I have noticed over the years that many OCD sufferers are
ashamed in having this condition. I did a TV talk show back in 1988 or 1989,
and several of our members, though they wanted to be in the audience, asked
that the cameras not show their faces.
So what are OCD sufferers so ashamed of?
If we look at the statistics, we are not alone.
According to the website “medicaldaily.com”, a new study
shows that 94% of people experience intrusive, unwanted thoughts. And it’s how
people cope with these thoughts that make the difference, according to the
study. According to its author, Adam Radomsky, psychology professor at
Concordia University: “it’s what we make of those thoughts.”
In his book “Freedom from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder”,
Dr. Jonathan Grayson PhD states that: “worldwide studies have found lifetime
prevalence rates for OCD to vary between 2 and 3 per cent – about one in every
40 people.”
And according to the website “mhmrev.org”, 3.3 million
Americans have OCD in a given year. And, in 1990, OCD costs the U.S. $8.4
billion in social and economic losses.
And according to the website “ocduk.org”, the World Health
Organization (WHO) ranked OCD in the top ten of the most disabling illnesses of
any kind, in terms of lost earnings and diminished quality of life.
And, then, there are the celebrities who have had OCD. Just
a few famous people (living and dead) who, according to the website “disabled-world.com”,
have or may have OCD:
Charles Darwin (may
have had OCD)
Howard Hughes
Billy Ray Thornton
Jessica Alba
Donald Trump (confesses that he has borderline OCD)
Cameron Diaz
Leonardo DiCaprio
Harrison Ford
Howard Stern
(used to suffer from OCD)
Howie Mandel
Penelope Cruz
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Albert Einstein (thought to have had OCD)
Michelangelo
Charlie Sheen
Davis Beckham
Justin Timberlake
(complicated mix of OCD and attention deficit disorder (ADD))
Roseanne Barr
Stanley Kubrick
Martin Scorsese
Thomas ``Stonewall`` Jackson
Sir Winston Churchill
Kathie Lee Gifford
Are we really alone?
I think that we all have some traits of OCD. Some rituals
that we have to perform. We just have them to the extreme.
There are the athletes, before the big game who must put on
their uniforms a certain way, hoping such practices will bring them victory.
Or those individuals obsessed about reading their horoscopes
or carrying out acts of superstitions.
And let’s not forget those that MUST pray before starting
out on their day. Is this not a symptom of OCD?
So why should we be so ashamed?
We don’t know the exact cause(s) of OCD. There are many
prevailing theories. My worry is that if we were to ask 25 doctors, we’d get 25
different answers.
My concern is that there are many people who have this
condition. And by being afraid and ashamed and by running away, we keep that
shame alive.
I’ve done talk shows, radio interviews, featured in
newspaper articles. I have never once had a negative backlash. I have told friends, co-workers, my employers about my condition. They were stunned that I even
had it. My only battle has been with family members and fellow OCD sufferers who
have insisted that I take medications.
We must acknowledge that OCD is like any other illness. If
we keep running away, if we keep hiding, if we are ashamed, we keep the stigma
alive. And the OCD sufferers and their family and friends will not get the help
that they need. They will suffer in silence. And we are only hurting them.
When are we going to stop running away?