The issue?
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is far more complex than the media represents it to be. It is not merely just a love of cleaning, hand washing, repetitively clicking light switches and being organized. It is a serious debilitating anxiety disorder which is highly distressing Sadly, it is regularly trivialized in the media as a quirk or a useful character trait.
Every time someone makes an OCD joke or misrepresents it, the severity of the disorder is being trivialized. The lack of understanding and stigma surrounding OCD makes many people unaware they are suffering from it as they don’t fit society’s stereotypes of the illness. So, it takes on average 10-14 years for someone to be diagnosed with OCD and receive the correct treatment.
What is OCD?
Obsessive compulsive disorder (commonly referred to as OCD) is an anxiety related condition where a person will experience obsessions which are unwanted repetitive intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that trigger intensely distressing feelings. This results in the person carrying out compulsions to get rid of obsessions or decrease the anxiety surrounding them.
Obsessions
Most obsessions usually fall under the following categories:
- contamination / mental contamination,
- symmetry and ordering,
- rumination / Intrusive thoughts; especially around taboo subjects,
- checking and hoarding.
Compulsions
Compulsions can either be external (can be seen by others) or mental. These are carried out in order to prevent a perceived harm or worry that the obsessions have focused their attention on. Some examples of compulsions are avoiding people, places and/or objects, seeking constant reassurance, repeating acts, mental counting and body checking. Sufferers feel the urge to carry out compulsions to feel “just right” and safe.
Compulsions bring relief to the distressing thoughts, however, its only temporary. In most cases the person with OCD will realise their thoughts don’t make any sense and that compulsions are only a temporary solution but because they don’t know any other way to cope, they rely on them as a temporary relief and escape. Compulsions can take up hours every day and lead to some nature of impairment and disablement.
Myths vs Reality
MYTH: We’re all ‘a little OCD’ REALITY: You cannot be ‘a little’ OCD
MYTH: Its all about being tidy or clean REALITY: OCD is a complex mental health illness
MYTH: People with OCD wash their hands non-stop REALITY: this is not necessarily true, there are many other sub-types of OCD with different compulsions.
MYTH: People with OCD are very organised REALITY: Some people are however many struggle a lot with organisation and tidying.
Check out the following websites for more information on OCD:
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