Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners's negative message

I've watched Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners on many occasions, not for entertainment, as it seems to be the purpose, but to analyse the message it gives.  And with a second series now being aired it still does not reduce my frustration.

For those who aren't aware Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners is a documentary that takes those with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) who have compulsions to keep their homes germ free or minimalistic to help declutter those who hoard (who also suffer from OCD).  It is clashing two extremes of OCD.  The only aim I could get from the program is to allow those with OCD in minimalising and cleaning to tone down their obsessions by meeting those who are the complete opposite, and to induce some of their obsessions onto them.  If that really is the aim then it infuriates me.

On the last series I remember reading captions at the end of each episode, the ones that panged my heart were captions saying ‘It has made their OCD worse’.  How is this acceptable to happen?  Those who suffer from OCD experience anxiety when their obsessions are not satisfied by compulsive behaviours, for example somebody who is phobic of germs who cannot access a hand washing basin or anti-bacterial hand gel will experience anxiety and a fear of being contaminated.  Although exposure therapy is a proven technique to work for some people with different anxiety disorders this level of exposure is incredibly over the top and extreme.

I was intrigued to know what the public felt towards this program.  I went onto Twitter and was appalled to read the tweets.  OCD is often seen by the public as somebody who likes to keep themselves and their home clean, not understanding the anxiety that comes with it.  I've read tweets from people saying how they or somebody they know ‘MUST have OCD’.  Not only is it a pet-hate of mine to hear people self-diagnosing themselves with a mental illness but it shows that the level of understanding of OCD is still very poor.  Tweets that demonstrate how far we have to go in anti-stigma campaigning are ones that call the participants on the program ‘mad’ and ‘weirdo’s’.  I find that language unacceptable.  Not to mention the volume of tweets finding the program ‘amusing’, ‘hilarious’ and ‘funny’.  Only a few tweets showed understanding and compassion to those with OCD.

Channel 4 has made a massive mistake airing a second series of Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners.  It promotes a negative image of OCD and does not explain or show what OCD really is.  Channel 4 has taken a group of people, suffering from a serious illness, and put them through unnecessary anxiety for the purpose of entertainment.  This is not acceptable and I am shocked that Channel 4 think that this is acceptable.  Even if the participants agreed to be involved in this program this is still sending an inaccurate message of what OCD is, creating more stigma and discrimination to those who suffer from it.

‘Asylum’ and ‘mental patient’ themes – too PC or is it reinforcing a stereotype?

Looking on Twitter, Facebook and the BBC website I see articles and blogs reporting on how Thorpe Park’s The Asylum maze is stigmatising mental illnesses and portraying psychiatric wards negatively.  This comes weeks after supermarket chains Tesco and Asda removed their ‘mental patient’ themed Halloween costumes when they were deemed too stigmatising (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24278768).  There is a clear definition between mental health charities and anti-stigma campaigners who agree that there should be a name and theme change, but some of the general public have commented that this is becoming too politically correct and it is just a popular Halloween theme that has caused no issues in the past.

As an anti-stigma and anti-discrimination campaigner myself I can see both sides to this issue.  Firstly, I do agree that it is stigmatising.  Recently I spoke to people regarding mental health treatment and they often used the words like ‘psycho’ and ‘mad’ to define those needing treatment and describing the psychiatric wards as ‘mental homes’, ‘loony bins’ and ‘asylums’.   It always leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I hear these words as it describes these wards as scary, dangerous and dark, how ‘asylums’ are depicted in the media.  It’s also a reminder of the atrocious care that those with mental health problems received decades ago through electrical compulsion therapy.  Therefore I believe these themes reinforce the whole mental illness spectrum, and those with mental health problems, as an area of uncertainty, instability, danger and fear.  Rethink Mental Illness conducted a vote on their Twitter page for or against the ‘asylum’ theme, which shows a overwhelming ‘No’ (http://topsy.com/analytics?q1=%23asylumOK&q2=%23asylumNO&via=Topsy)

Flipping the coin, I can see why the general public think that this is political correctness taking over.  Thorpe Park commented that their The Asylum maze, for their annual Fright Nights Halloween theme, which has been operating for an eighth year running, has not caused issues in the past (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24278768).  We have to take a step back and view the Halloween themes, vampires, walking mummies, werewolves and other well-known Halloween characters.  These are all unreal with their intention to be perceived as scary and frightful.  The feeling towards the stereotypical ‘mental patient’ and ‘psycho’ fits this theme.  Games like Batman’s Arkham Asylum takes the player to a psychiatric prison for the criminally insane where the Joker, who has always been depicted as a psychopath, has caused trouble.  Films, that are popular to this day, like Silence of the Lamb and The Shining, have psychopaths as the villain.

I am sitting on the fence when it comes to this issue.  I, personally, am not a fan of the ‘psychopath’ and ‘asylum’ themed rides, events and media, whether that’s because of it’s stereotypical connection to my illness or as a matter of taste.  Members of the public (especially if you read comments on articles regarding this issue) think that mental health charities are taking this issue too far, some going as far to say that they are reinforcing the stigma and making it more of a taboo themselves.  I can see why they think this is so, but I do believe that this fantasy image of mental health is too imbedded into popular belief.  Mental health units and psychiatric wards are not places of danger or fear, but a bright place of safety and help.  I do believe that once the general public see mental illness and wards the way they deserve to be depicted then these ‘asylum’ and ‘psycho’ themed costumes and rides will become more acceptable.

Recovery takes 90% YOU

So what do I mean by the title?  Well, any form of recovery takes work from the patient, whether it’s resting a sprained ankle or ensuring that antibiotics are taken correctly.  We ask a health professional for help but once the help has been given it is up to us whether we use that help and to what extent.

Despite poor treatment of mental illnesses there is help and it comes in many forms.  The doctor can prescribe medication, refer you to tests or mental health services or offer some advice and information.  Many charities and internet forums offer a bounty of advice and support.  If we look for help we will find it.  And with all of that support out there, whether it’s reading self-help books or receiving talking therapy whilst on medication we are all responsible of our own recovery, probably a lot more so than if we were suffering from a physical illness.

As someone who is recovering from a serious anxiety disorder I am not speaking out of term.  After receiving different forms of treatment and reading many articles on the internet I have learned that once we have been given the tools we must use them outside of the doctors surgery or support center.  I am guilty of being given tools and never using them, like relaxation techniques, and wondering to myself why I wasn't recovering.  Persistence with recovering techniques will work eventually.

It is hard to see improvement with a mental illness when coping strategies or treatment plans are new, in fact it may feel like it’s getting worse.  It’s easy to drop something if it doesn't work the first time.  But with determination, persistence and tolerance it will begin to show that it works.  Changing the way you think, from ‘I can’t do this!’ or ‘What if?’ to ‘I can do this’ and ‘Have I?’ to ‘I have’ takes a lot of practise, it won’t work the first, second or third time, but it will begin to work by the fourth time and work better each time.  Exercising may seem tough, especially if you’re suffering from depression, but once the wall has been broken it gets easier and starts to show improvement. 

Mental illnesses like the anxiety and depressive disorder require the person to change their way of thinking for recovery to begin.  It also means putting the person in situations that may cause distressing experiences, like a panic attack, anxiety or distressing thoughts.  Recovery, at that stage, can be very difficult and uncomfortable.  It takes small, simple steps at a gradual pace.  Eventually the symptoms will become bearable and manageable to take on new steps.

To be mentally healthy means that we can cope in challenging situations and adapt to change, this all means we can think rationally.  If we are to achieve this we have to challenge our thoughts and strive to change them to a healthier and proactive way.  Unfortunately, there is no magic pill or magic phrase that will make this happen, it takes us.  With an arsenal of tools out there we can begin to change our way of thinking and slowly recover.  I am by no means excusing the poor level of treatment, because even with excellent mental health services recovery still requires a change in thinking and hard work from the patient.  

Why The Sun's headline was irresponsible

On Monday 7^th October popular tabloid newspaper The Sun published on their front page ‘1,200 killed by mental patients’.  When I went onto Twitter that morning my feeds were full of tweets regarding the headline from mental health charities and other followers.  It shocked me so much I didn’t believe it at first, until I went onto the tabloid’s website.

The Sun is completely irresponsible for publishing such a headline.  The headline itself, the phrase ‘mental patient’ reminds me of stories of patients suffering inhumane treatment back in the ’70s and ‘80s.  It’s a term, which is derogatory, means a patient who is suffering from a mental illness and receiving treatment.  According to The Sun I am a ‘mental patient’, along with millions of other Britons undergoing treatment for their mental health problems.  The Sun, along with other media, must make an effort in using more acceptable language when addressing someone who has a mental illness.  Mind, a mental health charity, already has a page on this very subject:  http://www.mind.org.uk/help/media/how_to_report_on_health

It was made clear by other tabloids and media that the statistics used by The Sun were fabricated.  Half of those killed were by people with a mental health problem diagnosed BEFORE the murder, the other half by those diagnosed AFTERWARDS.  But looking at statistics of all homicides committed in the UK in that 10 year time span of 2001-2011 those deaths account for 5% of all homicides.  It is still a tragedy that any murder is committed but if The Sun want a shock factor in high number of deaths then they may want to turn their attention to road traffic accidents and drinking related incidents.

What we all must remember is that this level of violence from those with a mental illness is RARE.  Unfortunately films and other entertainment have branded those with schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses as unstable and dangerous when this really is not the case.  With the correct treatment plan they can lead a normal day-to-day life with limited problems.

Charities such as Mind, Rethink and Time to Change have all worked hard to help end stigma and discrimination against those with a mental illness and irresponsibility from tabloids, like The Sun, ruin their work.  I try to be honest about my illness, it’s my way of breaking the taboo, but since this headline has been published I don’t want to risk being discriminated against.  I am also concerned that this headline will make the public believe that those with a mental illness are dangerous, if so I worry for their safety.  After all, it has been proven that those with a mental illness are more likely to be a victim of crime than the rest of the public.

Using the mind to combat pain

Pain is essential to life.  It tells us when we have something wrong in our body, we treat it or avoid extra damage occurring.  It could be as simple as relieving pressure when you have been sitting down for too long in the same position to extreme pain from a fractured bone.  Without pain we would not feel the warning signs that could save our lives, like the itch or burning sensation from an insect bite that could cause septicaemia or gangrene.  But there comes a time where pain becomes chronic and feeling such pain affects daily life and thus has no use.

Since I started puberty at the age of 11 I started experiencing back pain.  My parents and doctors put it down to growth spurts, an unsuitable mattress and my school bag being too heavy.  After making changes to help my back my pain persisted, getting worse in fact.  When I was 13 I was diagnosed with scoliosis, a side-to-side curvature to the spine.  It caused a lot of pain as muscles were being pulled by my spine.  It was not until I was 16 that the pain reduced, but now that I am 22 I still get persistent pain, especially if I stand for too long.  Obviously, I tried many methods to relieve the pain, from over the counter and prescribed pain killers to using a TENS machine to block the pain signals.  But they wouldn’t always work and if they did the relief was only temporary, so I tried my own method.

Whether it is anxiety, depression or pain we have the ability to control our mind to combat it.  People have been known to use their minds to block pain signals, either to reduce the pain or eliminate it all together.  There are different methods used by different people, but I will share my method to you.  It’s hard to do over the internet, so I will do it step-by-step.

1.       Travel to the source of the pain:

Close your eyes.  Travel your vision from your eyes to the source of pain.  Imagine your vision, as it travels, being accompanied by energy.  If you have a pain in your knee imagine your vision travelling from your eyes, down your neck, into the torso, to your groin, down your thigh and ending at the knee.  Now see the pain as a raging flame.

2.       Embrace the pain:

Imagine this energy having arms.  Wrap these arms over the pain and embrace it tightly.  Instead of the flames burning the arms they are containing the flames within them.

3.       Douse the flames:

As the arms contain the flame imagine the flame slowly fading.  As the arms slowly wrap closer and tighter imagine the flame slowly dying, gradually becoming smaller.  The once ravage flames shrink as small as a candle light.

I will tell you the truth; this method is not easy and does take practise.  Try practising it at home or on your way to work on the bus.  You can use this method for depression and anxiety too, visualise the pain in your stomach, chest, heart or mind, wherever you feel the pain, as a flame, or whatever personification suits you best.  As you master this technique you will be able to take control.

*This was originally posted on my old WordPress blog*