Obsessive cleaning dampers holiday season for many individuals

The holiday season is a time for celebration, but many individuals can not afford to host a gathering with their loved ones due to a common condition: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The mental illness often debilitates patients, prohibiting them from completing every day tasks without extreme anxiety.

Krista Lyons is one example of an individual who struggles with her obsession to keep her house clean, according to The Seattle Times. Even though she enjoys unwrapping gifts, putting up holiday decorations and hosting family dinners, Lyons finds it difficult to ignore the trash that comes with celebrations.

"My stomach does a little shudder at the thought of the holidays," Lyons told the news source. "We give each other gifts which are unnecessarily covered with paper that will become trash. I hate trash. I hate to see it sitting around. It says laziness to me. But Christmas is like a trash festival."

Lois Braverman, a couples therapist, specializes in hyper-neatness. She told the news source that some individuals are more visually sensitive to garbage, resulting in the obsessive behavior that comes with neatness.

Approximately 2 million Americans suffer from OCD, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Therapy can help individuals manage the condition over time.