“I’m so OCD.”
This is a phrase often thrown around in everyday conversations. People may say it laughingly as they tidy up their desk or fold their clothes a certain way. No one thinks much of it. But phrases like this pertaining to OCD turns the mental disorder into a non-serious condition that just causes people to be a bit cleaner than most. I’ve heard people go as far as to say something along the lines of “Having OCD is probably helpful, it means everything is always clean”. Saying things like that invalidate people who actually struggle with OCD, because this disorder is actually something much more difficult and hard to deal with.
OCD stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It is called this because people afflicted with OCD often have thoughts or rituals that are unrelenting and all-consuming. Many times, these thoughts can be intense paranoia surrounding the safety of oneself or loved ones, or the fear of doing something irrational. They can be dark and really have a toll on a person’s mental health because it is nearly impossible to expel them from one’s mind.
The reason there is a stereotype about OCD and cleanliness is because many people with OCD have certain rituals or habits. These form as an attempt to gain control over one’s life and battle the thoughts that the person has no control over having. Sometimes, they can even seem to be a way to alleviate the threat of these thoughts. That’s why many people with this mental illness, although not all of them, are known to be very tidy and like things a certain way. It is a way to have control in a world that can feel very chaotic and confusing.
As a person who struggles with these things, it can be very frustrating when people demean OCD to just being overly tidy. Sometimes, my OCD materializes in the way where I want things a certain way to feel in control. But for me personally, my OCD mainly revolves around my fear of germs. I cannot eat without washing my hands, otherwise I feel sick to my stomach and have the intense fear of consuming some dangerous, or even deadly, bacteria. And after I wash my hands, I cannot touch anything until I touch my food. I am constantly aware of everything I touch and how many other people have probably touched that doorknob or railing or whatever it is. My hands always feel dirty, and I feel the need to wash them constantly. In my mind, if I don’t keep my hands clean, I’ll suffer extreme illness or something else horrible. But, ironically, I also feel the need to touch things. Sometimes, I see things that don’t quite seem real or are confusing to me and I cannot stop thinking about it until I feel the texture myself. I have to feel it and touch it until it feels right and real.
It is my personal experience with this mental disorder that makes it so bothersome when people attempt to invalidate OCD. Many people like being clean or have routines, but for people suffering with OCD, these behaviors are driven by the attempt to relieve unrelenting thoughts about putting oneself or others in danger. This mental illness is well-known, but now well-understood. However, it is important for people to learn more so that they can help others without making them feel invalid.
