WARNING: This article contains mentions of suicide. Those in need of support can call the Ottawa Distress Centre Crisis Line at 613-238-3311.
I’m not a “neat freak,” my closet isn’t colour coordinated and I don’t care if the pencils on my desk are perfectly straight. Yet, I have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Popular media consistently misportrays OCD as a cute and quirky personality trait characterized by being clean and organized. We need to stop treating it as such.
Look at media personality Khloé Kardashian. The star uploaded a video giving fans a tour of her super well-organized pantry. According to the star, she has her “Khlo-C-D” to thank for her cleaning skills.
Later in the video, while organizing a cookie jar, the Kardashian says that OCD is “a blessing.”
In reality, those of us with OCD do not gain anything from our seemingly “quirky” behaviour. In fact, OCD limits our functional ability and causes debilitating mental stress.
The Canadian Mental Health Association defines OCD as a mental illness characterized by obsessions and compulsions. The disorder is unique to each individual.
Obsessions are unwelcome and repetitive thoughts, urges or images that refuse to go away. They summon feelings of guilt, anxiety, fear and paranoia. In my experience, this symptom feels like losing control of your mind. Obsessions aren’t limited to cleanliness; they can focus on any topic imaginable.
Obsessions are highly distressing, often causing a person to respond with a compulsion. A compulsion is a repetitive behaviour or mental act that can prevent or reduce the effects of an obsession. However, compulsions may not bring any relief and only cause more repetition.
I suffer from contamination OCD, a subtype of the disorder. This subtype revolves around my fear of getting sick. I experience the repetitive thought of dying from sickness. The thought can arrive without warning or be triggered; it will appear and then remain in my head for hours.
One of my subsequent compulsions is temperature checking. Before medical intervention, I would take my temperature up to 500 times a day.
Since early childhood, I have suffered from OCD and only received a diagnosis and treatment plan at 18 years old. Why? Because I wasn’t the oddball character who frequently cleans for comedic relief.
My reference points for characters with OCD were Emma Pillsbury from Glee, Monica Geller from Friends and Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory.
My symptoms didn’t match what was being shown on screen, so I never considered the possibility of having OCD. The adults in my life weren’t able to identify or relate my symptoms to OCD because they had never seen an accurate portrayal of the disorder.
Recent studies suggest those suffering from OCD are more likely to attempt or contemplate suicide than the general population, further proving that early intervention and diagnosis are critical.
Misrepresentation deferred my diagnoses and treatment process; the same must be happening to others.
Not only is this misrepresentation annoying, but it reinforces stereotypes and minimizes the severity of this disorder.
As a society, we must step away from using “OCD” as slang while stopping the harmful habit of misrepresentation.
By presenting a more accurate portrayal of OCD in the media, we can end stereotypes, educate the public on this complex disorder and help someone who may be suffering.
Featured image by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
