+
Family

3 myths about obsessive-compulsive disorder, plus some facts

Ever said, "I totally have OCD?" Do you think you really have it, though?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a real mental health issue, but many of us talk about it in a joking way. Like, "I can't even work until my desk is completely organized and all of my pens are facing the same direction. I totally have OCD!"


All images via TED-Ed.

The truth is that OCD is actually a serious psychiatric condition and is so much more than being methodical or meticulous. People who have OCD have an actual disorder — they're not just "Type A" or perfectionists.

That's why Natascha M. Santos broke it down in this TED-Ed video, which you can watch at the end of this post.

Here are three of the most common myths about OCD.

Myth 1: Repetitive or ritualistic behaviors are synonymous with OCD.

There are two parts to OCD:

  1. Obsessions: Intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses.
  2. Compulsions: Behaviors people engage in to relieve the anxiety caused by the obsessions.

There's a difference between compulsive tendencies and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. OCD is time-consuming and can interfere with work, school, or a person's social life.

There are definitive criteria required for an OCD diagnosis, and those are different than someone who is, say, meticulous about certain aspects of their life.

Myth 2: The main symptom of OCD is excessive hand-washing.

It's easy to picture someone washing their hands a bunch of times every day when we think of OCD — that's one of the most common compulsions portrayed.

But OCD behaviors can take a lot of forms, such as:

  1. Obsessions: Fears of contamination and illness; worries about harming others; preoccupation with numbers and patterns; fear of death, or loved ones dying.
  2. Compulsions: Excessive cleaning and double checking; careful arrangement of objects; walking in predetermined patterns.

Myth 3: Individuals with OCD don't understand that they're acting irrationally.

Lots of us with OCD understand that the relationship between our obsessions and compulsions is irrational or harmful and, at the very least, inconvenient. But that doesn't mean it's easy or even possible to make them stop.

People who have OCD find different ways to cope or manage their symptoms.

It's hard to know that your brain is lying while feeling forced to obey its irrational commands. Fortunately, people with OCD can seek treatment, such as medications, behavioral therapy that gradually desensitizes them to their anxieties, and in some cases, electroconvulsive therapy or surgery if the OCD isn't responding to other treatments.

People who have OCD often use one or more of these options to deal with their obsessions and compulsions. And some people with OCD simply choose to live with their thoughts and actions, and that's OK too.

If you know someone who deals with obsessive-compulsive disorder, be patient with them. It's not always easy to understand, but it's a real mental illness that can be difficult to live with.

Bottom line: If you keep your home super-organized but don't think terrible things will happen if you leave a dirty dish in the sink — and if you're actually capable of leaving it there, even if you don't like it — you probably don't have OCD.

Check out Natascha's full explainer here:

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

Keep ReadingShow less

Dog does the 'pick a card' challenge and it's adorable.

There are a few kinds of dog parents: ones that only have outside dogs, those who have inside dogs but they're absolutely not allowed on the furniture and dog parents who treat their dog as if they birthed them themselves and give them every luxury invented for four-legged fur children.

Clearly, people are going to have feelings one way or the other about dogs and their place within a household, but I think everyone can agree that seeing a dog be pampered will always be adorable. Opie the Pit Bully is one of those lucky doggos who wound up living in the lap of luxury, and the pooch got to do a "pick a card" day to showcase that his owner loves him the mostest.

In a video uploaded to TikTok by Opie's owner because...ya know, opposable thumbs and all…Opie is faced with two cards that he can't read: 1) because he's a dog, and 2) because the cards are facing toward the camera. That doesn't stop the sweet puppers from playing along, though.

Keep ReadingShow less

A size 21 Nike shoe made for Tacko Fall.

A local reporter at Hometown Life shared a unique and heartfelt story on March 16 about a mother struggling to find shoes that fit her 14-year-old son. The story resonated with parents everywhere; now, her son is getting the help he desperately needs. It's a wonderful example of people helping a family that thought they had nowhere to turn.

When Eric Kilburn Jr. was born, his mother, Rebecca’s OBGYN, told her that he had the “biggest feet I’ve ever seen in my life. Do not go out and buy baby shoes because they’re not gonna fit,’” Rebecca told Today.com. Fourteen years later, it’s almost impossible to find shoes that fit the 6’10” freshman—he needs a size 23.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by David Cadenas on Unsplash

What we imagine the look on Mr/ Pickles' face to be after becoming a dad.

It’s been an exciting time for a couple of tortoises at the Houston Zoo—and really, for tortoises everywhere.

The zoo announced on its blog that their oldest resident, Mr. Pickles, a 90-year-old radiated tortoise, and his 53-year-old companion Mrs. Pickles (that’s quite an age gap there sir, but no judgment) recently welcomed three new hatchlings.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any better, here are the new baby names: Dill, Gherkin and Jalapeño.

Clearly, Jalepeño is the spicy one of the bunch.

While this news is certainly momentous for Mr. and Mrs. Pickles, it’s also a huge achievement for the entire species, which is currently critically endangered.
Keep ReadingShow less

Grace Linn, 100, speaks at a Martin County School Board meeting on March 21, 2023.

Four hundred years ago, copies of William Tyndale’s English translation of the Bible were publicly burned by the bishop of London, with church authorities insisting that the Bible should only be read in Latin (and only by the clergy). In the centuries since, many books we now consider classics such as Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe," Jack London's "Call of the Wild," Walt Whitman’s "Leaves of Grass," Victor Hugo’s "Les Misérables, Charles Darwin’s "Origin of Species"—even Beatrix Potter's "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and "Benjamin Bunny"—have been banned or censored in one way or another in various countries.

Battles over books are nothing new, but once in a while, they become particularly ugly or absurd, prompting people to speak out against book bans.

People like 100-year-old Florida resident, Grace Linn, whose speech at a Martin County School Board meeting has gone viral.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Tonight Show/ Youtube

Jennifer Aniston appearing on "The Tonight show"

Let’s face it, platonic relationships between men and women rarely get the same amount of attention as romantic ones, to the point where we debate whether or not they can actually exist in the first place.

That’s what makes a clip of Jennifer Aniston gushing about her decades-long friendship with Adam Sandler so cool to watch. There’s no Harry-Met-Sally-ing here, just one pal talking about another pal.

Aniston sat down with Jimmy Fallon to promote the film “Murder Mystery 2,” starring both Aniston and Sandler, but the conversation quickly veered into several anecdotes about “The Sand Man,” including how the two first met at a deli in their 20s.

As with any healthy friendship, there’s plenty of ragging on each other.

Keep ReadingShow less