It has always been believed that someone who cleans a lot or is afraid of germs has OCD. People tend to box individuals with different behaviours into the category of OCD, which is not always correct.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, known as OCD, is explained by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) as a long-term condition in which a person has uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsessions) and performs repetitive activities (compulsions), or both. The institute states that people with OCD have complicated symptoms that can cause severe distress or interfere with their daily lives.
Stacey Barber, a mental health blogger with OCD and PTSD shared with Happiful, an online magazine, 10 myths that people believe about OCD. According to Stacy, none of the following statements are true about OCD and she explained why.
Everyone has a little OCD
Stacy stated that people think because they like something in a specific way, it means they have OCD. “However, those with OCD do not want to have it, thus their compulsions are not something they wish to do. You cannot be “a little OCD”, you either have it or don’t,” she wrote.
According to the World Health Organisation, OCD affects approximately 1% of the global population.
OCD is a clean-and-neat sickness
The mental health blogger says that most individuals with OCD are unconcerned about neatness. She explained that for some people, OCD is focused on keeping things clean and tidy, but this is due to a fear of contamination or a desire to avoid anything awful from happening, rather than a preference for neat and clean surroundings.
OCD is simply being a germaphobe
According to Stacy, a germaphobe is afraid of germs, but that doesn’t mean they have OCD. She elaborated that if a person with OCD becomes obsessed with germs, it is because they are afraid of the intrusive thoughts about germs in their head, not necessarily the germs themselves. Stacy also explained that “They will follow their compulsions, such as cleaning and avoiding objects, but not because they are germaphobic.”
OCD is a choice
As someone who suffered from OCD, Stacy explained that it is not a choice, it is a disorder. “Nobody would choose to live with invasive, and frightening thoughts every day. People with OCD are unable to regulate their thoughts, therefore they act on their compulsions to try to stop them,” she wrote. The blogger further explained that sometimes the compulsions are weird, and people are embarrassed to do them, yet they can’t help themselves.
You can see somebody with OCD
“Some people act on their compulsions physically, but for many people, it’s just mental. They may have to mentally repeat words or numbers, or they may need to pray frequently,” reported Stacy. She wrote that most people with OCD will act on both mental and physical compulsions. “Just because you can’t “see” OCD doesn’t mean the person doesn’t have it,” she said.
OCD is only about a few things.
OCD is a disorder that may grasp onto anything and is always changing according to Stacy. She wrote that one day, someone may be obsessed with the house being broken into, and the next, they believe they killed someone. She explained that “OCD causes fear, false memories, and worry, which are both persistent and distressing.”
People with OCD hear voices.
Writing from an experience point of view, Stacy reported that OCD is simply intrusive thoughts that are difficult to cope with and generate a great deal of anxiety and worry. “It’s not the same as hearing voices that don’t exist, it’s their own minds working against them. Some persons with the disorder may have violent, disturbing, or weird thoughts, but they will not act on them because doing so is their deepest fear.”
OCD means being organized.
“People with OCD are often unable to organize their lives since their days are consumed with obsessions and compulsions. Making lists and sticking to them is difficult when living with OCD because you never know what it will throw at you next. People with OCD may worry about trying to stick to a list or deadline, but this is due to intrusive thoughts and not being organized,” Stacy wrote.
People with OCD are unaware that they are being irrational
The blogger mentioned that most people with disorder understand that their ideas and compulsions are unreasonable. She wrote that OCD sufferers understand that just because they believe something will happen does not guarantee that it will and that acting on their compulsions will not stop or prevent something, but they cannot take the chance. “This is why sufferers of OCD experience such distress,” she said.
OCD affects only young people.
“OCD may affect people of any age, the disorder typically begins in childhood, although it can begin in adulthood as well. OCD can develop after having a baby for both men and women, due to the need to safeguard the child. It can also begin following a stressful event, such as illness or death,” concluded Stacy.
Also see: All you need to know about hypnic jerks and its triggers
