By Dr. Christine Klinkhoff
The ongoing worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 is having a profound impact on people’s sense of safety and wellbeing. The uncertainty of our current situation is leaving many of us feeling anxious and looking for answers that simply do not exist yet. For some individuals with OCD (contamination type)* and illness anxiety, the global pandemic will bring about unique challenges. For many others with these conditions, it may provide opportunities for growth and resiliency.
The need for certainty and control are defining features of OCD and illness anxiety disorder. Markers include a preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness, avoidance, and behavioral compulsions such as reassurance seeking and/or excessive washing. Evidence-based treatments for these diagnoses involve facing one’s fears, accepting uncertainty, and reducing or eliminating compulsions. For some OCD and illness anxiety sufferers, COVID-19 has validated their fears and intensified associated behaviors.
Most of us have drastically increased our hand washing rituals and are being reinforced to do so by the media, friends, and family. We are also being told to be hyper attuned to any bodily signs of discomfort. As a result, we may be inclined to think that symptoms of illness anxiety and OCD are adaptive in this climate. However, the time consuming nature of compulsions and preoccupations with thoughts can damage relationships and impair occupational functioning. It is important to remember that persons with these conditions experience a great deal of suffering.
In comparison, an advantage that individuals with OCD and illness anxiety have over others at this time has to do with whether they have learned skills to let go of control and tolerate uncertainty. Such skills have likely been acquired through effective treatment and willingness to change behavioral patterns.
If your washing rituals are above and beyond recommendations set forth by the CDC and the WHO, please take a step back and consider whether your decision to do so is anxiety based or fact based. Try to be deliberate about selecting pastimes that are consistent with your values (i.e. exercising, virtually connecting with friends and family, cooking). We can experience anxiety and uncertainty while also caring for ourselves in kind compassionate ways.
*This post focuses on one subtype of OCD: fear of contamination. There are more subtypes of this disorder (e.g. harm, just right, scrupulosity) that are not discussed here.
Sources:
- https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-covid-19-could-spark-a-mental-health-tsunami/
- https://iocdf.org/covid19/
- https://www.mcleanhospital.org/news/living-ocd-during-coronavirus-crisis
Image
Jeanty, M. (2020). Washing Hands. UnSplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/Ks4RTBgQ_64.