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| Neat Freaks |
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Neat Freaks Obsessions gone too far By Heba Fadel Do you find yourself checking the door several times after you lock it? Do you like organizing your DVD’s and books in alphabetical order? Do you colour-classify your wardrobe? Do you repeatedly wash your hands? Can you not stand the look of a messy place? If you answer yes to at least one of these questions then you might actually have OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It is an anxiety-based illness that causes people to have unwanted thoughts or obsessions and to repeat certain behaviours (compulsions) over and over again. Anyone who saw Jack Nicholson in “As Good as it Gets” will have an idea what this disorder does to its holder. Repeatedly checking door locks and light switches; washing excessively and using a fresh bar of soap for every wash. The more extreme side was the fact that he didn’t even let anyone in to his apartment. This was the acute side of OCD because he believed that people would actually contaminate his habitat and would not abide to the stringent rules of his ritual and obsessive cleaning. OCD sufferers often don’t even know they have it. They think they’re normal while everyone else is wrong. I know a friend who is an OCD-er. She is constantly scrubbing, cleaning the walls, fixing the paintings, and literally trying to frantically organize and arrange everything around her house. Her book collection is not only arranged in alphabetical order, but placed according to genre and to top it all off – she has a mini database for them and, yes, you guessed it – they’re all numbered. Just like a library. When I go to her house I feel watched and every move I make is scrutinized. That friend always sits on the edge of the seat, restless and I feel doesn’t know how to enjoy life much. Always checking her hands for cleanliness, pushing the table, brushing the carpet with her hands, and before I even finish my cup of coffee, she takes it to get washed because she can’t stand the thought of pending household chores. OCD usually does interfere in one’s social life and social interactions especially if the partner or friend does not share the same obsession – which is usually the case.OCD sufferers, also referred to as ‘Neat Freaks’ take their rituals or routines a bit too far. Their ‘normal’ partner cannot keep up with the unreasonable and uncompromising demands of his Neat Freak partner; and some families actually break up due to the unbearable bitterness of the whole situation. Some cases of OCD are also apparent when the mother is pushing the children to obsessively clean and take care of the house with her and constantly throwing harsh words such as “lazy” and “filthy” at them for no real, valid reason. Tension and anxiety turns any good setting into an insufferable one.Neat freaks have to first differentiate whether they are neatness lovers or have genuine obsessions with neatness; to detect the difference between reasonable standards of cleanliness and a rather unrelenting and adamant demand for cleanliness. Secondly, if they do have OCD, they have to admit to themselves that they do actually have a problem. The neat freak’s feelings have to be discussed with their partner and a compromising plan should be set to satisfy both ends. A give and take situation where the normal person gives into the obsession and helps out around the house a little bit more and the other learns to let go slightly and learns to have fun. Going back to Jack Nicholson in ‘As Good As it Gets’, when he falls in love with Helen Hunt, she shows him another side of life and what it feels like to be care-free, spontaneous and plain normal. He is surprised to discover that he forgot to lock his door and, later, finds himself standing on the cracks of a brick sidewalk. So, you neat freaks out there – learn to let go and maybe find yourself standing on the cracks every once in a while. You won’t regret it! |
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