Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Myths
OCD can be potentially misunderstood because of how it is portrayed in the media and can be confused with other psychiatric disorders. Separating out the facts is important for those with OCD and those who care about them.
Myth: OCD is a personality flaw in people who are just being picky or fussy or anal.
Fact: Being fussy is not OCD. The obsessions and compulsions of people with OCD cause serious distress, are time-consuming (more than 1 hour per day), and interfere with normal routines, such as work, social activities, or relationships with others.[1]
Myth: OCD is caused by stress, so people with OCD just need to learn to relax and stop obsessing.
Fact: OCD is a fully accepted, debilitating, chronic psychiatric disorder that has been classified by the psychiatric community, and is treatable.[1][2] Although the causes of OCD are unclear, stress can exacerbate OCD symptoms.[1]
Myth: OCD behavior is caused by a dysfunctional childhood or poor self-esteem.
Fact: The causes of OCD are not entirely clear. Studies suggest that at least one chemical messenger in the brain, serotonin, may be associated with OCD.[3][4]
Myth: Real OCD is very rare.
Fact: OCD is a common psychiatric disorder, affecting approximately 2.2 million American adults each year.[5][6]
"I've always had high self-esteem so OCD doesn't have anything to do with that. It is not something that I can control — I'm a twin with a non-OCD sister. We had the same childhood, and the same experiences, but I am the only one with the disease."
- Amanda O.
References:
- ^ American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed, text revision. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2000.
- ^ American Psychiatric Association; Koran LM, et al. Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2007;164(suppl):1-56.
- ^ Reimold M, et al. Reduced availability of serotonin transporters in obsessive-compulsive disorder correlates with symptom severity — a [(11)C]DASB PET study. Journal of Neural Transmission. 2007;114:1603-9.
- ^ Baca-Garcia E, et al. Association between obsessive-compulsive disorder and a variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism in intron 2 of the serotonin transporter gene. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry. 2007;31:416-20.
- ^ National Institute of Mental Health. The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America. Available at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america.shtml. Accessed January 10, 2008.
- ^ Kessler RC, et al. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry. 2005;62:617-27.
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