OCD

I’ve heard a lot of people say “OMG I have so much OCD” and I’m pretty sure I’ve said it when I was younger. So yeah, I myself have fallen for some of the many myths that circulate around Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is one of those disorders that is heavily misdiagnosed and misunderstood.

So many people reduce OCD and cause it to be perceived incorrectly:

• People with OCD are just ‘neat freaks’ or ‘germaphobes’

• OCD patients need to learn how to live with it and be more relaxed

• Everyone's a little OCD; it doesn’t need to be classified as a disorder.

• OCD makes people weird and unable to lead functional lives

However, these are myths for a reason. While it is rare, OCD affects half a million youth in the US itself (Int. OCD Foundation). The obsessions come from high levels of anxiety in patients, and in turn they use compulsions to suppress and console the fears that come from obsessions. People with OCD can get better and learn to manage it WITH the help of treatment and strong support systems. Though being overly neat is a part of OCD, there are a lot of other symptoms that are associated with it.

Symptoms (“Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder”):

• Fear of germs/contamination

• Unwanted thoughts involving sex, religion, or harm

• Aggressive thoughts towards others or self

• Meticulously organized and obsessed with symmetry

Here is a graphic of the cycle that OCD patients go through:

Along with general myths, there are also myths that come along with culture, and more specifically, religion. Until around 1850, it was universally believed that OCD was not a mental issue, rather a sign of insanity. They believed that evil spirits were responsible for the obsessions and compulsions (Nicolini et. al). The history behind OCD is very similar to that of Schizophrenia in that a lot of cultures around the world turned to the more supernatural route for explanations and cures. There are also some religious beliefs that contribute to this, specifically those associated with Orthodox Judaism and Christianity. Some people that follow these religions associate OCD patients with some demon possessed people mentioned in the Bible.

While these obsessions can make people gravitate towards the belief that OCD patients are demon possessed, there are real physical brain chemistry changes that account for these overly anxious thoughts. It is uncontrollable and those suffering with OCD can’t help themselves even if they know they are being irrational.

These beliefs are also closely related to some that people have of other mental illnesses. This may also be connected to the fact that other mental issues such as Bipolar Disorder, Depression, and Season Affect Disorder are all symptoms of OCD (“Risk Factors and Symptoms Of OCD”).

As I mentioned before, despite the difficulties, people with OCD do have a fair chance at creating a functional and productive future. There are so many treatments that have been thoroughly researched by psychiatrists and neurologists that can help calm the obsessions (Fields):

• Psychotherapy: Can help change thinking patterns

  • Exposure and Response Prevention: Doctors put patients in situations designed to create anxiety or set off compulsions so they can learn to lessen and then stop OCD thoughts or actions.

• Relaxation: Bringing peace to the mind to calm obsessions

  • Meditation, Yoga, and Massage

• Pharmaceutical medication: Psychiatric Drugs and Antipsychotic Drugs

  • Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors: Controlling irrational thoughts

    • Citalopram, Fluoxetine, Paroxetine, Sertraline, etc.

  • Antipsychotics: Control recurring and heavy symptoms

    • Risperidone and Aripiprazole

There often seems to be a resistance towards Western medicine from minority groups due to the excessive use of medication, however it is clear that drugs are NOT the first thing any doctor turns to unless the symptoms are evidently and uncontrollably pervasive.

As a pediatrician, I will probably have to deal with this resistance, along with parents thinking something is wrong with their child or simply refusing to believe that their child needs help. To make sure the child receives proper treatment, I will show brain scans of other patients to show the physical changes so that parents can take away the idea of being demon possessed. I can also clearly lay out the options they have in order to tear down the stereotype that the child needs to go on medication and be bound by drugs as the only means of treatment. I will show successful OCD patients to once again emphasize that nothing is wrong with their child and they can still lead a fulfilling life.

I found a really helpful video that talks about what family members and friends can do to help their loved ones suffering with OCD.

Anyways, I hope this helps you guys understand what OCD actually is. For parents, OCD is a very real and harmful mental illness. Once again, please don’t self-diagnose; if you feel like you are experiencing symptoms, talk to someone and get tested, because self-diagnosing can not only be harmful to you, but also disrespectful to actual OCD patients.

Till next time,

~ Nancy

Works Cited

2017-10-03, Posted. “Help Separate OCD Myths from the Facts.” Iocdf, International OCD Foundation, 6 Oct. 2017, https://iocdf.org/blog/2017/10/03/help-seperate-ocd-myths-from-the-facts/.

Fields, Lisa. “OCD: Types, Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Related Conditions.” Edited by Smitha Bandhari, WebMD, WebMD, 4 Sept. 2020, https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/obsessive-compulsive-disorder.

Nicolini, Humberto, et al. “Influence of Culture in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Its Treatments.” Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, Bentham Science Publishers, Dec. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5872369/.

“Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd.

“OCD Symptoms, Causes, and Risk Factors.” Redheal, Redheal, 5 Oct. 2021, https://www.redheal.com/blog/uncategorized/why-some-people-repeat-doing-same-things-well-they-must-be-suffering-from-ocd-ocd-ocd-symptoms/.

“Understanding Your Loved Ones OCD by Jonathan Grayson PhD.” Performance by Jonathan Grayson , Youtube, International OCD Foundation, 30 Jan. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeYjDbRmAsM.

** cover art by MindPlus