I was reading a fun Buzzfeed article the other day about cool gadgets under $25. Sounds harmless right? A fun little article about neat, affordable gadgets.
As I scrolled down I saw a cool cutting board. It was called “The Obsessive Chef Bamboo Cutting Board.” The gist was that it was a cutting board with all kinds of lines on it so you could get everything you’re chopping to be the same size. Totally cool.
Then I looked at it a little closer. While the actual product is called “The Obsessive Chef,” on the board itself it says “The OCD Chef.” Sigh. Groan. Cringe.
I’m sure they did it because it’s a shorter label and therefore takes up less space on the product. But it’s so, so, so inappropriate. “Obsessive” is an adjective that could be applied to almost anyone, while “OCD” is a clinical diagnosis.
It’s not a joke. It’s not something to be taken lightly. It’s a condition that affects 3 million Americans. And while I won’t say that it ruins their lives or they suffer greatly from it (because many people with mental illnesses live great lives), I will say that it doesn’t exactly make their lives any easier or more fun.
It might seem nit-picky, but I really encourage you to catch yourself before using the term “OCD” in a flippant or casual way. Everyone’s said or heard someone say, “Oh, that’s just my OCD kicking in,” at some point or other. Maybe you’re putting books away in order of size, reorganizing your clothes according to color, or doing something else that seems a wee bit over the top or obsessive.
But the truth is, all of us having certain things that we like to keep neat and orderly. That doesn’t mean we have OCD. OCD stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. People with this condition have obsessions (or intrusive thoughts that cause a great deal of anxiety) that lead to compulsions (or repetitive behaviors used to reduce this anxiety). It’s a real, serious thing and when you use the term “OCD” for your silly little habit, it almost devalues the actual condition. It makes it seem like its no big deal.
If you slip up and say something like “it’s just my OCD,” don’t worry – you’re not a bad person. It’s become somewhat of a colloquial way to say, “Haha, I know it’s a bit over the top, but that’s just me.” Sometimes when things become so ingrained into our vernacular, it’s hard to catch yourself before saying them. But education and awareness are always the first step towards making a change. So consider this your education.
And remember to be kind, always.
P.S. Because I always try and do my research, I discovered that the product on the manufacturer’s website has been changed to say “The Obsessive Chef” on the cutting board itself, but on amazon.com it is still pictured as saying “The OCD Chef.” Perhaps they got comments similar to mine and changed it. Hooray!
Thank you for the inspirational empathy.
I am a victim of OCD.
[…] so many people using words in such as loose, casual way when it comes to mental illness. I wrote a post a while back on OCD, and how people use the term just to mean that they’re a perfectionist. Another one that is […]