OCD Week 2011 runs from 7th-13th February. The aim: to raise awareness of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), the severity of the condition and the support available.
Like many other mental health illnesses, OCD has a stigma attached to it. Previously patients have been wary of talking about the condition through fear of being ostracised from society for their uncontrollable obsessions or compulsive habits.
OCD is distinguished from other mental health disorders such as schizophrenia by the fact that sufferers are aware their behaviour is not ‘normal’. Also known as the ‘hidden disease’, compulsive behaviours associated with the condition are often well controlled by the sufferer when in public.
When alone, however, cycles of obsessive thoughts accompanied by compulsive behaviours such as checking or repetitive actions can consume hours of a person’s day. OCD is ranked by the World Health Organisation as the tenth most debilitating conditions in terms of loss of income and reduction of quality of life.
Both psychological and biological factors have been suggested as causes and abnormalities in neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers in the brain, are one explanation. Serotonin, for example, has a role in regulating anxiety and it is this neurotransmitter that is the target of antidepressant drugs such as Prozac. Genetic mutations in the molecules that are supposed to efficiently transport serotonin between nerve cells could also be to blame.
There is a spectrum of symptoms and severity of OCD ranging from rituals such as placing things symmetrically to being unable to leave the house through fear of contamination. In some instances, the condition has driven people to suicide and severe depression.
People who live with OCD
“Obsessions are quite rare. What happens is every few years, I see a woman’s face and I fixate on it and think I am in love with them.” said Bill Gregory, from Croydon, who is affected by OCD. “It stops me thinking about any romantic attachment that comes my way,” he continued.
Symptoms of OCD can manifest differently over time, depending on an individual’s ability to cope with the illness. On average it takes around 12 years for the onset of the condition to be properly diagnosed and treatment administered, by which time a significant amount of therapy is often needed to restore a person’s ordinary ability to enjoy a better quality of life.
Hoarding and self-harm are also behaviours on the OCD spectrum.
Fran Riches from Oxfordshire has been diagnosed with OCD and said: “Hoarding carries a huge stigma and most people with it are covered in shame. I can’t tell you why I can’t just throw things away because there are so many reasons.”
“You feel like everything is a treasure, full of wonderful memories, and you also believe that one day you will be able to put it to good use.”
While many of us display features of OCD like rituals or tics, the disorder is only diagnosed when compulsive behaviour impedes a person’s life.
OCD Action’s awareness week includes nationwide talks from people who are living with the condition. The charity hopes the events will improve media and public awareness of OCD and inspire more volunteers to join the organisation.
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