Let's Stop Using Mental Illnesses as Figures of Speech

Once every five minutes, someone somewhere says they're "sooo OCD" about sorting emails, using Purell during flu season, or wearing day-of-the-week underwear on the correct days. This statistic is made up, but it is certainly true that OCD, the acronym for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, is often misappropriated as a synonym for orderly, clean or nitpicking. Using names or acronyms of mental illnesses to hyperbolize innocuous idiosyncrasies and experiences has become pervasive in our cultural dialogue (and Twitter feeds). It is important we end this trend, not because it is my pet peeve (which it is) and not because I am the PC Police (which I am not). It is important because making these flippant references (1) trivializes how devastating the illnesses can be and (2) perpetuates myths and misunderstandings. OCD: Beyond Orderliness OCD is an anxiety disorder in which an individual experiences unwanted and intrusive thoughts (obsessions), often compelling them to repeatedly perform behaviors and routines (compulsions) to temporarily ease their anxiety. However, public understanding of this disorder has been blurred by adoption of its acronym by people who are just, well, neat freaks. "The comment 'I'm so OCD' has unfortunately become synonymous with 'I'm obsessive' (I think or worry a lot) or 'I'm compulsive' (I like things neat and organized)," says Dr. Jeff Szymanski, executive director of the International OCD Foundation. "During OCD Awareness Week, we try to e...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news