He was promoting his latest work, the second season of the
Hache
series
.
But on her recent visit to El Hormiguero, actress
Adriana Ugarte
ended up being honest about her personal life and announcing that she suffers from an
obsessive compulsive disorder
- better known by its acronym
OCD
- with cleaning.
"I'm treating him," he told Pablo Motos, after recounting several examples of his problem.
"If you get into my car eating chips I won't tell you anything but as soon as you get out I have to clean everything and shake the mats before I get home," he confessed.
Obsessive compulsive disorder is a common chronic disorder characterized by
involuntary, uncontrollable and recurring thoughts
(obsessions) that can lead people to engage in
repetitive behaviors
(compulsions).
These rituals interfere with the life of the person who suffers them, but the person cannot control or stop them and they can cause significant emotional suffering.
The disorder often focuses on certain themes;
for example, as is the case with Ugarte, an obsession with cleanliness.
The uncontrollable fear of contamination causes many sufferers to compulsively wash their hands, even though this repeated impulse leads them to suffer serious skin irritations and injuries.
Other common obsessions include wanting to have things neatly arranged, symmetrically;
fear of some catastrophe;
anxiety about forgetting or losing something or having unwanted and disruptive thoughts about sex, religion, or aggressiveness.
Rituals related to these obsessions include behaviors such as
repeatedly checking to see if the door has been closed
or the gas turned off;
place all the products in a pantry completely symmetrically or repeatedly pronounce a sentence or phrase.
A person with this type of disorder really feels that they must perform these rituals, even if they are clearly exaggerated or have no connection with reality.
"Recurrent and involuntary thoughts or images generate a lot of anxiety for the person who suffers them, who develops certain rituals designed to reduce that anxiety in a certain way and provide a
sense of security,
" explains clinical psychologist Manuel Oliva.
"Many times the person is aware that his behavior is not normal, but he cannot avoid it", adds the specialist, who warns that this disorder should not be confused with the manias or small obsessions that anyone can have.
“Those who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder cannot stop doing these rituals, such as repeatedly opening and closing the front door before leaving.
You can't control either the obsessive thought that suddenly pops up, or the behavior that the idea triggers.
And what is fundamental:
this situation interferes with their daily life, it can condition it,
”agrees Guillermo Fouce, psychologist and president of the Psychology without Borders Foundation.
In this sense, both specialists remember that it is important
not to trivialize the disease
, or to frivolize about its symptoms, qualifying any superstition or obsessive trait as OCD.
“Not everyone has obsessive compulsive disorder, nor is it silly to have it.
Many people who have developed it live their day to day with a
significant degree of suffering
", they point out.
At the moment the cause of obsessive compulsive disorder is not known, although several investigations have indicated that there is a clear genetic component that influences its appearance.
Although specific genes associated with the disorder have not yet been identified, numerous scientific studies have shown that having a first-degree relative (mother, father, siblings or children) with this problem is related to a higher probability of suffering from it.
On the other hand, some research has also associated the disorder with biological factors, such as certain characteristics in the structure of the brain.
Some people with obsessive-compulsive disorder also have a tic disorder.
“In addition, it has also been associated with having received an overprotective or very demanding education.
Ideas of responsibility and guilt, the 'be careful what you do' are at the base of obsessions, "says Oliva.
In most cases, this disorder is diagnosed in early adulthood, before age 30.
It can also develop in childhood, psychologists note.
The good news is that
"it can be treated successfully and the therapy works very well
.
"
Psychotherapy is the approach indicated in most cases, although in certain circumstances psychological care can also be combined with pharmacological treatment.
In any case, in a high percentage of patients, the problem is solved and the person can regain a normal life, leaving aside the disorder that tormented them.
At the first signs of the disorder, it is important to ask for help, says Guillermo Fouce, since
the prognosis is better the sooner the therapy is started.
«The objective is that the person comes to accept the presence of the obsessions without executing the compulsions, which are what make the problem continue to persist.
Tolerating these obsessions without actually executing the associated ritual is the way to solve the problem, "adds Oliva, who recalls that many people affected by obsessive compulsive disorder do not ask for help out of shame or fear.
"We
must end that stigma.
People with OCD need not be ashamed of what happens to them.
They are not going crazy, they are not losing touch with reality and they are not freaks.
What happens to them is a problem that is well known and that has an effective psychological treatment, "he concludes.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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