Casual use of the term ‘OCD’ downplays obsessive-compulsive disorder, a serious mental illness affecting hundreds of thousands of Australians.
A World Mental Health Survey of more than 26,000 adults across 10 countries found a 4.1 per cent lifetime prevalence of OCD.
In Australia, around 2 to 3 per cent of people are estimated to experience OCD in their lifetime, equating to more than 500,000 Australians, according to Healthdirect Australia.
OCD is not always severe, with 47 per cent of cases classified as mild, 27.5 per cent as very mild, 22.9 per cent as moderate, and 2.7 per cent as severe.
Psychologist Dr Emily O’Leary, told the ABC that OCD is widely misunderstood due to its complexity and portrayal in everyday language.
“Obsessive compulsive disorder is primarily an anxiety condition, characterised by intrusive thoughts, urges and impulses that come into a person’s head,” she said.
“Sometimes, OCD is seen as a rather strange or bizarre disorder that people don’t really understand.”
This gap between clinical reality and public perception helps explain why the term is often misused.
While commonly linked to cleanliness or organisation, OCD can include fears of harm, contamination, or intrusive thoughts that feel distressing and uncontrollable.
Research from the National Library of Medicine shows over 80 per cent of OCD cases begin by early adulthood, often in childhood around age 10, yet diagnosis is frequently delayed.
On average, it takes around 11 years from symptom onset to treatment, highlighting ongoing barriers to recognition and care.
OCD sufferer, Ben Thomas, 26, was diagnosed last year, a turning point that helped him make sense of his long-standing and confusing thought patterns.
“I suspected I’d had OCD since about 2020. It started with COVID and the fear of getting sick, and then it just broke out of control,” he said.
“It started affecting my driving. One night I got the impulse that I had hit someone when I hadn’t. Now I constantly fear it every time I drive.”
Despite affecting a minority of people, OCD can significantly impact daily life, relationships, and independence.
“It feels like being stuck in a mental prison,” Mr Thomas said.
Global data shows that fewer than one in five people with OCD, around 19.8 per cent, receive treatment in a given year.
Ms O’Leary said the casual use of the term ‘OCD’ risks minimising lived experience and reinforces stereotypes.
She said OCD was not a personality quirk, but a complex mental health condition shaped by anxiety and intrusive thoughts, often obscured by stigma.
Additional Reporting: Ava Ferguson-Leighton
Image: Canva
