OCD Action

Truddles
Member

I've just seen this on the BBC news magazine website, it's called 'OCD, bipolar, schizophrenic and the misuse of mental health terms'. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15213824

Mon Oct 10 2011 15:05:06 #
Cuthbert ffoliott
Moderator

Thanks so much Trudy for posting this link. It is of great importance to debate this issue.

My first impression (which may be subject to some adaptation): it is a bad thing that a fashion model says she's 'OCD' about her perfume habits. That is trivialising a grave disorder; moreover, such a remark will be mainly heard (and taken seriously, and be imitated) by those who are impressed anyway with the empty world of showbiz: young girls, and the occasional boy.

This is not a good thing. I think terms like OCD, schizophrenia, bipolar, and suchlike should go the way of words in use to describe the female body. Since the rise of feminism in the '60s and '70s, those words did not become extinct, but it became quite unbecoming to use them in a derogatory or joking sense in company. If one likes to call that political correctness, OK. But I think a term for a clinically acknowledged disorder that may lead to total isolation, loss of work, disruption of a good relationship or even a fine family, and potentially to suicide, just isn't fit to be used to crack a joke.

As I said: my first impression, written with emotion.

Let as many here chime in as possible, it's worth it.

Again, thank you for posting.

Ciao, Cuthbert.

Tue Oct 11 2011 7:25:46 #
Zara112
Member

About time this was brought to light, it really frustrated me when some one says they have ocd and clearly does not.... like one person i no thinks the yhave ocd because when they are bored they like ot clean.

Tue Oct 11 2011 8:09:47 #
Tess
Member

Well said Cuthbert, totaly in agreement with your gut reaction. It's not enough to get OCD into common speech, a bit like the word 'condom' was made an acceptable word in society and brought out of the closet a couple of decades ago. We have to make people understand that OCD can be every bit as devastating as severe physical disabilities and chronic illnesses like cancer and heart disease - and get it treated with the same degree of public consideration and government financial input.

Tue Oct 11 2011 10:50:28 #
Wombat140
Member

True. As somebody mentioned in the article, "lunatic" (like "idiot" and "spastic") went from a medical term to everyday speech - in such a way that it could never be used technically again because it had become too insulting. Not all publicity is good publicity here!
The colloquial use of "schizophrenia" for "contradiction" or "split personality" is particularly mysterious, since it means nothing of the sort. Wonder where that's from?

Wed Oct 26 2011 16:35:01 #