If you’re joking about having OCD, you probably don’t have it

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It’s common to hear people who are being extra careful these days to joke around and say things such as, “I’m so OCD!” If you’re joking about obsessive-compulsive disorder, chances are you don’t have it. But I’ve noticed “OCD” used incorrectly in recent weeks, mostly in mainstream media and social media, which is frustrating to those of us who have it. A particularly tragic thing about OCD is that sufferers can fear they will commit heinous acts, such as murder or paedophilia, and the idea is so horrendous that they won’t talk about it because they think others will suspect them of being actually capable of committing these acts – when the opposite is actually true. Those people might think, “Maybe I have cancer,” and instead of that thought sticking in their brains, they will probably respond with, “Nah, it’s probably nothing.” OCD sufferers now feel more comfortable because everyone is hand-washing a lot OCD thrives on uncertainty.