Myths about OCD/Facts

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Myth statement: People with OCD are weird or crazy.

OCD appears to be associated with much more stigma than other mental health conditions like anxiety or depression. This is at least partly due to the misleading representations in film and TV of OCD, but also due to misinformation spread by social media and word of mouth about the condition. Many individuals I see with OCD are afraid to tell friends and family that, for fear of judgement, they have OCD. You probably know individuals with OCD, but you just don't understand they have it so they can mask it. As every other person, people with OCD just have a mental illness similar to an anxiety disorder. OCD patients are not psychotic and are fully in contact with reality. As "crazy" as their obsessions may sound, they know how unrealistic the fear is, but because of the small chance that it might happen, they are just not able to let it go completely.