coffee may help with obsessive compulsive cleaning

researchers are waking up to the potential of caffeine to provide relief to people struggling with obsessive compulsive disorders. a stimulating new study, published in the journal of anxiety disorders , has found that increasing inhibition levels with a cup of joe was effective at reducing intrusive thoughts and decreasing compulsive behaviour in germaphobes.

“our research demonstrates how arousal can help to stem compulsive behaviour,” said study author and psychologist hadar naftalovich of the university of jerusalem in an interview with the daily mail . “this could help clinicians control patients’ compulsive symptoms and deliver better treatment outcomes.”

ocd is a mental health condition that occurs when a person gets stuck in a cycle of unwanted obsessions and compulsions, according to the international ocd foundation . the disorder manifests in the form of compulsions — intrusive thoughts, images or urges — that prompt patients to perform various compulsions in an attempt to decrease the distressing feelings that result. while many people believe they have some degree of ocd, diagnosis is dependent on a cycle of behaviour so extreme it interferes with a person’s life.

approximately one to two per cent of the canadian population will experience an ocd episode at some point in their lives, according to the canadian psychological association , with women slightly more likely to develop the disorder than men. symptoms usually manifest themselves in the late adolescent years with very few people experiencing an ocd episode for the first time after age 40. some studies have pointed to abnormalities in specific pathways of the brain as being connected to ocd, but the cause remains largely unknown. there is little evidence the condition is inherited but genetic factors have not been ruled out.

this year has been a trying time for ocd sufferers — if not the rest of the population — with the spread of covid-19 likely amplifying obsessions and compulsions. the international ocd foundation has a published a list of helpful tips for people struggling with three common subtypes of the disorder: contamination fears, perfectionism and those with thoughts of harming others. the informative site is a good place to start for you or anyone you know in need of a helping hand.