Inaccurate Diagnosis
Some experts say the average person with OCD waits ten years or longer before finally receiving an accurate diagnosis. Why? Several reasons:
Until quite recently, OCD was not all that well understood or prevalent in the popular culture.
OC behaviors mimic, or are related to, many other kinds of disorders, such as phobias (that is, irrational fears), panic disorder (sudden, overwhelming physical symptoms of anxiety with little or no apparent cause), and others.
There are many types of OCD. Often, sufferers themselves have literally no clue that they have it. If your idea of OCD is compulsive housecleaning, for example, and your symptoms are centered on fears about catching fatal diseases, you might not put two and two together. Why would you, really?
Even in today's world, where few secrets are kept, some people feel fearful or ashamed when it comes to talking about their OC symptoms or behaviors, and are reluctant to confide, even in professional therapists. It may sometimes feel as if “everyone else” in the world can accomplish simple tasks such as shaking hands, trying on clothing in a store, or driving from one place to another without experiencing terrifying anxiety.
People who have OCD (or for that matter, any problem requiring therapy) often worry that they won't be believed or understood, or that they'll be told to just pull themselves together. You might worry that people will think differently about you than they did before, or differently than they think of others. You may even fear, as many anxious persons do, that if you reveal your secret, you'll be told you're “crazy,” or that you'll be “locked up.” This virtually never happens!
Some people believe they can manage the symptoms on their own if they just make more of an effort. This, too, is usually not true, unfortunately.
That said, therapists generally now recognize OCD much more often than they used to. It has become much more visible lately than ever before.
Depression and OCD
Another reason for occasional misdiagnoses may be that many people who have OCD also suffer disproportionately from depression. As is the case with other conditions, sometimes, the first thing a therapist notices, and therefore diagnoses, is depression. But often, that's only part of the larger problem of OCD.
Although you'll read much more in Chapter 10 about depression and OCD (which are probably chemically related), there can also be psychological reasons for depression when you have OCD. In a relatively short time, you might find yourself feeling very much alone. Friends and family members, frustrated by your limiting behaviors, might avoid you or even ridicule you (although, of course, we hope that this is not the case).
Alert
Untreated, OC behaviors generally worsen over time. A person who is afraid of driving on interstate highways, for example, might later find herself afraid of driving anywhere at night, then anywhere at all. In time, she might even avoid getting anywhere near a road.
You might also feel like a prisoner of your compulsions. Rarely, if ever, does an OCD sufferer enjoy these. More often, it will feel as if you're the captive of a crazed dictator. No wonder depression goes hand-in-hand with so many other conditions!
School of Thought
According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA), more and more U.S. college students are using campus mental health services. However, the group says, many college counseling facilities still have insufficient staff to meet students' needs, and do not offer help for anxiety disorders specifically. And treatment for anxiety disorders, the association reports, is the most frequently requested. (However, according to the organization, most colleges do offer many different mental health services.)
