Obsessive-compulsive disorder is not simply being neat
Tuesday, October 13th, 2015
Elizabeth Turk-Karan, Ph.D., Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania – For Philly.com
How many times have you heard someone say, “I am obsessive-compulsive about keeping my house neat”? Yet, people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) resent hearing this type of comment. OCD is not simply about being neat or clean. OCD is a serious mental illness characterized by anxiety and can be severely disabling. This week is OCD Awareness Week and I’d like to show you how OCD is much more than just a quirky character trait.
OCD can take many different forms. OCD can present itself in the woman who is terrified that she will harm her child even though she has no intention of doing so. It manifests in the child who repeatedly asks his mom if he has done things against the law even though he follows rules strictly. The man who avoids touching doorknobs because he believes he will get cancer if he does — he also probably has OCD.
Finish Reading – More/Source: Philly.com