Five common disorders many ‘claim’ to have

In today’s day and age, we have all the information we need at our fingertips. Yet, we do not use this ability often, making us ignorant about the mental illnesses and conditions we speak about regularly in our daily lives.

Here are five conditions that many around us claim they have, and some facts you might not have known.

1. Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD)

The third most common disorder in Singapore, OCD is a disorder that is characterised by unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviours (compulsions). Anyone suffering from OCD feels compelled to perform those repetitive behaviours.

Be aware that having the above traits does not automatically mean you have OCD. It might mean that you are a perfectionist, but not OCD.

Being satisfied with symmetrical lines and neatness are not descriptors unique to those with OCD, so remember not to blurt “You OCD ah?” to everyone who is a little more concerned about aligning things perfectly.

2. Social anxiety

Also known as social phobia, this is an anxiety disorder when a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. They may also suffer from distorted thinking about social situations.

The anxiety might accumulate into a panic attack. A panic attack can cause dizziness, breathing difficulties and a sense of impending doom. “Anxiety” is sometimes used to describe a fear of crowds, which waters down the meaning of this disorder.

It is important to understand what someone with anxiety feels like, and make sure to never be like the guy in orange in the picture above.

3. Depression

Numbers have shown that depression is affecting our youths. The origin of depression can be situational (losing your job) and/or bio-chemical (where your neurotransmitter function is disrupted).

Dealing with people suffering from depression requires utmost patience, because often, the ones taking care of the patient have it worse.

Romanticising mental illnesses has become a trend—some claim to be depressed without actually having depression. Glorifying depression then becomes dangerous, as these people may actually experience the symptoms, but are unable to draw the line.

4. Trypophobia

Trypophobia is not a phobia recognised by the psychological community, but has been known to affect many. It is the fear of irregularly shaped holes, or as researcher Arnold Wilkins says, it is more of a disgust than fear.

It might sound like nothing much, but a simple Google image search is enough to tell you why many think that this fear is justified.

While you wonder who has the time in the world to Photoshop lotus seeds onto someone’s palm, here is a post to ease you into understanding what it might feel like.

Warning: I am quite sure that you will be grossed out, so do prepare yourself!

5. Trust issues

This condition is also referred to as “pistanthrophobia”, the fear of trusting people due to negative past experiences. It is also not an officially named fear, but one created by netizens.

Another frequently misused term, it is often used to describe how girls look completely different with makeup and without.

Having the actual condition, however, is not as light hearted because it may possibly ruin all relationships. Find out more about this psychological issue here.

It is important to learn about these commonly talked about conditions to spot who needs help and support, and who needs to change their daily vocabulary. So, do yourself a favour and read up on these terms! Ignorance is not always bliss, you know.