In the condition that is popularly expressed as symmetry disease or symmetry obsession, individuals want things or objects to stand regularly and symmetrically. If the objects or objects in their environment do not stay in the order they have created in their minds, these individuals will feel intensely uncomfortable. They generally try to keep things and objects in the order they have created in their minds in order to eliminate the discomfort. For example, when these individuals see a crooked painting on the wall, they think that the painting should not be crooked, and they feel anxiety and restlessness until they fix the painting. In order to eliminate the emotional discomfort that has arisen, they bring this painting to a form that will be parallel to the ground. As a result, these individuals are relieved when the picture is brought into the shape it should be in their minds.
The conditions that are expressed among the public as symmetry disease or obsession can be seen in many people in daily life. Sometimes, the fact that a person attaches more importance to order than others may be evaluated by his environment as an obsession with symmetry. However, not every person who fixes skewed items is actually symmetrical or obsessed with it. So, it is necessary to examine this issue in more detail in order to distinguish whether these people have a condition called symmetry disease or symmetry obsession.
What is Symmetry Disease or Symmetry Obsession?
The condition called symmetry disease or symmetry obsession may not be observed only as making things symmetrical. This situation can also occur with behaviors such as categorizing the items and keeping the items in a certain place.
In order to talk about a condition that can be described as a disease or obsession with symmetry, certain criteria must be evaluated. Although the criteria for symmetry disease are provided in individuals, the intensity of experiencing this condition is different for each symmetry patient or individual with symmetry obsession.
Criteria for Having Symmetry Disease or Symmetry Obsession:
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Behaviors related to providing symmetry
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Thoughts and behaviors related to symmetry have become continuous,
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Person's behavior of organizing things
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Regulatory behaviors cannot be prevented at all, even in inappropriate environments, or it is very difficult for the person to prevent these behaviors,
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Intense discomfort in situations where symmetry cannot be achieved.
Symmetry disease or symmetry obsession is actually a sub-branch of the psychological strain group we call OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). In other words, while every symmetry patient is also in an OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) diagnosis group, not every person diagnosed with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) may have an obsession with symmetry.
What is OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)?
People with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) often have similar disturbing thoughts and perform certain repetitive behaviors in order to get rid of these disturbing thoughts. In this case, the thoughts that make you feel uneasy come to mind very often during the day, it is reflected out as the intense discomfort of these thoughts and the repetitive realization of various behaviors that increase over time and cover a significant part of the day in order to resolve this discomfort. Moreover, although it is known that the thoughts are absurd, since the discomfort caused by the thoughts is quite high, repetitive behaviors are performed in order to eliminate this discomfort. These repetitive behaviors cannot be prevented due to an intense desire for attachment.
There are two definitions of obsession and compulsion in this condition, which is defined as OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
What are Obsessions and Compulsions?
Obsessions: These are thoughts that come to mind involuntarily, often recurring even though they are known to be not true. These thoughts disturb the person, but they cannot be eliminated despite all individual efforts.
Compulsion: It is the automatic repetitive behaviors performed in order to cope with the thoughts that constantly come to mind about certain issues. Even though the behavior is known to be absurd, these behaviors cannot be prevented by the person.
Some Behavior Examples of People Obsessed with Symmetry:
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Arranging things according to their categories,
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Keeping things in a certain order and symmetry at all times,
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One's own house
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Keeping clothes symmetrical, neat and categorized,
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Text Writing very smoothly and very slowly because it tries to write symmetrically,
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Pressing too much while writing, using too much eraser in the slightest mistake,
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Not being able to tolerate clutter and disorder,
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To have a desire for perfect work,
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To do perfect work to spend a lot of effort,
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To spend a long time during the day in order to maintain order and symmetry. (For example, 2-3 hours a day.)
Why Does Symmetry Disease or Symmetry Obsession Occur?
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Having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD),
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Growing up by being exposed to perfectionist or foster family attitudes in childhood,
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Having OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) in the family (especially the mother or father) in childhood, >
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The existence of different internal conflicts in the person's life or life events and situations that are difficult to cope with,
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The occurrence of any physical or psychological trauma.
Treatment of Symmetry Disease (Obsession of Symmetry)
Treatment of symmetry disease or symmetry obsession depends on the duration and intensity of this condition. varies accordingly. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy studies are very beneficial for individuals who experience the symmetry obsession for a relatively short time and at a mild level. In addition to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy studies, it is important to inform the family and close circle of individuals who are obsessed with symmetry about how they can support this process. Medication support may also be required. While therapy sessions can be conducted by a specialist clinical psychologist, psychiatry support is required for drug treatment. and it becomes permanent and intensifies with their wrong attitudes. For this reason, if there are symptoms of order and symmetry, this condition must be diagnosed without delay and treatment must be started in order to protect the psychological health and quality of life of the person.
If there is a symmetry disease or symmetry obsession among the public If you think you have a type of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or if you are worried that your condition will turn into obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in the future, you can receive face-to-face or online psychotherapy sessions from our expert clinical psychologists at the Happy Life Psychological Counseling Center.
In this way, our experts can evaluate whether the condition you are experiencing is an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Even if your condition is not obsessive-compulsive disorder, cognitive behavioral therapy should be employed to prevent symmetry-related thoughts from turning into obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It may be necessary to carry out preventive studies with bee and psycho-education. However, if the condition you are experiencing is an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), an appropriate treatment plan should be created by considering conditions such as its intensity, duration and individual experiences. If the situation is long-lasting and severe, referrals are made for psychiatry interviews in addition to psychotherapy sessions. Thus, the process is carried out both with cognitive behavioral therapy studies and with drug support.
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