Written by: Evangeline Halim
Edited by: Maggie Huang
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, also commonly known as OCD, is an anxiety disorder with a high portrayal in the media, especially with the emergence of new technology and media platforms. With this, there could be benefits in educating the public about the disorder. For instance, this disorder has undoubtedly impacted many individuals’ lives, and it is necessary to acknowledge it in order to understand those who have OCD. However, this “education” has come at a high cost. In other words, it is being taught by a crowd with likely little to no credibility to be teaching the matter. This has led most people to believe certain “myths” and stigmas regarding OCD.
An example of this comes from one of the most popular media platforms, TikTok, where a peer-reviewed study examined the use of the hashtag “OCD” by women in 50 videos. They found that more than half of these videos had participants who belittled or minimized the severity of symptoms, not describing OCD according to the DSM-5 definition of the disorder (Woods et al., 2023). This is a highly distressing amount, especially when considering how this could easily influence the younger generations who use the app. A particular video found in the study evidently demonstrates this harmful information, by stating “when they come into my house and they also think that I am a sociopath, that I take the time to do this once a month. Like, you know what? You say OCD is a disease, I say it’s a blessing” (Woods et al., 2023). The woman who made this video not only wrongly portrays what OCD is, but she also applies this false definition to herself by broadly using the term “sociopath”. An anxiety disorder should never be perceived in this “trendy” fashion, and encourage others to potentially think that they have a blessing when it comes to a disorder that has detrimentally impacted others. It’s also important to mention the heavy implications of sole cleanliness with OCD, which is one of the most common factors in media that’s used to portray this disorder.
Regarding the sole aspect of cleanliness being associated with OCD, it is one of the top common myths associated with the disorder (in which it only involves being clean). In particular, an educational article informs readers that while OCD can have cleanliness as a common compulsion, these compulsions can also include hoarding, praying, counting, repeating certain movements, and touching/tapping objects (Hippe, 2023). It’s also significant to note that these compulsions are, in fact, very disruptive in an individual’s life, regardless of the situation, time, or place. A scholarly article highlights this issue, detailing how a diagnosis of this condition should only be made if one’s thoughts/obsessions (e.g. aggressive thoughts, concerns to harm others, need for symmetry) along with compulsions (e.g. persistently checking, hoarding) take up more than an hour a day (Stein et al., 2019).
The portrayal of OCD in the media has a strong role in glorifying and decorating this disorder as a unique personality trait, which it is undoubtedly not. The rituals that an individual has to adhere to in their struggles with OCD can negatively impact their lives, which others seem to take lightly and/or mischaracterize. It’s crucial to start debunking these popular and widespread myths about OCD in order to spread awareness of how destructive this disorder can be. If not, it may prevent others from seeking the help they truly need, or potentially, make others participate in an idea that is completely false.
References:
Hippe, H. (2023, March 20). 5 Common Myths About OCD. Nystrom & Associates. https://www.nystromcounseling.com/ocd/5-common-myths-about-ocd/
Stein, D. J., Costa, D. L., Löchner, C., Miguel, E. C., Reddy, Y. C. J., Shavitt, R. G., Van Den Heuvel, O. A., & Simpson, H. B. (2019, August 1). Obsessive–compulsive disorder. Nature Reviews Disease Primers; Nature Portfolio. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-019-0102-3
Woods, E., Gantt-Howrey, A., & Pope, A. (2023, June 21). “I’m so #OCD”: A Content Analysis of How Women Portray OCD on TikTok - The Professional Counselor. The Professional Counselor - the Official Journal of the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. And Affiliates (NBCC). Retrieved October 25, 2023, from https://tpcjournal.nbcc.org/im-so-ocd-a-content-analysis-of-how-women-portray-ocd-on-tiktok/
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