"OCD is a very serious disorder, which is often trivialized"

"Because many times, when we talk about obsessive-compulsive disorder, we talk about it in a very banal way, and this hurts a lot and stigmatizes the people affected. People with OCD are always presented as people who put things in order, who don't want to touch things, who wash their hands very often, who jump lines because they don't want to step on them... This is not OCD. We are talking about a very serious disorder, in fact, we are talking about one of the most disabling disorders there is , according to the World Health Organization. People with OCD have many intrusive thoughts that distort their reality, and they realize it, and this makes them suffer a lot. And what do they do to alleviate this suffering? A compulsion or ritual, which is the only thing that is seen from the outside."

"OCD is a disorder that, especially in the audiovisual media, tends to be trivialized a lot . It is never explained that behind this disorder there is a very hard suffering for life and for which there is no specific treatment. This view of the disorder perpetuates its ignorance and stigma towards affected people. When someone says they have a little OCD because they count things, for example, this is not OCD. We all have manias, but OCD is a disorder. All of this contributes to the unwanted loneliness of people with OCD, who do not dare to say that they suffer for fear of the reaction of others."

When someone says they have a little OCD because they count things, for example, that's not OCD. We all have obsessions, but OCD is a disorder.

"Yes, the association was born to demand a comprehensive treatment for OCD here in Catalonia , which we currently do not have. We think it is necessary to offer less pharmacology and more psychology. What is happening at the moment? Because there are not enough specialists, we do not have this psychological treatment. For example, in adults, the only reference hospital for this disorder does not have a psychologist specialized in OCD. We need them. And we need treatment with home care , because it is at home where people tend to have compulsions, and with therapies to help these people integrate into society, into the community, with an occupational therapist who can go to their home and help them fight against compulsions, get out of bed, take a shower... And this, right now, we only find in the private sector, where entities like Presència activa are doing a great job.

And our demand will soon reach the Parliament of Catalonia, where we are waiting for a date to appear to express all these needs. In Catalonia there are 3% of people diagnosed with OCD, but there are certainly many more undiagnosed, because it takes seven to ten years to be diagnosed. That is why many people come to the association asking for help."

"Affected people and families arrive at the association crying, very badly, just as we also went to other associations. We welcome them, give them information about the reference hospitals where they can go, about the therapy they need, and invite them to join, because the more people we have, the more strength we will have. And we also offer mutual aid groups for affected people, but also for families , because in this disorder the involvement and role of the family is very important. And it is very nice to see that families no longer cry on the third day, because they see that they can be empowered to help their loved ones. I like to think that at the association we help families smile again . We also offer some third-generation therapies, such as mindfulness , which complements the treatment par excellence, which is exposure response prevention (EPR).

The association began walking to ask for treatment for our loved ones and we can only achieve this with the specialization of professionals.

But the first thing we did when we created the Association, in July 2023, was organize a First Conference on OCD , at the Official College of Psychology of Catalonia, which was very important for us. 350 people attended, most of them professionals from various areas of mental health, and this is very important, because we started walking to ask for treatment for our loved ones and we can only achieve this with the specialization of professionals. This year, we will hold the second conference, on October 4, with comorbidities as the central theme.

"Because we need it. We are human, we need the company, the help, the interrelation that makes us stronger, to group together to be able to ask, demand, be strong. And with this idea of ​​creating community and socializing, we also do activities such as snacks, outings, guided tours, rib parties... It's a joy to see how we all make pineapple!"

"It's a radical change in a family. To begin with, it's not easy to become aware of the disorder, of what's happening in your house, within the home. What's happening to this person that I love? This absence that he has sometimes, because he's with his thoughts; seeing him so desperate, with so much anguish, with depression, seeing that he's suffering, that he no longer has life ... It's like something is stuck in you and your heart breaks. Many people lose their friends, their classmates... Many children are bullied at school, they laugh at them, and this makes them hide all their compulsions and rituals, and when they get home they explode. For the family it's a very great suffering ... And when we go to look for a solution in public health, we see that they don't know how to diagnose us, that they don't give us the appropriate treatment. We can't allow it."

Carmen Jiménez

Co-founder

Associació TOC Catalunya

"When OCD came into our home, we felt very alone as a family."

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"I draw this strength from thinking about our son, but also about all the people who have OCD or who live with OCD. We can't stop, we don't have time. There are seventy-year-old people who call you and say 'I've been suffering all my life, what can I do, I don't want to die suffering'. That's very strong! And that's where the strength comes from, from the voices that ask you for help. How can we not have strength?"