5 Myths You Need to Understand about OCD

OCD UK states that Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is “the sixth largest contributor to non-fatal health loss globally.” Why is it non-fatal? Well, there are no formal, scientific publications to produce evidence of OCD-based deaths to say otherwise. 

However, just because it isn’t on paper doesn’t mean it’s not real. I know of someone who committed suicide after being unable to work though/live with this mental condition. The intrusive, debilitating thoughts that looped through her mind, over and over, stealing her ability to function, were simply too much. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or feel unsafe, reach out for immediate help. In the U.S., call or text 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

What OCD Really Feels Like

This is my story. I was diagnosed with OCD in 2019 and have since been an advocate for others with the same mental condition. I’m well aware of the depressive thoughts and debilitating weight OCD places on the heart and mind. 

Truth be told, I was unable to keep a full-time job in my early twenties because of OCD. I’ve been in a car wreck because of a compulsive thought that I “needed” to give in to. I’ve been in therapy for years. If that isn’t enough, I’ve been labeled “depressed,” “anxious,” and suffering from a mental disorder that “has no cure.” 

Meanwhile, dishearteningly enough, in today’s society, even as mental health awareness is on the rise, people still casually throw around the (false) idea that they are “so OCD.” Whether they are trying to explain their need for order or desire to keep things clean, it’s a misconstrued, damaging idea. 

As a result, those who truly struggle with the disorder can easily assume they don’t have OCD since their struggles are so much deeper than the casual symptoms of desiring to color-coordinate one’s clothes. They don’t get the proper treatment and are only debilitated even further. OCD is not a preference for order or cleanliness; it is a serious mental health disorder marked by intrusive thoughts, compulsive responses, distress, and daily-life impairment.

Why OCD Stereotypes Are Finally Being Challenged

Noah Kahan, an American singer-songwriter, has recently spoken about his fight against OCD, which has many people discussing the true nature of the disorder. Kahan told Rolling Stones, “I was under the influence of the idea that OCD was like, ‘I need to wash my hands a hundred times.’ But I didn’t realize how much more there was to it. I started putting all these pieces together from my childhood, and these different rituals I’ve had my whole life. It wasn’t just anxiety or being stressed. It was this real insidious disorder that I was struggling with.” 

He even opened up about his intrusive thoughts: “I was convinced something was happening that was not happening, or that I had said something that I just didn’t say… I could convince myself that I ran somebody over, knowing for a fact that I didn’t see another person on the road.” 

Thus, it only makes sense that we discuss how vital it is to dismantle OCD’s most common stereotypes so its true victims can find help and, most desirable, freedom:

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Alexandra Gorn