Compulsive Disorders - Mental Health Disorders

Compulsive Disorders

Diane Sands, 42, suffers from a compulsive disorder. As a child, while doing her homework, she often erased her writing over and over, until there were holes in the paper from her trying to make it perfect. As she grew up, Diane developed other compulsions that she learned to hide. Finally, at the age of 35, Diane consulted a behavior therapist who helped her overcome her compulsions.

For a long time, psychiatrists thought compulsive disorders like Diane's were rare conditions that affected only about one out of 10,000 people. But a large survey in the 1980s revealed that it's much more common–1–2% of the American population has the disorder.

People express their obsessive-compulsive disorders in different ways. Some fill their garages with food because they fear running out of food. Others have such strong fears of contamination that they can't ride subways or buses or sit among crowds.

Compulsive disorders should not be confused with common quirks that many people have, such as a husband who insists on stacking the dishwasher his way every time. Compulsions are far more severe than quirks, sometimes causing people to lose their jobs or alienate loved ones. Their repetitive behavior is often the expression of anxiety over an underlying obsession. The obsession itself might be a fleeting mental image of a violent scene, or a sexual violation. Some women, for example, have an image of killing their young children. Others can't pick up a kitchen knife because they're afraid they might stab something. They never do; nevertheless, they're tormented by the idea that they might, and their anxiety leads them to perform repetitive rituals as a way to relieve stress and inhibit their underlying impulse. Underneath their anxiety is the fear that if they don't do this, something terrible could happen to somebody they love or upset their lives.

People with compulsions are helped by psychotherapy, which helps the patient identify the fears underlying the behavior, such as the fear of not being good enough. Many compulsives are also helped with either behavior therapy or medication. Systematic desensitization techniques, utilizing deep muscle relaxation and Transcendental Meditation, are also effective during the treatment phase.