19 replies to this topic

[OCD-UK RSS]

By Ashley Fulwood (Chief executive)

Whenever I see OCD used in conjunction to describe non OCD behaviour I do tend to get a bit annoyed, I would like to use a stronger emotion but I am sure Kylie (OCD-UK chair) would not be too pleased if I swore on the main website.

The latest reason for my disappointment (again I am being polite here) is the Daily Mail and the feature writer Diana Appleyard for describing her desire for some poncy cushions as 'Help, I've got OCD (that's Obsessive Cushion Desire)' in yesterday's Daily Mail. If you can bring yourself to look here is the link.

Naturally we are told by some to get a sense of humour about it, but when you have OCD it really is not something that it is easy to laugh off and that is why I shoot from the hips with my verbal contempt for such poor journalism.

Of course the Daily Mail is not the first to print incredibly offensive and crass comments that continue to trivialise the seriousness of the condition, and I am sure they won't be the last publication to print something so stupid, but as the comments underneath the article also show, those without first-hand experience of OCD are oblivious to the suffering and desperation that OCD can cause. I don't blame them personally for not understanding, but I do blame the Daily Mail for not showing more restraint and not taking more of a pioneering leadership role in promoting serious journalism around all aspects of Mental Health..

OCD is also known as the 'secret illness' because people are so secretive about their condition, even with family and friends, partly through fear of what people will think, and articles like this don't help, in fact they continue to enforce stigma around OCD and perhaps further marginalises people with OCD.

I have already been in touch with the Daily Mail and invited them to help repair some of the damage by running a series of OCD health features during the Awareness Week in October... I will keep you informed if they accept our suggestion, but as someone on Twitter just pointed out, this is the Mail, what do I expect!

All of this shows the importance of OCD Awareness Week in October to try and change the perception of OCD, and in fact our theme this year is to highlight the impact that OCD can have on people’s lives. Most of you reading this won't need me to explain how isolating and desperate this illness can leave us, but it is clear from the Mail's use of the OCD term that the wider public still just do not get it and so it is down to you and me to change that!

Let’s keep fighting!

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Ashley Fulwood

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Awareness

View the article on the OCD-UK website

[Claire1704]

As an OCD sufferer I'm insulted. As a woman with a life and better things to think about than cushions, I'm insulted.

It would be quite tempting to go on there and write in detail about the nature of my obsessive thoughts and then see who's laughing.

Bring on OCD Awareness week and lets see what we can do! We'll get there one day!

The Daily Fail makes me laugh... This is the newspaper that on one hand called for a 'Kitemark' of ethical and proper journalism (or something) and then on the other hand publishes some dross about cushions.

Edited by Claire1704, 26 April 2012 - 06:24 PM.

[pottypotter]

Maybe we should invite her along to our conference, see how funny she thinks OCD is then.

[Claire1704]

I think that's a very good idea

[Zee]

Thank you Ashley, I can certainly say how "funny" OCD is, so funny i even considered topping myself ha ha daily mail nice one! OCD awareness week is really great, so many people (myself included until very recently) dont understand just how badly this effects peoples lives. Thank you Ashley and everybody on this site - OCD-UK has been a "ray of light" for me. The help im getting here is wonderful. Zee

[Steve1983]

I often stand alone on issues such as this. Things like this doesn't bother me in the slightest. I can see that they are trivialising OCD, but I bet we ourselves trivialise other matters of which we no little about. Also people get annoyed at others ignorance of OCD, but then again, we are all being guilty of being ignorant of other subjects ourselves.

Just my take on the matter, not trying to provoke.

[Ashley]

I often stand alone on issues such as this. Things like this doesn't bother me in the slightest. I can see that they are trivialising OCD, but I bet we ourselves trivialise other matters of which we no little about. Also people get annoyed at others ignorance of OCD, but then again, we are all being guilty of being ignorant of other subjects ourselves.

Just my take on the matter, not trying to provoke.

Don't worry Steve I don't think you come across as trying to provoke. As I mention in the article I can for a moment forgive some of the user comments on the Daily Mail website, but I don't think we can forgive the Daily Mail for their headline which trivialises the illness when they should know themselves how serious OCD can be as they led with articles on a rather tragic case of OCD last year: (http://www.dailymail...erm-phobia.html).

We need the media like the Mail to think more carefully before printing. I dont expect them to go on to become ambassadors for OCD, but they do need to be made to take some responsibility for not making stigma worse.

[Steve1983]

but they do need to be made to take some responsibility for not making stigma worse.

I think thats a very good point.

[pottypotter]

It doesnt upset me personally, but I dont think it is right!

I think we should invite the daily mail along to our conference.

[FobicFairy]

This doesn't upset me one bit, noone is going to take it seriously.

I would be more upset with a serious article that got all the facts wrong.

[Steve2012]

I wouldn't expect any better from The Daily Mail. Safe newspaper for safe people in their safe worlds - 'cushions' just about sums it up for me. That's just my opinion, of course....apologies to any forum members who read it!!

The article is typical of the frivolous misuse of the term 'OCD'. Although being an OCD sufferer doesn't preclude having a sense of humour, this frivolousness does grate against the torment and anguish that is 'real' OCD.

I guess most people who use the term 'OCD' lightly simply aren't aware of the true nature of the condition, rather than being deliberately insensitive. And maybe as sufferers we are in the best position to help increase people's awareness of 'real' OCD - although of course we all know how difficult it is to speak about it.

Anyway - good luck with getting the Mail - or any other national - to give OCD-UK some coverage!!

[Lawrie]

I have to say that it doesn't make me at all angry although I take the point that journalists should take responsibility for giving a positive message.

I have been livid with articles the Daily Mail have published before. Journalism is not about providing the reader with facts. It's driven by a political and sales agenda. They have published the most inaccurate, ludicrous nonsense and simply remove comments that actually provide factual information which contradict their ridiculous "story". I'm drifting off-topic here but The Sun is outrageous!! I had to join their FB page to enter a competition and had my comments removed when I accused them of inciting and encouraging incitement of racial hatred! Absolutely jaw dropping racist hatred.

So, this topic doesn't spark the same anger. I expect no more of the majority of papers

[mondot]

Steve is right. As much as it hurts to see people make a serious issue seem menial, we do this every day in our lives without realizing it.
Playing a video game with my friends, one of them might go "I'm going to get a seizure from staring at this so long." It seems like a harmless comment, but someone or the family member of someone with epilepsy would jump up and say having a seizure is horrible and not something to be made light of. Ya know?
It sucks, but we are all subject to this.
And by the way, the daily mail is a piece of crap. I'm surprised they even wrote that article and took a break from their usual stories on a Kardashian eating an apple or tying their shoelace

[PartVie]

Now now Ashely, let's not be so hasty. I think this writer has severe and pervading OCD, Obliviousness (to) Compassion (for a) Disability. She desperately needs CBT, Correction Before (it is) Trivialized.

Like others, I am not personally offended as such (I'm relatively hard to offend) but I do think it is worth educating people to think before they speak and have a bit of sensitivity towards others. Sure, people may make jokes about other diseases/conditions (even us sometimes) but I still think it's worth pointing out ignorance in a respectful way. I would welcome being corrected if I were to make an insensitive joke about someone/something, provided that they did it respectfully (aka came from a place where they knew I did not intentionally say something hurtful). I think if we beat people up about saying ignorant things, it only leads to more hostility towards our cause.

Well, that's my two cents on the matter
Vie.

[legend]

I did attempt to post a reply on there comments part, but as it was a factual and to the point reply it hasnt been put up !!

anyway, its not about whether we have done things which are ignorant because we dont understand someone elses "problems". thats irrelavant,

What the big problem here is, is like ashley said, STIGMA ! and if an article like this has a knock on effect to someone who is suffering, or is to afraid to seek help
for the fear of being laughed at, then we seriously do need to step in a say ...come on ...lets put this straight.

How would people of another debilitating illness feel if that was misconstrued in the papers ~? the same.

Im not angry, i just feel that this is just another kick in the proverbials for those who have worked hard to raise awareness of how debiltating ocd can be !

leg

Edited by legend, 27 April 2012 - 08:23 AM.

[PartVie]

How would people of another debilitating illness feel if that was misconstrued in the papers ~? the same.

Well said Leg. I think I meant to say something like this but just forgot/thought I had.

Great point (Leg & Ash) about the issue of stigma! I was thinking something similar but just didn't know how to express it. I only really got to the idea that it is important to educate those who are ignorant. After all, getting rid of the stigma of OCD is part of this charity's objective and lines up with the vision & mission etc quoted below.

http://www.ocduk.org/about-ocduk[/url] ]
Our Vision
It is our belief that everyone affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder should receive the most appropriate and the highest quality standards of care, support and treatment.

Our Mission
Our objective is to make a positive and meaningful difference in the everyday lives of people affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by providing accessible and effective support services and by campaigning for improved access and quality treatment and care for people with OCD to ensure that every person affected by OCD receives the quality of treatment and care that they deserve.

OCD-UK

• Raises awareness about OCD among healthcare professionals, health services and politicians of the seriousness of OCD to change opinion and influences healthcare policy change for treating OCD.

As an OCD sufferer I'm insulted. As a woman with a life and better things to think about than cushions, I'm insulted.

Nicely done Claire. While I do appreciate a beautiful cushion, I'm certainly not the vacuous woman frivolously spending my money on them that is represented in this article.

[whitebeam]

"I have already been in touch with the Daily Mail and invited them to help repair some of the damage by running a series of OCD health features during the Awareness Week in October.."

I think this is a really good idea.

The article didn't really bother me but if we can use this lack of awareness to generate more awareness - that would be a great result.

[Ashley]

Really interesting thread which shows a range of emotions around the issue.

On reason I find it unacceptable writing is for example we could do a fantastic job to change perceptions on TV and in some media outlets during awareness week in October, but if an article or headline like this is published a week later it would undo all that good work. Unfortunately I do believe that OCD will never ever be taken seriously by the greater public whilst headlines and articles like this exist, and I am afraid until we all get more angry enough to complain and and demand change of approach from journalists responsible for articles like this we won't change anything.

Nobody cares about OCD (unless they have it, or FFC with it), and whilst that is fair enough I don't expect people to care, we should at least be expecting that people don't mock the illness and respect that for some of us, OCD is like a daily kick in the balls, and worse!!! it hurts, it disables and it debilitates.

[Ashley]

Very interesting response from the Daily Mail editorial team and which as led on to a trail to a commercial organisation whom the Mail blame for originating this.

Whilst I accept that most don't find this offensive, I do, not from a sufferers point of view, but from an awareness advocate point of view it really is making our job harder. For every person that reads such false light-hearted use of the OCD acronym it means we have to work twice as hard to unravel that light-hearted message with that individual to make them aware that OCD actually stands for an illness that is incredibly serious.

The approach I am taking is one of consideration to ensure that these errors of judgement are not repeated in the future rather than an approach demanding some form of satisfaction. However, the trail as led to a commercial organisation that I am fairly sure as now twice used OCD to sell products.

[LondonTown]

Hi

I was and still am angry at this attempt at journalism. I too tried to upload a comment on the daily mail website and was also censored/rejected/denied my say!

From a personal sufferer point of view I am offended. As a mental health professional of 11 years, I am sad and annoyed - I work with people all the time who have been suffering in silence for years because of the associated negative stigma attached to mental illness.

A real shame and I desperately hope not too much damage has been done.