fistfuls of honey

leatherpumpkin:

Mass media focuses on equaling having obsessive-compulsive order by being a neat freak. While there are people with OCD that do compulsively clean that is not even close to being the majority. It is also shown as something people do because they are stressed out or can’t get there way. It needs to be known that OCD is the stress. People are not just coping badly or being overdramatic. It is not a way to get out anger. It is a mental disorder not aggressive knitting. 

Having OCD consists of obsessions, which are the intrusive thoughts that lead to anxiety and distress, and compulsions, the physical and/or mental repetitive behaviors. The media focuses on the compulsions are not known to be able to exist by their own. The fact that so many people are affected by OCD, it is ridiculous that there has become this cartoon version of it shown throughout film and television. On top of having OCD being shown as people who are stressed out neat freaks it also shows people who are not able to function in life. This is the most hurtful of the misconceptions that have formed. For one it has created this extreme of people one level of people not claiming to “be” OCD because they like their bedroom tidy but then the other extreme is people who are clinically considered to have OCD being see as people without any agency. Then if you do have control over your own life (based on what your ideal of what control is) and you are not a person of neatness than people question you own mental disorder. Functioning human beings can have and do have OCD. It is not a way to seek attention. It is not about cleaning or organizing or stress. It is not easily cure or calmed. It is however a mental disorder that too many people are coping with for people to still think that using Purell is the main factor or the issue.

For more info on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder