There are many types of obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD). Types are classified according to the symptoms of the disease. Although this disorder takes various forms, they all reflect different images of the same disorder.
Obsessions and compulsions may vary from country to country, culture to culture, and society to society. The types of obsessions and compulsions that are commonly seen in our country and all over the world can be listed as follows, giving examples below.
Pollution or Contamination Obsession and Cleaning Compulsion
It is popularly known as cleaning disease. Factors such as dirt, germs and dust on the person's body and clothes; It is the belief that it will be contaminated or contaminated due to factors such as chemicals, detergents, poisons, urine, feces and other body secretions, and the obsessions related to this, and the cleaning behaviors it constantly performs to relieve the anxiety, fear and distress created by these obsessions.
A male client washed his hands at least 3 times and for 2 minutes each time after coming home from a walk outside, for fear of catching germs.
A male client never goes to the toilet outside the home environment, nor at home. He would always change his socks and trousers every time he went to the toilet, with obsessive thoughts of urine splashing.
A female client had changed all the slippers in the house to washable slippers because of her obsession that the guests coming to the house would carry germs from outside with them, and after the guests left, she changed them all. He was washing it in the washing machine.
In these examples, the thought that people will get different substances on their bodies and clothes constitutes contamination obsession, and their cleaning and washing behavior to relieve the resulting distress constitutes compulsion.
Doubt-Doubt. Obsession and Control Compulsion
It is one of the most common obsessions and compulsions. The person may have left objects such as gas stove, door, lock open, iron, etc. He/she doubts and suspects the possibility that the plugs of electrical appliances may be stuck in the socket (Doubt obsession) and as a result, he/she becomes anxious, anxious and uncomfortable. Feeling the need to repeatedly check the objects of concern to be sure (Checking compulsion). These doubts and controls can manifest themselves in many areas of life.
A female client would get up from her bed every evening and check the door to see if it was locked.
A male client, every evening In the morning, he passed the police officer at an intersection with his own car. After driving a little further away, he said, "I wonder if I hit the police officer with the left mirror of my car and injured him?" He returned due to suspicions such as, and after making sure that the police officer was healthy, he went to work with relief.
A male client does not make sure that he parks his car every evening when he returns home from work and locks the car door after entering his house, and sometimes he takes two or three He would go out to the street at least once and check the car doors.
Obsessions that he would harm others or engage in aggressive behavior without being able to control it.
Sometimes, clients may uncontrollably cause discomfort or harm to others, and that they will uncontrollably engage in aggressive behavior. There may be obsessions such as uttering unacceptable words or unintentionally harming the people around him.
A male client, while sitting at home with his family, had thoughts such as "will I lose control and cause an accident and harm my wife or child?" For this reason, she did not take cutting/piercing tools such as scissors/knives in the presence of her family members.
A young mother in the postpartum period could not stop herself from thinking "will I lose control and strangle or kill my baby" while breastfeeding her baby or cleaning her diaper? He had obsessive thoughts that caused intense distress.
Sexual Obsessions
From time to time, clients with OCD experience embarrassing thoughts about themselves, in a way that is not appropriate for their age and in a way that does not suit their place in society. or having unacceptable sexual thoughts or images. The person has serious difficulty in removing these thoughts and obsessions from his/her mind and is afraid of behaving in a way that may be misunderstood towards other people, causing anxiety. hears. Feeling attracted to the same gender and dreaming. An example would be not being able to get these thoughts out of her mind even if she is uncomfortable.
A female client could not stop herself from having sexual dreams about the men around her, she could not get these dreams out of her mind and felt very uncomfortable.
A male client asked, "Do I lose control and involuntarily molest my female teachers and girlfriends or behave in ways that could be misunderstood?" He had sexual obsessions such as.
Religious Obsessions
It is a type of obsession that is common especially in segments of society that live their religious beliefs very intensely. The person cannot stop himself from thinking religious obsessive thoughts that are completely contrary to his beliefs and views and that cause intense distress. An example can be given by a very religious person thinking things that contradict his religious beliefs, such as doubting the existence of God.
A male client complained that when he put his head in prostration during prayer, obsessive thoughts such as "doubting the existence of God" came to him. .
Symmetry/Order Obsessions and Compulsions
The need for symmetry and order obsessions are also common symptoms. The need for symmetry and orderliness dominates the person's entire life. Examples can be given such as constantly correcting the painting on the wall, spending hours on the table setting while preparing the table, and making millimetric arrangements.
A female client made sure that the covers on the coffee tables were in the middle of the coffee table, and she could not resist straightening if there were any that were upside down from the fringes of the carpet. .
A male client was spending most of his daily work to place the books on the shelves in a certain order, from large to small, from thick-bound to thin-bound, in the library where he worked, and was disrupting other work he had to do.
Touch Compulsions
From time to time, some OCD clients feel the need to touch an object they care about before performing certain behaviors. He becomes extremely attached to a favorite toy and cannot sleep without touching it.
A male client is worried that if he goes to work in the morning and leaves the keychain box hanging next to the cloakroom without touching the keychain with a picture of a happy family on it, he may face a negative event that concerns his family. He felt the need to touch again.
Counting Compulsions
Some clients with OCD engage in counting behavior, thinking that if they do any daily activity without counting up to a certain number, they will not be successful. Examples can be given such as constantly counting pavement stones, passing cars or building floors, counting steps, items or words in an order appropriate to certain numbers.
A female client said three times in the morning while sending her child to school. He was worried that something bad would happen to him if he didn't say "good luck".
A male client could not start eating without saying Bismillah 10 times.
A female client unlocked the door three times before locking it. He would open and close it or sleep after knocking on the door 4 times.
Hoarding and Storing Compulsions
It is one of the most common types of compulsions. A person may even collect/store items that will not be needed, with the thought that "they may be needed in the future." Examples include accumulating excessive amounts of money or unnecessary items, buying 10 of the same clothes or items, buying and keeping baby items with the thought that one day they will need them, even if there is no baby at home.
A male client has been using it regularly for many years. He kept the newspapers he bought, packing them regularly and in chronological order, with the idea that "the information in them might be needed by my children in the future." A person may have certain beliefs, behaviors, numbers and colors that he considers lucky or unlucky as part of his cultural characteristics. Examples of this type include not walking under the stairs, not being able to leave the house if the slippers are turned upside down, not jumping over children, leaving the house with the right foot, not getting up from the left side of the bed, and being afraid of seeing a black cat. If the beliefs are frequent and intense enough to prevent daily living activities or limit our daily functions, then they can be evaluated at the disease level.
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