a post by Janet Singer for the World of Psychology blog
As many of us are well aware, obsessive-compulsive disorder is often misunderstood.
Though I do believe progress is being made (albeit slowly) there is still a serious lack of understanding surrounding OCD. Most upsetting to me is when I come across professionals such as doctors, social workers, therapists, and teachers, who have little to no knowledge of what OCD entails.
Imagine this scenario: After a teacher admonishes a student for continuously “playing” with her pencils, markers, and other items on her desk, the eight-year-old girl musters the courage to confide in the teacher that she fears she might seriously harm her classmates if she doesn’t arrange these things “just so.”
The distraught girl must place the items on her desk in a particular way to keep anything horrible from happening. The teacher, alarmed, feels the child might be a threat to others and follows the school’s protocol. Before you know it, the “authorities” are involved, the girl is traumatized, her parents are upset and confused, and goodness knows what else happens.
Now imagine this same scenario, except the teacher in question has a basic understanding of various brain disorders, including OCD. After asking the girl a few questions, it is obvious to the teacher that this child is terrified of her obsessions, has no desire to hurt her classmates but rather desperately wants to keep them safe, and organizes her desk as a compulsion to make sure everything is “all right.” The teacher strongly suspects the girl has OCD and arranges a meeting with the appropriate counselors, as well as the girl’s parents. A referral is then made to a therapist who specializes in treating OCD, an official diagnosis is made, and treatment begins.
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