OCD Is An Illness, Not A Punch Line

I was flipping through my Facebook when I saw a couple of people sharing a “fun” puzzle game. The game is pretty simple. You examine three shapes and select the one that is different from all the rest. The differences are pretty minor, but most people seem to be scoring a 100 percent (myself included).

Here’s the problem: the creator of the puzzle game named it “How Sensitive Is Your OCD Radar?”

Yeesh.

What other kind of disorder (yup, the D in OCD stands for “disorder”) is made light of like this? The creator of the puzzle even writes “This test was created for amusement…”

OCD is not amusing. Over three million Americans suffer from this serious disorder every year. It is a disease, not a punch line. Furthermore, your stereotype of OCD isn’t even accurate.

OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) is a common, chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over.

This piece originally appeared on Journey to Calm.