¡°I¡¯m so OCD about things.¡±? It's a phrase frequently tossed around and often used loosely.
While it's a term that carries a lot of weight and seriousness, it's a condition that gets downplayed when people who have no idea what the term really means use it.
Our collective ignorance is to blame for it.
Despite the effort to promote mental health awareness via powerful campaigns like Mental Health Awareness Month (celebrated the entire month of May) and Break The Stigma, people¡ªwho don¡¯t have OCD or any inkling of what the term really denotes¡ªhave adapted it in to their everyday vocabulary. So much so the term often ends up getting used as an adjective.
This is a problem that needs to be addressed right now. Here¡¯s why.?
General perception today is that people who have OCD are either neat freaks or germaphobes/image via Unsplash
This is a serious mental disorder and is characterised by unwanted thoughts and fears¡ªor 'obsessions,' with themes of their own¡ªthat only temporarily subside in a person¡¯s mind once the 'compulsive' actions are carried out.
As someone who has lived with someone who was diagnosed with clinical OCD, I speak from first-hand experience when I say that it is debilitating and exhausting.
Yet, more often than not, I have heard people from all walks of life say that it is merely something that 'everyone has.' When I try and counter that statement, I'm told I should just 'calm down' and 'try to relax.' And the number of times I've overheard people saying they¡¯re 'really organised too' so they 'understand' how someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder functions is too many to count.
Because OCD is such a complex disorder many people have trouble understanding its crippling effects on someone with the disorder. General perception today is that people who have OCD are either 'neat freaks' or 'germaphobes.' But that¡¯s not even remotely true. Those with OCD can also be pretty disorganised.
By using OCD as a synonym for being organised or mad for cleanliness we are misrepresenting and downplaying this condition/Image via Pixabay
Despite what we see in movies, read or hear people say, OCD does not mean being organised. To have OCD means constantly thinking of the 'what-ifs' to such an extent that it seems irrational to anyone on the outside looking in.
These 'ticks' translate to obsessive-compulsive behaviour that has such a strong hold on a person's mind that not acting on them could hold them back from even stepping out the door.
Imagine obsessing over the thought that if you don¡¯t lock and re-lock the main door to your house seven times, your house could get robbed. For someone else not turning the lights on and off enough times could also mean inviting bad luck.
As ridiculous as it may sound, these recurring thoughts come in the way of normal functioning for people with OCD. And there's no 'escape button for this either. People with this condition have no choice but to give in and carry out their 'rituals.'
This painful scenario is a reality for people with OCD and they can experience these thoughts multiple times a day.
It is time to readjust the rearview mirror on the conversation about mental health.
By using 'OCD' as a synonym for being organised or mad for cleanliness, we're misrepresenting and downplaying this condition, and taking away from the growing awareness about mental illness issues.
We must remember that our words hold more power than we realise. What we say can become a powerful tool we can use to break through these unfair ideas about OCD, and eventually readjust the rearview mirror on the conversation about mental health.
To truly break any stigma we need to have a real conversation first. And that begins with a collective rethink about our everyday speech.