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Under “control”: When constraints determine your life

There are a whole range of possible causes for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

(Bild: Andrey Popov - stock.adobe.com)

"Don't force yourself!" What some people say thoughtlessly is the bitter reality of others. For people who are subject to constraints, it is important that things run in an orderly fashion. This provides security and gives the illusion of control. However, if the desire for order and control becomes an addiction and causes anxiety and distress, it is pathological and requires help.

Manuel turns around again and checks that the stove is really switched off. Lina has to wash her hands thoroughly after every touch. The fear of catching "something somewhere" is too great, she says. Heimo always locks and unlocks the door ten times before he can finally leave the apartment, and also runs back to the car several times to make sure it is locked. "It annoys me and I feel so stupid," says the successful entrepreneur. "But I have to do it, otherwise I feel all out of sorts and can't think about anything else."

Mila counts incessantly and is almost meticulous about order - so much so that living with others is impossible for her and she hasn't been able to enter into a partnership for years. 

As different as these compulsions are, our test subjects have one thing in common: they repeat certain actions and have the same thoughts over and over again. Not because they want to, but because they "have to" ...