The cleansing craze may be a condition called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or simply, OCD. Besides being a psychological disorder that can cause discomfort for the person, this craze of wanting everything clean, can cause allergies in those who live in the same house.
The dirt and germs present in our daily lives are partly responsible for strengthening our immune system, especially during childhood,
helping the body to build its own defenses. Therefore, excessive cleaning and the use of products that promise to kill 99.9% of the germs can be detrimental to the construction of the necessary defenses, thus damaging to health.
Signs that Cleansing Mania is Disease
When the obsession to keep the house clean grows and becomes the main task of the day, this may be a sign that it has become a psychological disorder.
Some of the signs that may indicate the presence of an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by cleanliness and organization include:
- Spend more than 3 hours a day cleaning the house;
- Presence of redness or sores on the hands, which indicate the constant need to repeatedly wash or disinfect hands;
- Exaggerated worry about dirt, germs or dust mites and always disinfecting the sofa and refrigerator, for example;
- Stop attending social events, such as birthday parties, to not waste time;
- Do not let events take place in the house itself, because it must always be clean, at all times;
- In more serious cases the family itself may be restricted to certain rooms in the house and never receive visitors, so as not to soil the floor;
- Constant need to check whether everything is clean or in place;
- Need to clean objects that are not usually clean, such as credit card, cell phone, milk carton, or car key, for example.
Cleansing Mania becomes a disorder when habits cease to be healthy and become daily obligation and dominate the person's life, and in the presence of these symptoms it is advisable to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Usually the symptoms begin slowly and gradually intensify. Initially the person begins to wash their hands repeatedly, and then begins to wash their hands and arms and then begins to wash to the shoulder, every time they remember, which can happen every hour.
How To Treat OCD Cleaning and Organization
The treatment for OCD due to cleansing and organization, which is a mental illness, is done with the counsel of the psychologist or psychiatrist because it may be necessary to take antidepressant medicines, which reduces anxiety, and to perform psychotherapy. Usually affected people also suffer from other disorders such as anxiety and depression and therefore need professional help so that they can overcome this disease.
Remedies can take up to 3 months to begin to have the expected effect, but to complement this treatment, cognitive-behavioral therapy can be done because it is the best strategy to cure OCD. Learn more details of OCD treatment here.
When this disease is not treated, the symptoms remain lifelong, with only an attenuation or worsening of symptoms.
