Skip to main content
Mayo Clinic Health System
  • Patient Online Services
  • Pay Bill Online
  • Request an Appointment
    • Services
    • Providers
    • Locations

      Minnesota

      • Adams
      • Albert Lea
      • Austin
      • Belle Plaine
      • Blooming Prairie
      • Butterfield
      • Caledonia
      • Cannon Falls
      • Fairmont
      • Faribault
      • Janesville
      • Kenyon
      • Lake City
      • Le Sueur
      • Mankato
      • Montgomery
      • New Prague
      • New Richland
      • Northfield
      • Owatonna
      • Plainview
      • Red Wing
      • Sherburn
      • St. James
      • St. Peter
      • Waseca
      • Waterville
      • Wells
      • Zumbrota

      Wisconsin

      • Arcadia
      • Barron
      • Bloomer
      • Chetek
      • Chippewa Falls
      • Eau Claire
      • Ellsworth
      • Glenwood City
      • Holmen
      • La Crosse
      • Menomonie
      • Mondovi
      • Onalaska
      • Osseo
      • Prairie du Chien
      • Rice Lake
      • Sparta
      • Tomah

      Iowa

      • Decorah
      • Lake Mills

      View map
    • Classes/Events
    • Blog
    • Wellness
    • Referrals
    • COVID-19
    • Influenza

    Recent Posts

    • Person feeling sick, drinking beverage, holding tissue
      Speaking of Health
      What should you do if you have COVID-19 or flu?
      January 30, 2023
    • People playing Jenga
      Speaking of Health
      Preserving pandemic positives
      January 27, 2023
    • Person outdoors in the cold wearing hat, hoodie and facemask
      Speaking of Health
      Is the extreme cold bad for your lungs?
      January 27, 2023
    Featured Topics
    • Behavioral Health
    • Cancer
    • Children's Health (Pediatrics)
    • COVID-19
    • COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Exercise and Fitness
    • Heart Health
    • Men's Health
    • Neurosurgery
    • Obstetrics and Gynecology
    • Orthopedic Health
    • Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery
    • Women's Health
    Join our email newsletter
    Speaking of Health
    Thursday, January 28, 2016

    Obsessively pursuing the correct usage of the term OCD

    Topics in this Post
    • Behavioral Health

    Blog_OCDBy Mayo Clinic Staff

    We have previously written about the paradoxical adoption of psychiatric symptoms in our language, which would indicate acceptance. Yet, the continued stigma someone with an actual mental illness faces is alive and well. OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder, is no different. Somewhere along the way, it not only became an adjective, but also a rather cool quirk we use in our day-to-day language. “Oh, my OCD is acting out — I had to tidy the kitchen,” “She orders the same thing when she comes to this restaurant. She’s so OCD” or “My mom makes me clean my closet — so OCD.” 

    Contrary to what the popular misuse of the term would have us believe, OCD is not just something that propels people to clean. OCD is an anxiety spectrum disorder characterized by, in simple terms, unreasonable, repetitive thoughts or fears that cause anxiety and then a compulsion to act in a manner to attempt to decrease the anxiety.

    Take the example of a young boy who felt the need to circle his desk counterclockwise five times before sitting down. He irrationally thought if he did not do this his parents would die. His teachers declined to stop this behavior forcibly, as this would lead to increased anxiety and failure to function. 

    There are other themes for obsessions and compulsions. Fear of contamination can lead to elaborate hand washing. Counting stairs, avoiding walking on patterned floors, checking doors and locks multiple times or in multiples of a particular number and starting over if the routine is disrupted, all are associated with OCD. All of these can be time and energy consuming, taking over a person’s life and keeping them from functioning. They may miss work, be late for assignments and isolate from people for fear of judgment. 

    There needs to be a change in our approach. Using a serious OCD diagnosis nonchalantly as an adjective trivializes the ordeal these people go through daily. This increases stigma and keeps people from getting the medical help they need.


    For the safety of our patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was either recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in a non-patient care area where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.
    Topics in this Post
    • Behavioral Health

    Related Posts

    Happy woman sitting on log fence Self-care tips during the COVID-19 pandemic
    Woman sitting by window wall COVID-19 during winter: 8 things you can do to mentally prepare
    Two young girls and mother preparing a meal Family meals: Building relationships

    Stay Connected

    • Contact Us
    • Notice of Nondiscrimination
    • Notice of Privacy Practices
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
    • Careers
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • For Patients & Visitors
    • Financial Assistance
    • Community Resources
    • Mayo Clinic Connect
    • For Medical Professionals
    • Press Room
    • Mayo Clinic
    • Home
    © 2018 - 2023 Mayo Clinic Health System