Trapped in web of anxiety
WE’VE all gone out for the night and worried that we’ve left the oven on or a candle burning.
But what if the need to double, triple or quadruple-check becomes so strong, it starts to take over your life? What if not being able to wash your hands when you feel the need triggers a terrifying panic attack?
Extreme cleaning and checking rituals are just some of the typical behaviour patterns of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is a form of anxiety disorder along with panic attacks.
OCD is when severe anxiety traps us with increasingly ritualised behaviour to ‘protect’ us from distressing thoughts.
Typical behaviours include repetitive checking of plugs, electrical appliances or locks, obsessive cleaning, handwashing or doing something a certain number of times in a highly specific order.
Nagging anxiety can cause us to hyperventilate (take short rapid breaths), or take very long, deep, slow breaths. This results in an oxygen/carbon dioxide imbalance, which makes the brain think there’s not enough blood.
The fight-or-flight response is triggered and the resulting rush of adrenalin makes the body behave as though it’s under attack, and sufferers will be sent into a panic.
Classic symptoms include shortness of breath, sweating, the shakes, fear of dying or losing control, dizziness and palpitations.
Football star David Beckham has been quite open about his OCD, which he says compels him to organise things in a very particular way.
“I’ve got that problem. I’ll go into a hotel room and before I can relax I have to move all the leaflets and all the books and put them in a drawer,” he admitted.
His wife Victoria has joked about the way her sexy superstar husband has to stack soft-drink cans in pairs in the fridge.
OCD and anxiety disorder generally can be extremely debilitating. If you find you’re not enjoying life, or losing sleep over it, consult your GP.
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