This comic was originally published on Everyday Feminism.
Obsessive compulsive disorder is a serious mental health condition, yet the term "OCD" is used in casual conversation all too often.
The problem with saying someone is "so OCD" just because they are a bit tidy, is that it trivialises the condition.
This can contribute to social stigma around the illness, as those genuinely suffering are misunderstood.
To show that OCD is not quirky or cute, Christine Deneweth has created the below comic about a character called Genna who has OCD.
Genna's friend goes on to joke that she's "so OCD" about her food touching, which upsets Genna who suffers from the condition.
"I’m so tired of people not being intentional about the language they use and misappropriating other folks’ lived experiences as mere adjectives," Genna says.
"It just ends up hurting people like me. My disorder isn’t a fad or an enhanced sentence. It’s something I’ve truly suffered from."
See the full comic at Everyday Feminism.
Christine Deneweth is a Contributing Comic Artist for Everyday Feminism. A queer cartoonist and artist, Christine lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She is a cartoonist for Eastern Michigan University’s newspaper the Eastern Echo. She writes children’s books about mental disability and has a comic strip that has been published for five years. Comics can be found on her Facebook page, and art can be found on her Instagram @crassaster. Check out her work here.
SEE ALSO:
If Mental Illnesses Were Monsters, Here's What They'd Look Like
4 Things You Should Know About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
