Teen Warriors Against Anxiety & Real Problems
T . W . A . A . R . P .
Fear of being contaminated by germs or dirt or contaminating others. Spends a lot of time washing or cleaning.
Order and symmetry: the idea that everything must line up “just right.” Ordering or arranging things “just so.”
Fear of causing harm to yourself or others. Repeatedly checking in on loved ones to make sure they’re safe. Counting, tapping, repeating certain words, or doing other senseless things to reduce anxiety.
Fear of being contaminated by germs or dirt or contaminating others. Spends a lot of time washing or cleaning.
What is OCD?
OCD stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
And based off the definition from www.ocd.about.com,
OCD is considered an anxiety disorder, as people affected by this mental illness experience severe anxiety as the result of obsessive thoughts. Often, extensive rituals are undertaken in an attempt to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions.
There are two parts to OCD, Obsessions and Compulsions. Obsessions are the little things that you always seem to think about like, "I'm dirty". Most people think like this and brush it off, but when you have OCD they will not leave your head. You know, that thought of little microscopic germs crawling all over you that consumes you all day and night? Obsession. Then we move on to Compulsions. "I must wash my hands five times to get rid of the germs", then you do it. Compulsion.
Okay so that's how I, a eighteen year old girl with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder would explain my illness. But then there are those people...
"So you like things clean? That's not weird."
Hold up. It's not that I like things clean, it's that the thoughts of being clean never leaves my mind. I obsess over it.
"Then just stop thinking about it."
I wish I could.
As I hit the block of how the hell do I explain this and do it justice, I found an article. A link to it is to the left, but I'm going to put some of it here.
*cough cough*
People with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder have intrusive thoughts (or images) that bother them. These can be thoughts about making mistakes, harming someone, contamination, disease, religious preoccupation, fears of impulses or desires, or just about anything that you might consider dangerous, disgusting or dirty. Examples of obsessions are, "I made a mistake at work and it will blow up on me", "I touched the chair and it's contaminated", "I had a violent fantasy and now I will lose control", "I left the gas on (the doors unlocked, the cat in the washing machine)" or "I did something that God will punish me for". Once you have the intrusive thought you begin looking for more examples of these thoughts. "Oh God! I just had that thought again." You now are watching yourself, totally self-conscious, fearing every possible thought or intrusion that does not reflect a pure and good mind. Your theory of your mind is that you should only have certain thoughts. Everything else is bad or dangerous.
That's better.