Just picture this that one day, you wake up amidst a stressful period in your life, and your

mind

gets stuck in a single though. Perhaps you become anxious about an unfinished project at work or

school, and you are super worried that you have made a mistake. Imagine a situation whereby your

mind will not let go of the worry. Instead, that anxious thought replays consistently in your mind.

Imagine worrying to the extent that you cannot convince yourself it is okay even after going

through your project and confirming everything is in order, or you find a minor mistake that can

be fixed without detrimental effects. Having pictured that now imagine you waking up with such

restless anxiety, notwithstanding whether there is something worrisome occurring or reoccurring

in your life. Imagine this feeling making you unable to leave your house, or unable to get out of

bed or even worse unable to engage in any other project due to fear of making mistakes.

For approximately 2% of the world population, this is a reality. This is OCD (obsessive-

compulsive disorder). This is an anxiety disorder that makes people have compulsive and

obsessive behaviors that may be too severe to the extent that they interfere with the daily lives of

such individuals. This has adverse consequences, such as causing the individual to miss school,

work social events, or even other vital activities.

Now imagine that we all know what causes this disorder and how it should be managed or treated.

Imagine there is no stigma related to seeking assistance or admitting that one has a mental disorder.

Imagine that we all have access to affordable, effective mental health services — regrettably, the

latter part of imagining a scenario is not a reality to the vast majority of us.

Early this year I was in a public restroom when I came across something, I admit here I saw it for

the first time in that day a toe opener. This toe opener was fixed on the bottom of the main entrance

door, which allowed users to open with their feet instead of hands. I first thought that was an

excellent idea. However, my afterthought was that individuals who suffer from contamination
OCD are not the only people who don’t want to touch door handles and nobs. I believe nobody

would be where he or she is today without the love and support of family and friends. As such,

each one of us should passionately support OCD awareness. We break the stereotype and help and

support those affected in all means humanly possible.