Case Scenario:

Jane Doe is a 26-year-old single female who is late for work most days. Her boss called her in to inquire about her recurrent  tardiness issue. He feels somewhat invested in her because she always pays strict attention to detail and organization in all of her assignments. Her work area is always very neat and clean. Some days you can even smell the Clorox and the Lysol that she uses to clean her area. You have also noticed the ugly and excoriated hand-rash that she has on both hands.
Response: Jane Doe turns around each and everyday to check the stove, the iron and door locks. This causes her to be late for work.

Questions:

1. Do you have a need for excessive order in your life?
2. Have you ever had to turn around and go back home to be sure that your stove was off?
3. Are you superstitious about stepping on cracks?
4. Do you have more than one bottle of hand-hygiene gel on your person?
5. Do you have to make-up your bed prior to going to bed?
6. Are you repulsed by bad breath?
7. Do you participate in excessive counting in your spare time?
8. Do you become very anxious when out of control?
9. Are your hands raw from excessive hand washing?
10. Do you pick-out your eye-brows? (trichotillomania)

If you answered yes to four or more of the above symptoms, you may have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. A milder variant is OCDP (obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder). This is a somewhat uncommon anxiety disorder, but it can be debilitating. If you are plagued by several of the above signs/symptoms, you should be evaluated by a licensed mental health professional. There is usually an underlying unconscious conflict that has to be uncovered in psychotherapy. However, if severe enough you may need medication management in order to function day-to-day.

Obsession- An uncontrollable thought that continuosly pops inside your head

Compulsion- Usually the act required to relieve the anxiety associated with the obsession

If you feel like you are suffering from excessive anxiety check out this link:

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