Hello my Chime! Welcome back to Diary of a Bipolar Pixie, where I, Pixie, rant and rave about a multitude of random topics. I’m really excited lately. I haven’t been looking into the stats of this blog recently because when I first started and I was looking into it, I was disappointed every time to find that I had no followers or likes. But, I looked yesterday, and I have 7 followers! That’s huge to me! You 7 are my new most favorite people in the whole wide world! I’m so excited that this blog is actually reaching people and I’m no longer doing this just for me. Thank you so much for liking what I’ve written enough to want to read more!
With that out of my system, let’s get down to why we’re all here. As I’ve done in the past, I’ll use this post to discuss a mental health disorder, some of the common myths surrounding it, and some interesting facts I was able to find. Today’s topic is OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder. This disorder is described as having excessive thoughts that lead to compulsive behaviors.
- All neat freaks have OCD- Neat freaks are more likely to have a personality trait that makes them want to clean. Cleaning enters the realm of OCD when it’s no longer a want to clean but a need to. People with OCD have no control over this obsession. They have to wash their hands every twenty minutes or they think something bad is going to happen to them or someone they love. It’s completely irrational, and often times they it is, but they can’t stop themselves.
- OCD is all about cleanliness-Cleanliness is a common compulsion of OCD, but it’s not the only one, and not everyone finds themselves compelled to clean. Hoarding is also a common compulsion, which can be very unsanitary and disorganized, or checking and rechecking that windows and doors are locked, lights are off, ovens and stoves are off, even flipping light switches on and off. Not doing these actions fills them with extreme anxiety because they think something will happen, like a fire, or a break in.
- Stress, or stressful events, causes someone to develop OCD-No. Like any other mental health disorder, those who have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder usually are born with it. Stress can exaggerate the symptoms, and stressful situations can trigger them, but they don’t cause these symptoms. OCD can also actually cause stress and anxiety, and even panic attacks if the compulsion is not completed. If someone’s deepest irrational fear is that someone will die if they don’t touch the wall enough times, then I can understand how that my be stressful to them.
- OCD is rooted in childhood trauma-This is a mistake. OCD does run in families, and dysfunctional childhoods can trigger more severe symptoms, but the disorder is found to have a genetic component, and more minor symptoms have even been found in children as young as four. They may arrange toys a certain way, or eat foods in a certain order, and they can become extremely agitated if these rituals or routines are disrupted. It may even appear more as anger issues and nightmares at first.
- OCD is rare in kids-1 in 200 kids is reported to have OCD, about the same number as those diagnosed with diabetes. It primarily appears in early to late teens, but as I’ve said, it has been noted in children of much younger ages
- OCD is a woman’s disease-OCD effects all genders, ages, and ethnicities at the same rate. It isn’t swayed by if you’re a man or a woman, or if you’re Caucasian or Native American, African or Asian. Unlike conservative Americans, it doesn’t discriminate in any way shape or form. (That comment is going to eat me.)
- Tests can confirm OCD-Like many other mental health disorders, there isn’t a definitive test to confirm if someone has OCD. Doctors will preform tests to rule out other possible diseases before landing on OCD as the only possible reason for the symptoms. Psychiatrists often have questionnaires for patients to fill out to help them reach that conclusion, but it’s not exact, and symptoms can cross between disorders, such as when I was believed to have BPD only to be diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder.
- OCD can’t be treated-Ignorance and stupidity can’t be treated, OCD can be, with therapy and medication. Most people with OCD may be too embarrassed to get help, though, which is where this myth most likely stems from. While OCD can’t be cured, it can be managed and people can learn to live fulfilling lives.
- Everyone has a little OCD-This is one of those harmful myths to the people who actually have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It minimizes the effect this disorder has on people. By saying, “Wow, I’m so OCD sometimes,” it becomes an overly normalized idea to the point that when an individual actually steps forward with fears of having OCD, they get pushed aside or told everyone feels like that.
- It’s obvious when someone has OCD-Compulsions aren’t always visible to others. Some people are compelled to count, or repeat a phrase, or any number of thoughts that they may have. In cases where the compulsion is physical, some individuals even push themselves to hide their compulsion, to the point of causing themselves severe anxiety.
As I’ve done in the past, I’ll also tell you about some interesting facts I discovered about OCD.
- There is a rare connection between strep and childhood OCD. Not just kind of rare, but very rare. The infection causes Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Strep, or PANDAS for short. Symptoms occur within 4 to 6 weeks of the infection, which include separation anxiety, personality changes, and mood swings. Again, this is very, very, very rare. Don’t get all panicked if your child contracts a strep infection about them possibly developing OCD.
- There are multiple types of OCD. There is checking, which is exactly how it sounds, constant need to check whether the oven is off or the door is locked, or the windows are closed. Then there’s the type of OCD called contamination. It is characterized by the fear of germs, dirt, and repetitive washing cleaning and disinfecting to clean off the germs and dirt. Some people who find themselves suffering from this type may also suffer from raw, dry skin because of how often they feel the need to wash themselves. Another type is the symmetry and ordering type. This is the type that primarily deals with arranging things in a certain order to avoid distress. I watched a documentary, and I’m not even sure how accurate it was, but there was a girl who had thirteen perfume bottles on her dresser set in a certain order that only she recognized, and when the film crew came in to document her, they moved one of the bottles, and the girl dove straight into full blown hysterics, crying and screaming, even after she fixed it. It was awful how devastated and panicked she was over a bottle. The next type of OCD is rumination and intrusive thoughts. Many these thoughts tend to be religious, violent, or even sexual in nature. Some individuals with this type believe that preforming a compulsion will keep them from going to hell, or that God is making them do these actions. The last type I can find is hoarding. This has become one of the most well documented types of OCD behavior thanks to the infamous television show. Individuals find it extremely difficult to throw anything away, and the show documents the efforts of the individual and families to clean out their houses. I personally am obsessed with this show. I’m not sure why though.
- OCD is reported to take up at least an hour of an individuals day. and often times even more. Repeating behaviors over and over again is time consuming. Imagine it takes one minute to wash your hands. Most people wash their hands about ten times a day. People with OCD may feel it necessary to wash their hands upwards of thirty times, and they could take longer than average to wash their hands, since they are working their asses off to clean every crack and crevice of their hand, wrist, even up to their elbows. That alone is an hour of their time, and most people don’t have just the one compulsion.
- Some people with OCD have a tic disorder as well. These could be facial twitches, uncontrollable sounds, or hand actions they can’t stop.
- 1 in 50 people world wide have OCD. When you think about it, you probably know someone with the disorder, they’re just good at hiding it, or you haven’t noticed the signs.
- Nicholas Cage, Donald Trump, Howard Stern, Cameron Diaz, Howie Mendel, Justin Timberlake, and Jessica Alba all have OCD to varying degrees. I knew Howie Mendel did, he’s kind of famous for have a pretty severe phobia of germs, but the rest were news to me. Justin Timberlake was the most surprising by far, but I’m not exactly sure why I found it so weird.
- People with OCD are also commonly diagnosed with ADHD, ADD, severe depression, and eating disorders. Again, not very surprising to me. A lot of individuals who have a mental disorder tend to have multiple, and the logic behind the connections with these ones just makes sense to me.
- Those with mild symptoms can go hours, sometimes even days, being able to control their compulsions, but those with severe symptoms have little to no control over themselves, which can be extremely disruptive to their lives. It’s hard for them to work, to maintain a social life, and in some cases, to maintain financial stability. Some hoarders spend thousands a month on purchases to add to their collections.
- OCD related conditions include body-dysmorphic disorder (when you overly think over all the flaws you find in your body), hair-pulling disorder (should be self explanatory), and skin-picking disorder (should also be self explanatory).
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is said to be an effective form of treatment for 70% of people with OCD, and 90% find therapy beneficial when mixed with medication. So, OCD is a very manageable disorder.
I love talking to you all, but I can’t find anything else to add to this post. I hope you learned something very important and I hope we all learned to watch what we say and how we say it. I know I for one have been very guilty of casually saying “I’m a little OCD sometimes.” I’ll try to do better and I hope you all do the same.
Until next time, fly high, Chimers!
Diary of a Bipolar Pixie 