Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; What is it, How can it be treated, and why "color coded notes" is not a diagnosis

A favorite meme of mine, regarding people who claim
they have OCD without diagnoses

I was first diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, also known as "OCD", in the eighth grade. Hearing my diagnoses as a thirteen year was terrifying, especially because the stigmas surrounding mental illness are extremely harmful and degrading. There was little information available for me regarding what my illness was, and the most popular portrayals of OCD in popular culture is that the only symptoms are color coded notes and an organized bedroom.


The reality is that the symptoms of OCD are not funny or "quirky". They affect your everyday life, relationships and experience in ways no one except those who have OCD will understand. When I was diagnosed, I searched for a place where someone who actually knew what I was going through shared their own experience. Now I have the opportunity to do the same.



OCD is a mental health illness that involves uncontrollable thoughts and obsessions that occur everyday. Fears center around certain themes, such as germs, order, grades or even the exact measurement of your books on the bookshelf. The brain regenerates repetitive, powerful thoughts that cause extreme amounts of anxiety. These thoughts lead to compulsions, actions performed to temporarily relieve the anxiety.

One in forty people have clinical OCD, where the symptoms affect your day to day live severely. This prevalence in the population draws the important questions that scientists ask, What causes OCD?

Researchers have discovered that certain areas of the brain function differently in those who have OCD compared to those who do not. These parts of the brain use a neurotransmitter called Serotonin to communicate. Communication errors in parts of the brain such as the orbitofrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex (both in the front of the brain), the striatum, and the thalamus (deeper parts of the brain all have been found by researchers to lead to OCD symptoms.

The parts of the brain linked to OCD

Environmental factors and genetics also have a role to play in why someone can get OCD. About 25% of people with OCD have a family member with OCD as well. One is more likely to be diagnosed with OCD if they are suffering from another mental illness, such as depression or PTSD. Furthermore, childhood trauma can be linked to OCD. People who grew up in extremely stressful situations or experienced intense emotional trauma are more likely to develop OCD.

This exemplifies how SSRIs work

To treat OCD, psychiatrists use a combination of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Selective Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Serotonin sends messages through the brain, and is responsible for controlling anxiety. As I mentioned above, OCD is found to have been caused by communication errors in parts of the brain that have errors with serotonin levels. SSRI's increase serotonin levels in the brain, as well as block the serotonin into the neurons. Typically, after carrying a message, serotonin is reabsorbed by the neurons. SSRIs block re-uptake allowing for more serotonin availability, and therefore more transmission of messages between neurons.



OCD affects millions of people in our country. The stigmas surrounding mental health in the United States and around the world are extremely harmful and degrading. I wish in eighth grade I was taken more seriously with my diagnoses and provided more resources as to what my illness actually is. I have heard so many people, friends included, claim that they are "so OCD" because they like a clean room or color coded notes. Remember the biology behind this illness. Do not claim to have something that is an extremely difficult illness to live with for those who have it. And most importantly, support those who are actually living with it.