I was diagnosed and have lived with OCD for well over half my life. In that time, I have come to realize that OCD is nothing like how society portrays it to be. Society portrays OCD as a “neat freak” when that’s just not the case.
OCD is having unwanted thoughts that may make it hard to focus and causes second guessing. For example, an individual may second guess if they left the stove on, locked the door, and turned off the lights. These thoughts will bounce around their head all day, and the individual will question and second guess themselves until they go home and check.
These unwanted thoughts can also be disturbing. Someone may go from questioning if the stove was off to fearing their house will burn down. They may go from wondering if they locked the door to fearing an intruder getting in. And they may go from wondering if they turned off the lights to fearing the bulbs burned out. To combat the fears, they may call a friend or family member to see if anyone has broken in. Or maybe they’ll stop at the store to pick up an extra pack of bulbs. These thoughts can often be distressful and distracting from everyday life.
Individuals with OCD may also experience violent thoughts. For example, they may picture themselves bringing harm to someone. They may have unwanted sexual thoughts or picture loved ones dying. These thoughts can be hurtful and scary. In response, they may go out of their way to avoid using kitchen utensils like knives. They may even question if they trust themselves to be around someone else because of a violent thought. People who have these thoughts are not dangerous. The thoughts are just so upsetting that they can’t stand to be in specific environments.
My intrusive thoughts will often be accompanied by anxiety. I’ll receive thoughts or images and feel anxious until it’s resolved. Dealing with these thoughts is difficult. I’ve been late to class because I was busy resolving an intrusive thought, and I’ve missed hanging out with friends because I was busy resolving an intrusive thought.
OCD can take over someone’s life. Individuals will be so obsessed with intrusive thoughts that life can pass them by. So, I will often become angry when I see how society portrays OCD. It’s not about being a “neat freak.” It’s when an individual’s thoughts are so distressing that they can’t function. Thankfully, OCD can be treated with a combination of medicine and therapy, but we must work and do better as a society to ensure that certain illnesses are portrayed correctly.