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OCD: An endless loop of repetitive behaviour on rise in Kashmir

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Ahtisham Nazki
SRINAGAR: Mental health disorders have been growing in Kashmir for a long time now among which Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is increasingly common.
OCD is a psychiatric disorder that involves obsessions and compulsions.
Reported as the tenth leading cause of disability in the world by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1996, OCD causes disrupted development, social withdrawal, family and relationship problems, difficulties with concentration and academic performance. Rizwan Khan, a PG student from Bemina Srinagar is a severe case of OCD who has been suffering from it since his childhood.
He calls his everyday life an endless loop of hell which makes his existence miserable.
“OCD has rendered me handicapped and sometimes I feel an urge to put an end to my perpetual miseries by taking a drastic step like suicide,” says Rizwan Khan.
He was diagnosed with OCD in 2019 but it has been there since his school days.
“I had no idea about it being some kind of a mental disorder. Before my diagnosis, I always thought I was mad. I was ashamed and scared to talk about it with anyone,” he said.
It hampers his everyday life and he barely moves out of his room.
“I miss my classes and it affects my academic performance. There are days when I run out of patience and think of harming myself,” he said.
Rizwan says his OCD is about ritualistic and repetitive behaviour. He repeats every action through out the day till his anxiety goes away temporarily.
Disturbing thoughts of some untoward incident with his family forces him to indulge in ritualistic behaviour.
“OCD has many types but in my case it is ritualistic or repetitive behaviour. I constantly check on things,” he said.
He repeats his actions to come out of his anxiety.
“Everything I touch or pick up has to be put back at a particular place and in a perfect way. I open and shut doors at least 40 to 50 times a day while stepping in or out of my room. I switch the lights of my room on and off a countless times and while walking I make sure my feet are placed at a perfect place and angle. Basically every action in a day has to be repeated till my anxiety goes away. And if i don’t do it, i feel something really bad might happen to my family,” he said.
The ways in which symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are experienced varies widely from person to person.
OCD has many types but contamination obsessions with cleaning compulsions is the most common type according to the research.
Farzana Akhtar from Tengpora Srinagar is a classic case of hygiene related OCD.
Her life has become unbearable due to constant fear of getting infected with germs while touching objects or things.
“I wash my hands for hours and never let any one touch my clothes and other possessions,” Akhtar said.
“I avoid touching things but when I do, I immediately rush to wash my hands. Even after washing my hands thoroughly couple of times, I still feel my hands are not clean and I end up washing them again for half an hour and sometimes for hours altogether,” she said.
Thoughts of getting contaminated or contracting a disease due to germs triggers her anxiety.
Opening doors without touching knobs and not wearing clothes if they are touched by someone outside her family are some things she repeats on regular basis.
“It is really distressing,” she said.
Farzana’s family has been at the receiving end of her condition for years and she is quite apprehensive of her life after marriage as she is preparing to get hitched next month.
“My OCD has not only affected me over the years but my family has also suffered a lot due to my compulsions and fears. From last few years my family is quite aware about my disorder however i am really worried, as i am getting married next month, and I don’t know how I will adjust among new people with this debilitating disorder,” she said.
Experts have stressed on the need of early diagnosis and intervention of OCD.
“It can be very disturbing and life threatening if not diagnosed and treated on time,” Waseem Kakroo, a clinical psychologist said.
“The biggest problem with people suffering from OCD is that in most cases, they are unaware about it being some kind of mental disorder,” he said.
He said people usually believe they are mad and if they share it with anyone, they would be judged, mocked and stigmatized.
“This unfortunately leads to an increase in the severity of the problem. So widespread counseling about existence of OCD is need of the hour,” he adds.

 


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