A man who is constantly cleaning. Mania of Cleanliness and Order: Signs of Ripophobia

A phobia of dirt or a mania of purity?

Each human action has its own explanation. But all this applies only to healthy people, and in this case we are talking about psychological health. How many times a day do you wash your hands? Five, maybe one? Imagine that some people can enter the bathroom up to 600 times a day! And this is not an exaggeration. They wash their hands before and after going to the toilet, taking off their clothes, eating, shaking hands with a person, and this may be especially close. Agree, this behavior can be called absurd. But for them it does not seem so.
  Microphobia or mania of purity is common enough. In the mild degree of this pathology, people are prone to increased attention to cleanliness. They always keep order. Often they do the cleaning in the house, they can spend hours folding socks and T-shirts on the shelves and so on, but all would be fine if the surrounding did not suffer from their behavior. Parents of such children, or rather adolescents, since the first signs of phobia most often appear after 18 years, try not to scold them for their obsessive attitude to cleanliness. Due to this, they only delve into their "ideal and sterile world." At the same time, aggression and the interpretation of the fact that this should not be done can cause an even greater exacerbation, which risks leading to pathologies such as schizophrenia. By the way, it should be noted that microphobia is often called misophobia or fear of dirt or hermaphobia - a panic fear of infection.
It should be noted that specialists distinguish hermaphobia as a more common disease. Such patients are panicky afraid of infection. For this reason, they wash their hands and avoid any contact with the outside world. As a result of this, isolation often appears. People try not to go outside without a good reason. They also do not let anyone into their home. Sometimes it comes to the point of absurdity - they do not even let relatives in their homes or make them change their shoes and take off their clothes in the stairwell. But nevertheless, the attitude of such patients to themselves is especially pronounced. As already mentioned, with a mild degree of phobia, actions can be limited to frequent washing of hands and the surrounding area with the obligatory use of disinfectants. Some may even refuse to wash essentials (socks, underwear) because they believe that it will no longer become clean, which means, in their opinion, it is dangerous.
From this we can conclude that the phobia of dirt is reflected not only in behavior, but also in finances. Pieces of soap, socks, towels and kerchiefs all require considerable expenses, but even this is not able to convince the patient.
  But that is not all. As a result of frequent washing of hands and all surrounding objects, skin irritation occurs. Here, eczema or other serious skin diseases are no longer far away. If we add to all of the above the fact that this phobia negatively affects relationships with people and even relatives, we can say with confidence that this pathology should be treated, but this should be done correctly.
First of all, it should be noted that some patients nevertheless admit that their behavior cannot be called logical, but they can’t cope on their own, and sometimes they think that this is a kind of way to avoid more serious deviations. But besides them there are those who do not believe that they have a phobia and consider their behavior to be completely justified. Such patients are more difficult to treat.
To begin with, you should choose an experienced psychologist who has dealt with similar pathologies. Most often, hypnosis and cognitive-behavioral therapy are used to treat microphobia. First you need to “teach” a person just to shake hands. Gradually, such patients will be able to adequately relate to dust and even dirt. But still do not forget about the reason. Perhaps the phobia appeared due to the death of a loved one from a disease that could have been caused precisely by a lack of cleanliness. In addition, any stress that is not related to the problem can provoke a mania of cleanliness.

Mental illness cleanliness

By the way

The psychologist does not always give advice. Usually correctly asked questions, the psychologist helps a person to understand exactly in his situation. The client must decide on his own, otherwise nothing will change. And each situation is unique. Therefore, questions and recommendations addressed to the author of the topic will help little to other people.
  For this reason, to solve your problem you need to create your own separate topic.

Pathological mania for cleanliness

Good afternoon. My husband has a mania for cleanliness. I have been married 3 years. I am 32 years old, my husband is 42. The child is 2.5 years old. My husband loves cleanliness to madness. It would seem: what's wrong with that? But this passion brings us to scandal every day. I will not say that I am a slut. All the time I clean up after myself. (It seems to me perfect)
  At first, when I worked and was not on maternity leave (we still lived in a civil marriage), this was not so felt, because he was sitting at home and was engaged in cleaning the apartment and cooking himself.
  Now it works, and I'm on maternity leave. Nothing suits him, no matter what I do. He just comes home from work - he immediately sweeps the floor, without even having to take off his outer clothing. (Although I do wet cleaning almost every day and sweep it).
  All pots and pans should only be in the drawer he says.
  With a child, she is practically not involved. (for 2.5 years, 7 times went for a walk with him on the street). He keeps his toys in order all the time. I tried to explain to my husband 1000 times that the child should have his own territory, where he, at his own discretion, should put his toys, in a box that he will identify himself.
  My husband cannot understand why, when a child eats, sometimes food falls on the table.
  I forgot to say that my husband has constant depression. He was treated in the clinic of neurosis inpatiently 2 times.
  In general, I don’t already know how to talk to him. No dialogue is obtained.

Most likely the reason for this mania is really some kind of neurosis of obsessive states. it resembles an addiction when a person in one sphere tries to get pleasure that he cannot get in others. you can only help him overcome depression, support him, but in fact the main result depends only on him.
He just comes home from work - he immediately sweeps the floor, without even having to take off his outer clothing.

  yeah it's really weird.

Mania of Purity Depresses
  Obsession with cleanliness can lead to depression, scientists say. The researchers found that the reason for the disorder may be a person’s tendency to perfect cleanliness in the home and office, as a result of which the body’s interaction with beneficial bacteria is disrupted, the immune system is weakened, brain function is reduced, RBC reports.
  Those women who seek to constantly restore order in the house are more susceptible to serious illnesses than others, says CPV. ru. Doctors found a direct correlation between the amount of dust in an apartment or house and exposure to especially severe forms of depression, which then develop into mental illness. Plus, cleanlings have malfunctions in the immune system.
  Weakened immunity reacts too sharply to dust and dirt, causing allergies. This slows down the production of some important chemicals in the brain, including serotonin (the hormone of happiness), which contributes to the development of depression, Health explains. That is why it is recommended to clean the apartment no more than 1 time per week, and do a general cleaning - once every 3-4 months.

Interesting article. but what if your husband is afraid of germs, afraid of getting sick due to this dirt?

Good old Freud, as Medportal writes. ru, assured that pathological cleanliness is the result of sexual dissatisfaction. Modern psychoanalysts believe that dissatisfaction does not have to be sexual. In any case, there is reason to think about what is going wrong in life, and perhaps switch from cleaning the apartment to solving real, pressing problems.

Maybe you are right. That he can not, does not want. Either sorry for the expression: either the head hurts, or the ass.

He keeps his toys in order all the time.
  Here. even I smiled at this phrase))) I want to ask - so how, it turns out to put things in order in toys?))) And if it’s serious then. has he not yet begun to be angry with the child and make him claim to be unclean?

In general, the situation is alarming. You need a professional psychoanalyst, you probably have to dig deep into childhood, this takes time, because he is already quite old and the problem is closed under many layers, which most likely will have to be opened one by one - and it can be painful. Here we need an experienced psychoanalyst. I can assume that it is. looks like a childhood phobia. Either a phobia of microbes (fear of infection, parents scared in childhood), or is it somehow connected with the fear of dirt. Sorry for the assumption, but perhaps his mother scolded the code, he crap one's pants, and therefore I was always afraid to be “dirty” - I give this just as an example, so that you understand to what extent you may have to dig.

And of course, here we can do little, if only because it’s difficult to analyze another person from your words, all the more so deeply.

By the way. here's another:
With a child, she is practically not involved.
  Why. Fear of touching “dirt”? Could it be? Avoids everything that gets dirty? That is, the matter is not in the child, but in himself, in his phobia, which he was able to overcome in himself 7 times? (very similar to that)

No dialogue is obtained.
  He does not want to tell you about his childhood? When did he start, a pathological “ambition”? At what age. It is unlikely that he will remember the root cause (he is unlikely to remember what was in 3 years old), but at least it will be possible to immediately cut off most of the guesses. There is a difference, in 10 years he remembers himself that way, or it later appeared.

By the way, ask if there were any bullying from his peers at school? For what reason? And what was he like at school?

Did he have a brother or sister? (dead or alive?) Has anyone in his family died of “germs” (according to his parents) when he was little?

His parents in childhood could frightenly scare “my hands with soap, otherwise you will get infected and die.”

By the way, is your husband okay with sex? In this case, he does not disdain?

I doubt that here we can get to the bottom of the truth, but a little bit, perhaps, closer.

PS: here, I wrote my answer and looked at the other comments above. As for the link to Freud - I can agree that this can also be assumed as one of the options.

Tired of already fighting for such a family. The fact of the matter is that he is angry with the child. By 4 times we went to the psychologist 5 thousand. There is a session. (I understand, of course, that this is not enough). There was no progress. (Digging deep and far)))). I myself was present at the same time. The husband asked). He himself refused. He says that it is better to eat a phenozepam pill and it will be better.
  The thing I think is that he is a sailor. 15 years in foreign countries. All the time in confined space.
  There are no siblings. Alone in the family. Parents from childhood inspired that he should have everything only the best.
  At school I went in for sports. He even participated in the opening of the 1980 Olympics.
  Married early. At 20 years old. He says his wife went to the left. At 28 divorced.
  A daughter from her first marriage does not readily communicate with him, only when something is needed. He does not insist on communication. Basically, she goes to her grandmother (his mother). She was engaged in her education. The husband believes that she has anorexia and is trying to force her to be treated in the same clinic of neurosis. (although the girl is absolutely healthy. With a height of 1.60 weighs 58kg)
  He is also trying to take our son to a psychologist and a neuropathologist.

The fact of the matter is that he is angry with the child.
  Well yes. this is exactly what I expected, that means the matter is all the same in him and his phobias.

There is a positive point in this - that he agreed to go to a psychologist, that’s already good, that means he realizes that there is a problem, that means he’s ready to solve it somehow is already a plus.

Parents from childhood inspired that he should have everything only the best.
  At what age does he remember himself SO? When did he become afraid of “upsetting his parents”? And what came with it?

Your husband’s world looks black and white, she has a clear distinction between what is right and wrong, and something is NOT allowed between. That is, he should have problems with tolerance for people, he tolerates only those who fit into his ideals of correctness. In general, it all reminds me of the Forrest Gump movie - did you watch it?

Have you ever gone out for a picnic together? Tinker in the sandbox with a child. Try not to be afraid of dirt, change the diaper - he did not try?

Digging deep is good. Did they unearth something from a psychologist?

He understands that children are dirty, scatter toys, light chaos can happen in the house, and that is NORMAL? Can he take this into his category of normality? Or is it difficult for him to do?

You correctly noted: problems with tolerance.
  He is more likely an atolerant person, so to speak.
1. Believes that the events taking place do not depend on him, therefore, he relieves himself of responsibility for what is happening around. Unreasonably suspects that he is being harmed.
  2. Apathetic perceives humor.
  3. Prefers hard power.
  4. Notices in itself advantages, and at others shortcomings concerning which takes an accusatory position.

In the summer we go to the country. He almost always sits in the house - watching TV. To a request to make a child a sandbox, he replies: “The lawns will deteriorate”
  The psychologist did not dig up anything, because the husband describes his life as in a learned scenario. He is asked to “deviate” in the direction of some event, says: “I don’t remember”
  And the last thing you say NORMALLY - CAN'T accept.
  In general, a vicious circle.

To be honest, I’m very afraid if my husband takes up raising a child.
  I also remembered that my mother-in-law in the country almost every 15-20 minutes. (I’m not exaggerating) came up to the child and said: "Let's wash the pens." Or, when he tried to do something on his own: "Let me help you." And she did everything herself.

Here we need an experienced psychoanalyst. I can assume that it is. looks like a childhood phobia. Either a phobia of microbes (fear of infection, parents scared in childhood), or is it somehow connected with the fear of dirt. Sorry for the assumption, but perhaps his mother scolded the code, he crap one's pants, and therefore I was always afraid to be “dirty” - I give this just as an example, so that you understand to what extent you may have to dig.

I read the psychologist Vasyutin Alexander in a book “Cancer as a Psychosomatosis”, it said that if a child was frightened by a dog in his childhood, he would be afraid even of small dogs until old age, if he didn’t return mentally when this negative program for protecting dogs was in the subconscious mind is embedded and erase it, as it were, then you can change the behavior, get rid of psychic injuries, fears and even recover from cancer and all sorts of psychosomatic diseases. this method is called a “time machine”

The author, my husband has no problems with immunity?
  I got the idea that maybe in childhood he was too guarded, patronized, so he seemed to think maybe he was weak, and the world around him was dangerous, full of dirt, and he, like a greenhouse plant, could easily become infected.

There is nothing more unhygienic than life.
   Thomas Mann

Do you clean the house more than once a day? Do others around you say this or were you lucky to notice yourself? Do you wash your hands almost after “everything” and very carefully, although you don’t see a large degree of contamination? Do you have a fast-moving desire to clean up your home? Unfortunately, there is no need to talk about a simple love of cleanliness.

   What does purity neurosis mean?

Neurosis of purity   - a fairly fresh definition for an ordinary person and, moreover, not very clear and difficult to diagnose. The general basis of neurosis is the insolubility of some kind of conflict situation or feeling, with incorrect attempts to solve them.

Psychologists believe that the theoretical facet of the transition desire to restore order in euros purity, determined by this behavior causing concern to themselves and others. Cleaning is not for cleaning, washing hands is not for cleaning them - it does not bring pleasure, as usual cleaning. That is, a person, in fact, has no objective reason to put this order in place, the ability to receive household “benefits” from the result, because everything was so clear before that and did not realize this fact in time.

Another of the “painful" manifestations may be considered cleaning at an inconvenient time for this with very careful efforts and fanatical emotions (for example, the beginning of washing a new object 3 minutes before the arrival of guests). Unreasonably long cleaning time without the ability to stop is also a syndrome of neurosis, an obsessive state.

Cleaning, washing hands and bathing without pleasure, as a rule, speak of personal problems and a hypertrophied desire to be perfect. Washing hands sometimes attach importance to the desire to erase traces from someone else, or from some kind of problematic relationship. Often, prolonged bathing and hand washing occur in people as a result of unresolved experiences about cheating on a partner.

Aggressive feelings arising from the inability to express emotions about a problem situation or the opinion that there is no one to discuss with them also lead to this “exit” in emergency cleaning. Unexpressed aggression towards other people is connected to all this.
   The desire to “protect” oneself from “bad” thoughts often occurs at the beginning of such “cleanings”, “washing” of everything around and oneself.

A manifestation of such a neurosis can also be a desire (rather, an action) at the time of the conflict itself, a quarrel to rearrange something or start to take away some things (even speaking out for disorder on the other side of the conflict). Such cleaning allows you to remove the first wave of stress and demonstrates the desire to gain control over the situation. More often this manifestation is characteristic of women.

Overly vigilant attitude to finding all objects “in place”, hypertrophied desire to structure everything is also a “bell” of neurosis. The house is sometimes called the "second body." And the desire to restore order in the house is a clear reflection of the desire to put in order your inner world. For such people, moving can be a real catastrophe with inevitable domestic chaos leading to an increase in internal chaos.

Men may also have a similar neurosis. Only its manifestation is somewhat different. For example, because of the inability to survive anger, humiliation (for example, due to a conflict at work due to the inability to occupy a high position) at home, the husband can rudely and constantly demand unrealistic cleanliness and order from his wife.

In a neurosis of purity, problems of sexuality, manifestations of love can also manifest. A person who is wounded and experienced shame, his imperfection in this area, wants to earn the title of “best” and his declaration of love with his hyper-purity at least due to his mastery.

People with a neurosis of purity, as a rule, think about cleaning not only at home. Having come to visit the owners who are less scrupulous in this regard, they begin to get wildly annoyed by the “dirty” house and mess, dirty plastic windows or tiles. In fact, the reason is that the thought “about these people’s inconsistencies” with the norms of this person . If the owners do not care, then this is a neurotic problem, which translates into serious discomfort. And if a person did not dare to say that this situation is unpleasant for him, then the next step will be a very thorough hand washing and the next “unplanned" house cleaning.

Manifestation neurosis of purity   the stronger, the stronger the person’s stress, the more sharply he experiences this conflict.

Those close by also suffer in their own way in this situation. Not only can this behavior cause them anxiety, but they may also think that a person considers their presence superfluous. After all, normal communication is impossible during constant cleaning.

Neurosis of purity it can only be a partial manifestation of mental "malfunctions." But with it one should not be confused with the usual maintenance of cleanliness, the desire to establish one’s borders, to save one’s space by observing the place of one’s things.

Who is more prone to neurosis of purity?

We found out that neurosis of purity   may be characteristic of both women and men. Let us designate some more detailed signs that “attract” neurosis of purity.

Psychologists identify personality traits that favor the appearance of this type of neurosis. Among them: low self-esteem, insecurity, susceptibility to appraisal (especially, manifests itself as a way to relieve stress before the arrival of certain or a large number of guests), the desire to be perfect and perfect, etc. To all this, the presence of created stereotypes in childhood can be connected. And, of course, external stresses will affect the manifestation of neurosis.

Some part of pedantic people can come to a state against all this background neurosis of purity.
   People with obsessive thoughts and the desire to supplant them, setting a rigid framework for themselves and others are the first on this list.

It is believed that prone to avid collecting, fall into the same list.

Who is not at risk? Psychologists say that these are people who are able to play life and perceive themselves, all those around with all the advantages and disadvantages.

   Does cleaning solve the problem?

Of course, frequent physical actions, their repeated repetition to some fraction create a feeling of emotional relief, but for the psyche this is somewhat unprofitable release of experiences. Motor activity is only able to slightly knock down a painful series of emotional experiences, to break mental activity. But this also makes it impossible to see adequately what is the reason for this "cleaning". It is also, as it were, an independent decision without the participation of other parties to the conflict, the desire to master the conflict situation independently.

Cleaning becomes a kind of illusion of self-defense, but this is not a solution to the problem, but an occasion to seek help (depending on the severity of the condition: either relatives or a specialist).

But unfortunately, cleaning does not have the ability to relieve stress. On the contrary, such behavior can lead to the habit of repeating all this in any subsequent stressful state.

Only partial relief can be brought by this activity at first, but very briefly. After all, the problem itself is not resolved.

Moreover, a perfectly cleaned room can aggravate a stressful state (for example, with the problem of loneliness, people feel it even more, seeing that there is no one to disturb the order). And then everything rolls again with more force.

If there are relatives at home, then their praise for cleaning can be a reward if a person lacks the manifestation of their attention.

If this is a negative reaction or a rude remark about the frequency of harvesting, then this is unlikely to help the neurotic. It’s better to try to distract a person, walk with him somewhere, or do cleaning together and very delicately ask if something bothers him.

Of course, in the phrase "Neurosis of purity"   the main thing is not at all clean. This is a huge litmus of the need to love yourself and the whole world as it is. Love makes it easier to look at any imperfections and do a “spring cleaning” in the shower.

Natalya Mazhirina
   Center "ABC for parents"

PHOTO Getty images

We are talking about neatnesses - people who enjoy undisguised pleasure, cleanliness, and harass those who do not share their love for shiny surfaces. And yet, taken to extremes, this passion becomes the main symptom of obsessive neurosis, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). So why do some of us really need order so much?

Perfectionist complex

"Perfectionism and the thirst for order   go hand in hand 1, ”say psychologists Martin Anthony and Richard Swinson. Perfectionists perceive cleanliness as one of the challenges of life. Since 100% purity can be achieved only in the sterilizer, they are ready to storm this target again and again. Moreover, the result (albeit temporary) is immediately noticeable.

Severe Anxiety, or Clatterophobia

Among neat people there are a lot of anxious people.   By putting things in order, they feel that they are regaining control of their lives and emotions. Fear of disorder, or clatterophobia,   It may have genetic reasons, since cleanliness once posed a serious advantage for survival in an environment where antibiotics had not yet been invented, says Tom Corby, therapist at Los Angeles Observatory of Compulsive Disorders. The problem is that today this anxiety can occur on the most insignificant occasions.

"An unbridled passion for order and the thirst for control is peculiar to people who grew up in an unstable environment, ”said Glen Croston, biologist and author of books on the psychology of risk. For example, one of the parents was constantly absent or abused alcohol, the family experienced serious financial problems, the house was constantly dirty and not cleaned. The child could try to win at least some island of order, and the washed sink in the kitchen in this case became the bulwark of illusory stability.

The desire to be good

It is no coincidence that the rituals of purification occupy such a large place in all world religions.   Adherence to religious and social norms, conscientiousness, decency are characteristic of cleanliness. “Neat people, as a rule, see themselves as conscious and responsible. They think before they act. This is how we imagine ideal air traffic controllers, ”explains Sam Gosling, a psychology professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and the author of the bestselling book“ The Curious Look: What Your Things Tell About ”2. However, his research found that with all external decency, neatnesses are not more empathetic or kind than those who scatter things.

The author of The Perfect Mess 3   David Friedman is convinced that by wanting to be correct and blocking all unwanted impulses with the same care that they clean up, neat people drive themselves into a trap.

Firstly,   too “perfect” environment leaves no room for creativity. “You ruled out everything wrong - you are never late, you rarely spill or break something, but luck also rarely accompanies you,” he writes. A cluttered table, untidy kitchen is a trademark of famous scientists and talented chefs. It is in chaos, in the fullness of their emotions, “bad” and “good”, that they are free to fully explore and create.

Secondly,   pedants take as much time, if not more, to maintain order, as "sluts" spend to find keys and other necessary things. “I meet hundreds of people who tell me about their obsession with order. And they all admit that it causes them discomfort. Accurate people simply cannot live differently: they are prisoners of their habits, ”he summarizes.

1 M. Antony, R. Swinson, “When Perfect Isn t Good Enough: Strategies for Coping with Perfectionism” (New Harbinger Pubns Inc, 1998).

2 S. Gosling, “Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You” (Profile Books, 2009).

3 D. Freedman “A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder: How Crammed Closets, Cluttered Offices, and On-the-Fly Planning Make the World a Better Place” (Back Bay Books, 2008).

Obsessive state syndrome is a person-uncontrolled process of constantly recalling the traumatic events of the past, thoughts or actions. Characteristic for self-doubt people. Often occurring changes that disrupt the patient’s usual activities are accompanied by painful experiences.

Obsessive Syndrome is characteristic of insecure people

There are two types of obsessive condition syndrome:

Distracted obsession, which includes:

1. Obsessive Account   - the person considers everything that he sees: steps, windows, buttons on the shirt of a person standing next to him. Different arithmetic operations with numbers can also be performed - addition, multiplication.
2. Obsessive thoughts   (neurotic obsessions) - appear as thoughts of a negative nature that offend the moral essence of a person, from which it is impossible to get rid of. They cause a constant feeling of anxiety and can develop even in a phobia.
3. Obsessive memories   - events from the past of a negative nature that arise involuntarily in the form of vivid pictures.
4. Obsessive actions   - automatic, uncontrolled movements that occur involuntarily. The patient does not notice these actions, but is able to stop the effort of the will. However, if he is distracted, they will resume.

Imaginative obsession, which includes emotional experiences, such as anxiety, emotional stress, fear.

Obsessiveness. Their clinical manifestations

The most common symptom of an obsessional neurosis is obsessions   - obsessive thoughts of a negative nature. The patient is aware of his condition and is trying to cope with the disease, but this cannot be done on his own.

May occur compulsionsthat may be hidden actions or thoughts.

With a mild neurosis of the patient’s quirks, outsiders can relate to the characteristics of a person’s character, in severe conditions, this disorder means disability.

Weakly expressed neurosis is sometimes mistaken for a person’s character

There are several ways the course of the disease:

• Symptoms persist for several months or even years.
• With lull and flashes provoked by stressful situations
• Constant and steady progression of the disease

Characteristics of a person with a neurosis of obsessive states

Obsessive neurosis occurs after 10 years and is most characteristic during the puberty period. An assistant in the development of the NNS is such personality traits as: anxious-suspicious - indecision, anxiety, constant exposure to doubts, strong self-doubt, conservatism; anancastic - excessive caution and suspicion, rigidity, perfectionism, fixation on negative thoughts, the desire to do everything right. As neurosis progresses, personality disorders also develop.

Fears with obsessions are called phobias (a phobia is an insurmountable strong fear that arises even if the patient is aware of its groundlessness and meaninglessness). Therefore, the NNS are divided into two groups:

1. Phobic neurosis- obsessive fears.
2. Obsessive Action Neurosis   - Intrusive movements and actions.

How to get rid of obsession

It is advisable to combine several approaches for quick and effective treatment of the patient.

Obsession Syndrome should not be left untreated

To get rid of the neurosis of obsessive states are used:

• Drug therapy - the use of antidepressants, tranquilizers, psychotropic drugs. In severe cases of the disease, the patient may stay in a psychiatric hospital.
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy - confronting a patient with his phobia face-to-face in order to demonstrate how unfounded his fears are.
• “Stopping Thought” - used to treat obsessions and phobias.
• Hypnosis.
• Individual psychotherapy.
• Autogenic training.
• Game therapy.
• Art therapy.

Purity obsession

Cleaning, which does not give pleasure and causes inconvenience to everyone, is the most common phenomenon of neurosis of cleanliness.

Neurosis of purity arises due to the impossibility of resolving some kind of conflict situation or constantly disturbing feelings. Obsession is distinguished from the usual desire to tidy up the apartment by the fact that with such behavior a person begins to cause inconvenience to himself and others. The patient does not receive pleasure and household benefits from cleaning, as often clean and cleaned things are put in order.

Purity neurosis can manifest itself as:

• Washing of already clean objects, shifting things from order to place, constantly washing hands, lengthy bathing procedures, etc.
• Cleaning at an inappropriate time for this (a few minutes before the arrival of the guests, during a quarrel).
• Excessively long cleaning with inability to stop.
• The desire to put everything in its place and intolerance to the movement of things from their usual positions.

At the same time, from all these actions a person does not receive pleasure.

Purity neurosis is associated with a constantly disturbing feeling.

Purity neurosis can occur due to:

• Hypertrophied desire to be perfect
• Desires to forget some unpleasant events of the past
• Aggression caused by the inability to express one’s emotions or opinion on any or someone’s account
• The desire not to think about very exciting events
• The desire to tidy your inner world
• Desires to compensate for sexual deficiencies - imaginary or real - due to their abilities in the household

In men, the obsession of cleanliness manifests itself somewhat differently from women: they begin to demand constant and unattainable cleanliness from their wives in the house. Neurosis can be caused by any unexperienced negative emotion.

People with: neurosis of purity are predisposed to:

• Low self esteem
• Strong dependence on the opinions of others
• Self-doubt and judgment
• Certain stereotypes prevailing in childhood
• Constant exposure to stress
• Excessive demands on oneself and others
• Aptitude for collecting

An uncontrolled desire for cleanliness is observed in patients not only in their own homes, but also when they visit other people's apartments. As a result, when going on a visit, this person either requires urgent cleaning by the owners of the house, experiencing serious discomfort due to the mismatch of the home with its standards, or suffers, which leads to another unplanned house cleaning and excessive washing of the hands.
  Symptoms of neurosis of purity are directly proportional to the severity of a person’s inner experiences.

However, it is worth remembering that keeping the apartment clean and tidy, arranging things in their places and organizing them is not necessarily a symptom of a neurosis, if all these actions give a person pleasure and do not take up most of his time.

Cleaning with the obsession of cleanliness still does not bring psychological satisfaction

Obsessive thoughts with VSD

VVD (vegetative-vascular dystonia) - a violation of the functioning of the human vegetative system. With this disease, the following types of neurosis can occur:

• Neurasthenia - increased irritability of the body in combination with general weakness and loss of strength, increased fatigue and, as a result, physical and mental exhaustion. It is accompanied by depression, dizziness and severe headache, which interferes with mental and physical work.
• Hysterical neurosis   - a strong surge of emotions arising as a result of severe stress and accompanied by a seizure, partial loss of sensitivity, translating into paralysis, loss of consciousness.
• Phobic neurosis   - a constant feeling of fear and anxiety, accompanied by a violation in the work of the autonomic system, and having as a consequence social isolation. Also, as a result, panic attacks and phobias can occur.
• Hypochondria neurosis   - excessive preoccupation with their own health and, as a result, a constant feeling of anxiety and fear of getting sick. Such patients react sharply to any discomfort felt physically and immediately consult a doctor. They can think of symptoms for themselves and in most cases do not agree to take medication.
• Obsessive Neurosis   - involuntarily arising thoughts and fears from which it is impossible to get rid of.
• Depressive neurosis   - chronic fatigue, depression, loss of interest in life, in some cases accompanied by thoughts of suicide. Occurs due to unresolved traumatic situations.