A Brief Overview of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Like many mental health diagnoses, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) comes with its fair share of stereotypes. You wouldn’t be alone if the first thing that pops into your mind is an image of someone washing their hands multiple times a day, a meticulously clean home as the backdrop. These are common stereotypes, and though they could be represenative for some folks with OCD, this stereotype is a far cry from the whole picture.
According to Lynne Drummond and Laura Edwards in their book Everything You Need to Know About OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder is one of the most overlooked and frequently misdiagnosed conditions. Despite this, OCD has made its way into many of our vocabularies as a commonly used adjective. Many of us might describe ourselves as “a bit OCD” or having “OCD tendencies”, but if we knew what OCD really was, we might not be so quick to label ourselves as such.
Statistially, only 2–3% of the population suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and encompasses a lot more than a propensity for cleanliness and order.
Obsessions and Compulsions
A person with OCD has two major symptoms, summarized below:
