Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by recurrent intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive acts or behaviors (compulsions) that the person performs to avoid the discomfort (anxiety) that the obsessive thoughts cause. One of the most common OCDs is obsessive-compulsive disorder due to cleanliness .

Characteristics of obsessive-compulsive cleaning disorder

What in principle can be a good thing, and cleaning can be positive to avoid disease, OCD by cleaning becomes for people who suffer from it a severe disorder that adversely affects their welfare .

The irrational thoughts that can lead to the act of cleansing can be different from person to person. For example, some individuals may have superstitious thoughts that cause them anxiety if they do not perform acts to reduce their anxious symptoms, others may think that everything is contaminated and if they do not clean themselves they will suffer serious illnesses, and others may take the order and cleanliness of the home to the extreme, as they continually seek the symmetry of objects. Regardless of the irrational thinking, the compulsion in this type of disorder is going to be characterized by cleanliness and hygiene behaviors.

These people suffer from repetitive thoughts that cause anxiety. Compulsive behaviour only serves to calm them down for a short time, which ends up producing a vicious circle, as irrational thinking reappears again and again after the compulsive behaviour.

Cognitive variables related to OCD

There are multiple cognitive variables related to OCD. According to the Obsessive-Compulsive Cognitions Working Group (OCCWG), the most important are

  • Intolerance to uncertainty
  • Overestimating the threat
  • Perfectionism
  • Excessive liability
  • Beliefs about the importance of thoughts
  • Beliefs about the importance of controlling one’s thoughts
  • Rigidity of ideas

Beliefs about the importance of one’s thoughts refer to the need to control all thoughts at all times. Subjects with OCD strive to try not to think about one particular thing or to eliminate certain types of thoughts .

How to Stop the Cleaning Obsession

Any form of obsessive-compulsive disorder can have different levels of severity . In very serious cases, you should always seek the help of a specialist to be able to manage the situation. But in less severe cases of the disorder, the following advice may be useful. If you are obsessed with cleanliness, you can follow these tips:

Relax before you clean

Any type of obsessive-compulsive behavior has its origin in the need to reduce the anxious symptoms . It may be due to superstitious thinking or the idea that if everything is not clean a disaster may occur. The intention of the compulsion is to reduce anxiety, but there are other ways to relax. For example, practice Mindfulness, yoga, or listen to a relaxation CD.

Break with obsessive routine

It is common in anxiety disorders for psychologists to help patients test out irrational thoughts, so that they can see for themselves that absolutely nothing happens when they are exposed to the feared situation. Of course, the exposure should be progressive. For example, first the compulsive behavior can be delayed by 1 minute, then 2, then 3, and so on. Gradually, you can observe that, in reality, obsessive thinking is irrational and catastrophic thoughts are not fulfilled .

Don’t be such a perfectionist

Sometimes OCD may indicate that the individual has a perfectionist personality . perfectionism refers to the belief that one should always achieve perfection in everything one does. This belief can lead to serious anxiety problems and therefore compulsive behaviour. Understanding that imperfection is common to all human beings can help reduce anxiety. If it is not possible to do so alone, one should consult a psychologist, as perfectionism also affects health and well-being .