![]() ![]() He thinks a lot of people have the disorder but don't realise it because they don't have typical obsessions like contamination. Sam is trying to tackle misconceptions and help others with the condition on his Facebook page, Fight OCD. He says staying at home is comforting, but it's allowed his OCD to thrive. You don't know if someone's gone and peed there, you don't know where a dog has pooped.” This constant fear isolates him, and the Covid-19 lockdown made it difficult for him to challenge these fears. “I see urine and faeces all around me, on the street, in the bushes. ![]() He's stopped his hobbies like bike riding and skateboarding because the fear of being contaminated is too high. He can't do long-distance travel, so he can't visit the UK where he grew up. He can only use the bathroom at home, and at work he restricts his fluid intake so he doesn't need to use the toilet. This eventually becomes a disorder which prevents you from living a normal life.Ĭlinical psychologist Ben Sedley says the hand-washing stereotype can stop people with other types of OCD from seeking diagnosis.įor Sam, OCD is not a personality quirk, it’s a genuine illness which seriously affects many aspects of his life. But the more you respond to those compulsions, the more distressed you get, and the more you have the obsessions. Sometimes the compulsions are internal, like trying to not think about the obsession. “It's when your mind gets stuck in a loop: a thought or a feeling comes in which feels so scary and overwhelming that you do all you can to try not to have it.” Sometimes this plays out as physical compulsions like washing hands, checking or counting. ![]() And while that is a completely rational and important thing to do during a pandemic, a lot of people have decided to label it as being OCD." He says it's best not to say OCD unless you're referring to the illness in a serious manner.īen Sedley, a clinical psychologist and author of a book on teenage OCD, says the condition has three aspects the obsessions, the compulsions and the disorder. "We've had so many crumbs from all sides of the media, to wash your hands and stay clean and not spread germs. Sam says it's dangerous to compare public health strategies to a genuine mental illness and that statements like the Health Minister’s send the message that OCD is just about washing your hands. They are often confronted with uncomfortable misconceptions about their illness and now Covid-19 has added fuel to the fire. But people with the condition say it’s not about washing your hands and organising pens by colour. Even Health Minister David Clark said, " this is the time for OCD ". ![]() This led to many people comparing their new behaviors to OCD. Sam can only use the bathroom in his own house because his OCD gives him an intense fear of contamination.Ĭovid-19 made us all hyper-aware of our health and hand-washing. He's not worried at all that urine and faeces will make him sick, it's just pure discomfort at the thought of them being on him. After that, he gets fully dressed, but if he needs to put socks and shoes on, or even touch any part of his body that's not his upper torso, he has to wash his hands again. When he's done, he washes his hands in the bathroom sink, puts his pants back on then rewashes his hands in the kitchen sink. “ I just can't handle the feeling of discomfort that I get when I think about being contaminated by those things.” Despite knowing it's not logical, when he uses the bathroom, he has to undress completely. He says there's no specific reason why he has such an intense aversion to urine and faeces. His contamination OCD isn't about germs - like many people assume - but is a fear of bodily waste. At 14, he was diagnosed with contamination obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and has been trying to manage it ever since. Sam is a typical 23-year-old who works nine to five in an office job. ![]()
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