Compulsions might provide temporary relief but they provide long-term damage along the way. Each time someone with OCD engages in their compulsions, they validate their intrusive thoughts, buying into OCD’s lies and making the condition worse. The OCD cycle is a vicious and life-interfering one and the fears are so powerful that OCD sufferers will ignore their responsibilities and everyday practicalities (such as going to school or arriving on time for work) in order to perform their rituals.īut the OCD cycle isn’t merely time-consuming it’s empowering to the underlying disorder. In other words, no amount of washing results in continuous reassurance. Once these fears reappear, the sufferer engages in compulsive washing again. But their contamination fears will return if they grab a handle on a city bus, touch a counter at a deli, or push a shopping cart across a grocery store parking lot. For example, someone who compulsively washes their hands after touching a public doorknob may feel assured that their hands are clean. Other times, the compulsion is successful in reliving the anxiety of the original thought but the fear returns because of something else. It’s not unusual for those with OCD to get “stuck” inside washrooms, scrubbing over and over again. This compels the OCD sufferer to return to the sink and rewash. But, as they go to leave, their OCD may convince them that their hands still aren’t clean or that they didn’t scrub thoroughly enough. For instance, someone who touches a public doorknob might walk into a bathroom and compulsively wash their hands. Unfortunately, this relief is always short-lived sometimes, the fear returns in a matter of seconds. ![]() ![]() This reduces their anxiety and brings them comfort. In an effort to regulate this anxiety, they will wash their hands vigorously (sometimes using scorching hot water or bleach). For example, someone with Contamination OCD who suffers from intrusive thoughts surrounding germs may fear that their hands are contaminated because they touched a public doorknob. The most classic example of an OCD cycle appears in compulsive handwashing. OCD presents in cycles, which is why it’s a disorder marked by repetition.
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