OCD- Jangan Di'Hipster'kan

Salam.

Lately, banyak orang suka declare diri as having OCD. Mungkin ye, mungkin tak. Somehow, I felt like people did that on purpose because its suddenly 'cool and hipster' if you have OCD. I think it did injustice to people yang memang ada OCD. Suddenly kalau betul-betul kau ada OCD, people dont take it seriously, sebab hampir 'semua' orang ada OCD. "Biasa la tu." You people are turning OCD into a teenager's lingo or something. :(

Let me walk you through what OCD is.

OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder isnt a disease but like its name, its rather a 'disorder'. What is the difference between a disorder and a disease?

Disease: a definite pathological process having a characteristic set of signs and symptoms.  It may affect the whole body or any of its parts, and its etiology, pathology, and prognosis may be known or unknown

Disorder: a derangement or abnormality of function; a morbid physical or mental state

Maka, panggil lah OCD as gangguan bukan penyakit. Pada suatu penyakit perjalanan timbul nya jelas, beserta gejala yang zahir. Bagaimanapun, konsep 'disease' and 'disorder' ni digunakan secara interchangeably dalam dunia perubatan. Dua dua pun berkongsi matlamat yang sama: to prevent, to control the impact on life quality, to find the cure. 

Aku mula-mula ada OCD waktu umur 5 atau 6 tahun. I still remember I started to have fear, and anxious about my family getting harmed or dead or fingers cut off and then having this unexplainable need to touch things 7 times. Aku mesti tutup lampu 7 kali, or else aku rasa nanti something bad will happen dekat everyone. If aku lupa, aku akan start over. Semua tu aku buat dengan penuh cautious, anxious and tak faham kenapa, i just have to do it. Masa tu aku tau ini pelik, come on lah, Stop it- by it just keep on dissolving in myself. Aku ingat asyik kena 'sayang' bear and segala mainan aku sama rata, sama kali (selalunya 7 kenapa tah la 7) kalau tak aku rasa nyawa semua orang dalam bahaya. Sometimes aku tau itu tak logik dan pelik, tapi aku takut nak share my weird thoughts and plus that time aku rasa its something i have to do. Ada masa, aku habiskan waktu fikir pasal kematian and other bad stuff and then lari turun tangga to check my families are still alive. Masa adik aku ke asrama, aku pesan buat apa-apa hati-hati jangan sampai jari putus. Bila dia balik rumah, i remembered rasa lega and comforted sebab first thing i checked- he still  have his fingers. Bodo. 

Aku dan perasaan ingin menyentuh memang solid hubungannya. Aku selalu catch myself touching and wanting to touch things. Masa kecik, aku suka kumpul kotak. All sizes of kotak- aku akan bersih and rapikan pastu aku susun dalam plastik. Orang ingat ah- budak kecik, suka main sampah. Tapi sebenarnya aku cukup suka- kotak sangat perfect, segi dia, line dia- everything is so arranged and symmetrical, and perfect. Kotak sangat PERFECT. It gives me this weird satisfaction menyentuh kotak- permukaan dan sisi dia. Antara salah satu sebab aku suka buku. Buku is like kotak. I love touching and tapping my fingers on books. 

Forbidden thoughts- ini umpama bukak pekung di dada., aku taknak elaborate banyak-banyak. Aku paling stress dan malu dengan benda ni. Jijik dengan diri sendiri. But I cant help it. It just forms in my head- everyday, every few minutes. Ramai orang tegur aku selalu termenung- im not termenung, ada something sinister, disgusting, repulsive yang masuk otak aku. Stress dan malu that I can think of such heinous thing. Selalu aku akan fikir pasal benda lain to stop it. 

Aku dan social life- is something I stressed about. Aku sangat takut orang find out pasal benda-benda yang memalukan dan make me feel worthless. I wish I  am NOT like this at all. I am scared they will look through me and see these bad things. Sebab tu, aku tak suka terlalu rapat- baik rapat as kawan rapat or body contacts yang rapat. I am uncomfortable dengan people's body. Contamination. Aku benci public toilet. Macam mana kalau aku terjangkit germs yang ada? Shaking hands.. Tapi semakin dewasa, bab yang ni agak berkurang. Sebaliknya fikiran aku yang semakin teruk. 

Antara comorbid OCD adalah body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), mood and anxiety and ADHD. Now, I'm not sure whether my inability to stay put reading or listening or sitting in class for too long makes me an ADHD sufferer. I guess to confirm that, I need to see a qualified physician. As for mood and anxiety, I always carry it around with me all my life. It lives in me. Body dysmorphic disorder- this i started developing when i was a teenager. I hate me. But I get supports from my family, so sometimes I am OK- and i think it gradually lessen. Although this too, kena dapatkan opinion from a certified physician. 

Orang selalu fikir OCD is doing something pembersih do. Like basuh pinggan and stuff. Its a lot diverse than that. It comes in pair- obsessing and compulsing. Aku tak tau la nak cakap macam mana- benda ni buat aku stress and cemas. Aku malu, benci, rasa nak marah- i have insecurities too ugly im scared orang akan find out. 

OCD ni boleh berubah-ubah seiring perjalanan waktu. Aku dah tak menyentuh 7 kali sebab aku dah kurang fikir pasal bad stuff happening to my family. Instead aku salurkan ke doa banyak kali. And checking they are OK through phone. Tapi aku masih kumpul kotak sampai sekarang. It becomes more of a habit daripada obsessing. Aku masih takutkan germs, virus, bacteria- haritu aku ke klinik khas untuk HIV patients- my nightmare- habis sentuh satu fail aku basuh tangan. Sampai kering. Buat kerja dengan panik dan cemas. Stress- sebab takut, sebab benci, sebab malu aku kan nak jadi doktor, apa ni?? 

Cuma aku kesal dengan fikiran-fikiran aku sampai sekarang masih mengganggu aku. Yang dalam otak susah aku nak kawal. Tapi banyak benda dah tak seteruk time aku kecik dan remaja dulu. BDD dah hadiahkan aku gastrik. Tapi bila aku dikelilingi orang yang sayang aku- aku kurang fikir pasal badan and diri aku- mungkin sebab penerimaan diorang buat aku lebih hargai diri sendiri. 

Tu je. Aku cuma nak tegak kan my symptoms maybe tak seteruk yang severe OCD, tapi i think i speak for people with mild, moderate and severe OCD out there jangan 'hipster' kan OCD. Selalu aku tengok orang cakap; 'Eh jangan letak baju ko kat situ, aku ada OCD sikit' cakap je la ko tak suka sepah. Atau bila orang bercerita, you disregard it and take it lightly as 'ah sama la tu. aku pun kadang-kadang OCD sikit'. Apa tu OCD sikit?