and involuntary ideas, images and impulses, with the difference of invading consciousness, generating restlessness, apprehension and a lot of fear, causing a vicious cycle that is going to feed back.
All these actions are involved in the lives of people who suffer from this disorder, making it difficult to carry out their activities, affecting their work and social life.
In what situations does obsessive disorder appear?
These disorders usually appear in any situation of a person’s daily life, that is, at any time, even at home, on the street, at work or at university.
Why are medications not necessary to cure obsessive compulsive disorder?
When it comes to using medications in the face of an obsessive disorder problem, the most convenient thing is to receive adequate advice from a specialist, this is known as exposure and response prevention to help control obsessive disorder.
In the first place it must be taken into account that when the symptoms are very mild or moderate, there is no need to control it with drugs, but with proper therapy.
In other cases, when the disorder is very serious, specialists usually prescribe antidepressants, but always under psychological supervision, it is estimated that antidepressants should be taken as indicated, since these tend to cause side effects, causing harmful damage to the patient health who was not prescribed any kind of drugs.
What are the characteristics of obsessive compulsive disorder?
Obsessive disorder has two main characteristics and the first is obsessions, in which ideas, thoughts, impulses and even images are presented that can be experienced frequently in the person’s mind, generating problems, anguish, different types of fears such as fears to germs and diseases, fear of losing something, as well as worries about what could happen to someone important in their life, as well as the excessive need for order.
The second characteristic is compulsions, which consist of having very repetitive ideas, acts and activities, as well as the need to constantly verify things, count compulsively, and organize something in a very particular and precise way.
Generally this characteristic is intended to reduce anxiety, that is, solve the cause of it, to stop having those thoughts that cause great anguish. Even these compulsions occur when you are sure that everything is okay and under control.
How to cure obsessive disorder without medication?
Therapeutic work
In this case, the most convenient thing is to go to a therapeutic job, such as behavioral therapy, which is a psychological treatment that is given to the patient depending on the degree of the case and with a behavioral therapist who has the necessary experience.
Cognitive behavioral techniques
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy, very effective, it teaches different ways to behave and react to obsessions, this is also known as exposure and response prevention to help control obsessive disorder.
This therapy allows you to learn healthy ways to deal with anxieties and discomfort caused by the disorder.