OCD Awareness Week - A little bit OCD?

     From the 14th-20th October it is OCD Awareness week; I thought I would do my bit and write a little blog-post.
     I would imagine that almost everyone has heard of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); but unfortunately there is one person too many that trivialises and belittles this debilitating disorder by making offensive, cruel and callous 'jokes' like the ones below, that only add to the stigma.

     Another misfortune is the amount of people who do not really understand what OCD is. OCD-UK say that "as understanding and public awareness about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder has grown, so has the use of the term ‘OCD’ as a description for some kinds of behaviour that are not related in any way to the actual condition". Someone may say, for example, "I'm a little bit OCD" to excuse themselves from any 'quirks' or unusual behaviours they have. This is not OCD. Whilst said person may have a particular way of wanting/having things done this simply doesn't qualify them as having a diagnosis/label of OCD. OCD can be extremely debilitating; affecting peoples education, careers and even relationships. This careless throwing of statements belittles the crippling anxiety and distress that many people who have OCD experience. Having OCD can bad enough in itself without added layer of shame, guilt and ridicule. It is things like these that prevent someone from seeking the help that they need - and all the while their symptoms can become worse.

     The DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders) gives an outline of the symptoms/characteristics of OCD.

     Obsessive-compulsive disorder involves obsessions and/or compulsions. 

     Obsessions:

• are recurrent/persistent thoughts, impulses or images that are experienced and cause anxiety or distress,
• are thoughts/impulses that are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems,
• are perceived as uncontrollable, the person with OCD may fear that they will lose control and act upon these obsessions,
• can be neutralised by thinking of something else, or by carrying out an action,
• obsessions can include: ideas - e.g. there are germs everywhere; doubts - e.g. worried that something important has been overlooked; impulses - e.g. to shout out words; or images - e.g. fleeting sexual images.

     Compulsions:

• are repetitive physical or mental actions that are carried out by an individual in order to reduce the anxiety that comes with the obsession and/or to 'prevent'  something from happening.
• can be hand-washing, but can also be, ordering things, checking things, counting or repeating words silently.

     We all may have minor obsessions or compulsions, e.g. we may say someone is obsessed with work or football and so on. You could say that I am obsessed with Harry Potter (I love Harry Potter!). However, these obsessions are not usually unwanted and do not interfere with daily life. Many people may carry out rituals, like not stepping on pavement cracks, that make them feel safe; but these are not usually considered to be problematic.

     An important part in the diagnosis of OCD is that a person's obsessions and compulsions have caused them great anxiety/distress and significantly interferes with their daily lives.

Raising awareness can be
as simple as wearing a ribbon!

     Now, considering it is OCD Awareness week, it would be a pretty good idea to do some awareness raising. There are loads of ways in which you can raise awareness (don't worry, you don't have to do every single thing - do as much as you want) and break down the wall of stigma. Here are a few suggestions:

• Changing your cover/profile photos on social network sites,
• Distribute leaflets, postcards or posters around your workplace, school, university or local doctors surgery,
• Write a blog (like me!)
• Wear a wonderful blue ribbon (like the one shown on the right),
• Hold a bake sale,
• Deliver a presentation or an assembly if you work in a school,

...anything that will get people talking!

BMNM.

References

     American Psychiatric Association (2000), Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edition [DSM-IV-TR], Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association

     OCD-UK (2004), What is not OCD!, [online]. Available at: <http://www.ocduk.org/whats-not-OCD> [Accessed 16 October 2013]

2012 and Mental Health

     2012 has been a big year for mental health, particularly with tackling the stigma surrounding it. Legislation has changed, more and more people are speaking out and campaigns have even been held on TV, in the papers and online. We all hope that these efforts haven't been in vain and have helped to break down the wall of stigma, better our understanding of mental health and improve the lives of others.

     In this blog post I have compiled some of this years biggest news stories concerning mental health - illustrating how much has changed over the course of the year.

     February 8th - The House of Lords (HoL) voted in favour of an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill - clarifying that mental and physical health will now have equal footing. The amendment itself was put forward by Mind, Rethink, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, The Centre for Mental Health and the Mental Health Foundation. This amendment means that in the NHS there is now a legal recognition that mental health is just as important as physical health. [1]

     June 14th - In the House of Commons (HoC) there was a four and a half hour debate on the subject of mental health it even saw four MPs speaking out about their own mental health problems. 
In the run up to the debate hundreds of people with mental health problems had contacted their MP urging them to speak out about local and national issues surrounding mental health.
The debate covered a wide range of topics including: the need for politicians, the media and public to talk more openly about mental health; the breaking downs of taboos and stigmas; ensuring that everyone is able to ask for help whenever they need it; the problems faced when trying to get help for mental health problems; the need of investing more into talking therapies, crisis care services etc; the need to overhaul the WCA so that those who are too unwell to work can receive the the benefits they need; and ways in which employers can improve conditions in the workplace. 
During the debate, the MP for Croydon, Gavin Barwell, announced his plans for introducing the Mental Health Discrimination Bill into the HoC next week, which will see four pieces of discriminatory mental health legislation amended and overturned. [2]

If you wish to see the full transcript of the debate go to: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm120614/debtext/120614-0002.htm#12061445000002

     September 14th - Introduced by Gavin Barwell, the Mental Health (Discrimination) Bill was voted in favour by MPs - meaning that the Bill will now go onto the Committee stage. If eventually passed it will mean an end to archaic laws that interfere with the rights of people with mental health problems including the prevention of participating in jury service, becoming/remaining a company director and MPs losing their seats if they are sectioned under the Mental Health Act, regardless of recovery. [3]

If you wish to see the progress of this Bill go to: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2012-13/mentalhealthdiscriminationno2.html

     October 29th- Ed Miliband, leader of the Labour Party, gave a speech on mental health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists following the Labour Party signing the Time To Change Pledge. [4] He stated that the problem of mental illness in the UK is the 'biggest unaddressed health challenge of our age'. He also stated that he wants to give patients the same legal right to mental health therapies as with physical ones. He also criticized some celebrities for reinforcing the taboo and stigma that surrounds mental health and urged for a culture change.  

For the full speech go to: http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2012/10/29/ed-miliband-mental-health-speech-in-full

If you would like to make a pledge yourself go to: http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/pledgewall#60018


      November 19th- Mind published new statistics that state that 1/5 people who have experienced a mental health problem have sought help directly because they've been inspired by celebrities that have spoken out about their mental health. As well as this, over 1/3 of participants polled saw that their understanding of mental health and mental health problems had improved as a direct result of hearing famous people share their own experiences. [5]


     As you can see this year the world of mental health has come on leaps and bounds. It has had its revolutions. However, it is still not without its problems; although things have got better there is still a long way to go; I hope that 2013 will be an even better year for mental health and that the revolutions will keep on coming.

From me to you, I wish you a happy new year! 

BMNM.
[1] http://www.mind.org.uk/news/6393_house_of_lords_votes_to_give_mental_health_parity_of_esteem
[2] http://www.mind.org.uk/news/6979_a_landmark_day_for_mental_health_in_parliament
[3] http://www.mind.org.uk/news/7415_leading_mental_health_organisations_welcome_mp_vote_to_scrap_outdated_discriminatory_laws
[4] http://www.mind.org.uk/news/7641_miliband_speech_on_mental_health
[5] http://www.mind.org.uk/news/7776_the_fry_flintoff_bruno_and_pendleton_effect