How long does it take for putting on sneakers? An obsessive-compulsive ritual

Quanto tempo leva para se colocar um tênis? Um ritual obsessivo-compulsivo

A 24-year-old man with an 11-year history of obsessive-compulsive disorder with good insight¹ presented with an otherwise unremarkable neurologic examination. Besides tic-like compulsions and obsessional thoughts about harming himself, he takes 1 minute and 25 seconds to put on each foot sneaker, a task usually expected to be accomplished in less than 5 seconds. The ritual (Figure) includes fingers repetitive movements (A to F), the need to hear the pounding of feet on the ground (G, H), and marching in the same place for sixteen steps (I to L). Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a distressing, time-consuming disease to which the neuropsychiatric science owes an adequate etiopathogenesis and treatment².

Figure
. Ritualistic behavior with repetitive movements sequence to put on the right sneaker. Images extracted from a movie with the time in minutes appointed in the top.

Acknowledgments

The authors are in debit with Péricles Maranhão Neto for his technical assistance.

References

• ¹
  American Psychiatric Association (APA). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-V). Washington, DC, American Associated Press 2013.
• ²
  Leckman JF, Rauch SL, Mataix-Cols D. Symptom dimensions in obsessive-compulsive disorder: implications for the DSM-V. CNS Spectr 2007;12:376-387.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  July 2014

History

• Received
  17 Mar 2014
• Reviewed
  20 Mar 2014
• Accepted
  09 Apr 2014