Fear of
Contamination
Washers and cleaners clean to escape fear of being
contaminated, getting sick and perhaps dying. Examples are fears are germs,
chemicals, feces and other possible bodily fluids. They may also be afraid of
spreading diseases to others. Some people are afraid of getting sick or dying by
touching things that others have touched. Others may have a feeling of
disgust when touching these objects. Rituals may include taking long showers,
having developed specific methods of washing different body parts when taking a
shower/bath, avoiding situations where contamination is feared, excessive
washing and cleaning places in the house, etc. The person may wash their hands to the
point their skin becomes red, cracks and sometimes bleeds.
Obsessions about Causing Harm
Persons
suffering from harm OCD fear and obsess they may have caused harm to others.
Rituals may include; checking doors to make sure they are locked to prevent a
burglary, checking the rear view mirror or going back to the place they just
drove or walked by to make sure they didn't hit or kill someone they passed, making sure that all the electrical appliances are off, etc. Even after
checking, they are not satisfied that nothing happened. This results in them
going back repeatedly and checking, which can last hours.
Some have unwanted obsessions that they
are going to harm someone or themselves(e.g.; stabbing someone, having
inappropriate sex with someone, suicide).
The more they try to suppress these thoughts, the more intense and
frequent they become.
Orders and Arrangers Persons with this sub-type obsess about objects being in an exact
order and become distressed when others touch or rearrange their things. They
become obsessed with things being perfect and symmetrical. A lot of time is spent
arranging things and making sure they are in the right place and in the right
way. They may spend an inordinate amount of time for example, folding their
clothes or bedding so that it is exactly right. Most often they cannot identify
anything bad that will happen if they do not do this. However, occasionally a
sufferer may say they think something bad will happen if they do not do the
rituals. Obsessionals
Obsessions are
people with OCD that have no observable compulsions. Compulsions they do are
mental in nature. Examples of rituals are praying, reviewing the event in their
mind, asking for reassurance. They worry about a particular thought they are
having and fear that if they think something, that will happen or they will do
it. Examples of obsessions with thoughts include but are not limited to; going
crazy, committing a criminal act, being homosexual, physically harming oneself
or others either intentionally or unintentionally. Washers and Cleaners Washers clean to escape a fear of
being contaminated, getting sick and perhaps
dying.
Wartel Behavioral Services, P. C. 6346 Orchard Lake Rd., Suite 107 West Bloomfield, Michigan 48322 Phone: (248) 626-1330 Fax: (248) 626-9170 E-mail: drwartel@gmail.com
