Don’t be casual about OCD

HYDERABAD:  Everyone’s heard of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and many of us loosely use it in our day-to-day conversations. The term has been misused to such an extent that very few actually know how serious a disorder it is. It is a real mental health problem that needs professional psychiatric help. 

We speak to experts who talk about what exactly a person suffering from OCD goes through on a daily basis and what are treatments options they have. Anna Vijay, a psychologist, speaks about how one can identify a person with OCD and ways to address the condition. “People who have OCDs will have thoughts which are similar to anxiety. It is one of the symptoms.

Usually, people voluntarily tend to ignore these thoughts and urges as most of them think it’s common and not a big deal. Some keep washing their hands and have the urge to keep their surroundings clean at all times. The others are obsessed with colour and size coordination.

They are not mentally disturbed, but there can be different reasons such as anxiety that cause this. It could create restlessness. It also can happen because of substance abuse. On the other hand, there are people who are obsessed with themselves; this is because they are not self-confident, they want things to be perfect. They need to visit a professional psychologist and get a clear diagnosis. The same goes for those suffering from depression,” says Anna. 

According to psychologist Shraddha Sepuri, OCD is a kind of addiction and its victims want to make sure that they are constantly in control. “This urge develops as they think they lack control in certain aspects of their life. When the addiction gets unbearable or severe, they should go for behavioral therapy. This is important because many patients feel breathless because of their obsession, thereby adversely affecting their health. People who want to identify it themselves can take the help of their family and friends,” she says. 

Many people casually say that they are ‘OCD about certain things’ and are ‘obsessed’ with certain aspects of their life -- be it cleanliness or maintaining whites or walking on a tiled footpath -- but all these are often said in jest. “They don’t understand how serious this condition is. Once they know, they will stop using the term so lightly,” says Shraddha.

The term has been misused to such a large extent that very few actually know how serious a disorder it is. It is a real mental health problem that needs professional psychiatric help. Psychiatrists weigh in