“At least with OCD you must have a clean and tidy house,” I once remarked flippantly to a sufferer of obsessive–compulsive disorder.

Their withering look and my subsequent research brought home just how crass a statement that was.

It’s become common for us to casually remark “he/she is a bit OCD” or “I'm really OCD about that”, usually to describe people who may simply be a little fastidious. OCD, on the other hand, is a crippling mental health problem that severely impacts on the functioning and quality of life of sufferers.

It’s defined as a serious anxiety-related condition where a person experiences frequent intrusive and unwelcome obsessional thoughts, often followed by repetitive compulsions, impulses or urges. it affects as many as 12 in every 1,000 people – 1.2 per cent of the population.

It affects young children and adults, regardless of gender, or social or cultural background. It can be so debilitating that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has actually ranked OCD in the top ten of the most disabling illnesses of any kind, in terms of lost earnings and diminished quality of life.

According to OCD-UK, a charity which offers support and advice, there are potentially around 741,504 people living with OCD in Britain, with 50 per cent of the cases, falling into the severe category and fewer than a quarter being classed as mild. OCD presents itself in many guises, and certainly goes far beyond the common perception that it is merely hand washing or checking light switches.

In general, sufferers experience obsessions which take the form of persistent and uncontrollable thoughts, images, impulses, worries, fears or doubts. They often significantly interfere with the ability to function day-to-day.

People with OCD often realise that their obsessional thoughts are irrational, but they believe the only way to relieve the anxiety is to perform compulsive behaviours, often to prevent perceived harm to them or a loved-one.

Charities like OCD-UK help to raise awareness and lobby for improved access to treatment.

The prognosis for people who suffer with OCD is much more hopeful than ever before. But it’s certainly no laughing matter.

A SUFFERER'S STORY

EMILY BRUCE is a 25-year-old administrator from Headington who tells us about her obsessive compulsive disorder after almost a decade of suffering in silence

I have a confession to make. I pull my hair out. Voluntarily. To the point where I have a bald patch. Why on earth would you do that, you ask? Well, have you ever bitten your nails or picked at a spot? It’s like that; the sensation produces a strange comfort – one that’s easy to get addicted to. I’ve suffered from obsessive- compulsive disorder from my early teens, but it was only very recently I acknowledged that I had it. If more people were open about it, it would be easier for others to speak up and get help, which is why I’m now doing it.

My symptoms take many forms. The biggest one is that I pull my hair out compulsively – a condition known as trichotillomania, a form of OCD. I have been suffering this for a long time, but have only just told my friends and family. There are many misconceptions about OCD – which is one reason I never realised I had it. There’s the idea that everyone with OCD is obsessively tidy and concerned with cleanliness. The condition can take that form, but it has many different ways it manifests itself. OCD contributed to me getting depressed a few years ago. It makes me obsessive about little things that I can’t let go of. I have to go over everything in my head if I’m worried about something, to the point it starts interrupting my life. Thoughts invade my mind and make me on edge. I broke down recently about that and my hair pulling and am now seeing a therapist, who made me realise I suffer from OCD. I am having cognitive behavioural therapy with other kinds of therapy thrown in catered to my needs, including self hypnosis. I am also on sertraline to help with my depression and anxiety. Things are definitely improving, but it’s a long road – it’s not going to get better overnight.

Many think that OCD sufferers feel they have to do something in order to make something better or prevent it from happening. I’ve suffered from that form of the condition before and many with OCD do, but what some people don’t realise is that often (such as with my hair pulling) the disorder makes you do compulsive things without realising that’s why you’re doing them.

I pull my hair out a lot more when I’m stressed, but this isn’t because I’m consciously trying to make myself feel better, or that I think if I do it things will get better; it’s an unconscious thing for me.

My family have been worried about me, especially my hair pulling, but incredibly supportive. Reactions when I’ve told friends about it have been amazing, which has made me even more glad I opened up about my condition, as hard as it was. When you start talking with others you usually realise that everyone has something similar they deal with, even if on a minor level.

It’s not an easy road to recovery but I know I can do it – and realising I had a problem and telling others about it, difficult as it is, was the first step.