Your Roommate Has Always Insisted on Keeping the Room in Order

question 6

Essay

Your roommate has always insisted on keeping the room in order, and you know better than to move anything on her desk because she gets very upset if everything isn't in a specific place. Lately, she has insisted on cleaning the room every night before bed, even the windows and floors, all in a fixed order. You've asked her to stop, but she can't seem to make herself go to bed without this nightly cleaning ritual. Does her behavior fit the pattern of a recognized disorder, and if so, which? What may be causing her anxiety? What purpose does the escalating cleaning ritual serve? What may be going on in your roommate's brain?

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Definitions:

Menstruation

The monthly process in which the female body sheds the lining of the uterus, leading to bleeding through the vagina.

Stress Hormone

Hormones, such as cortisol, released into the body in response to stress, affecting various bodily functions including the immune response.

Epinephrine

A hormone and medication also known as adrenaline, involved in the body's fight-or-flight response.

Thyroxin

A hormone produced by the thyroid gland, crucial for regulating metabolism and influencing the growth and development of the body.