Breaking the Stigma: Reflections on the Hear My Story: OCD Full Series

Documentary
By: Alexia Ofel Dinson

Upon enrolling for the second semester, I was dumbfounded as to why we had a
Psychology subject and spent a few days questioning its relevance and necessity to my
profession. As I’m halfway through finishing my course- before it finishes me-, I encounter
subjects that provide a deeper understanding to the principle “catering to our patients
holistically” this assignment does just that.
The one hour documentary features individuals who are in constant battle with OCD;
each of them having different struggles and experiences in terms of trying to survive the day and
coping with the accompanying ticks of obsessive compulsive disorder. Not even halfway through
the documentary, I have come to the realization that I have a twisted understanding of what
OCD is, I personally use and have heard phrases such as ay “oo na OCD ko bala kay di
organize akon room” or “di color coded akon notebooks”, these phrases being casually thrown
around contributes to the stigmatization of OCD; one of the key takeaways I have upon
watching the documentary is that the information I have been consuming about OCD is
incorrect, OCD is not some quirky neat-freak like characteristic but rather a deadly disorder that
compromises daily function of an individual where it manifests in several compulsions. Fear and
anxiety are the main driving force of these compulsions, which can be time-consuming and
distracting and before you know it you lose ties with friends and family, job opportunities,
avoiding social interactions because of the fear of the unknown.
Thee stories in the documentary gave me a deeper insight into the unique challenges
that they face everyday, it is already difficult for them to live with these bombarding thoughts, the
least we can do is to have self actualization of the existing misconceptions and stereotypes.
There is no shame on having OCD or any kind of mental health problems for that matter and I
applaud Hanna, Chris and the rest of the individuals who were strong enough to share their
stories; documentaries like this are inspiring and informative, I must admit, I foresee that there is
a long way to go with destigmatizing mental health issues especially on our culture-bound
Filipino society, yes, we are indeed resilient individuals, but there is no harm on admitting we
can be vulnerable sometimes. It is comforting to know that our curriculum is equipped with
courses that continuously educates us students to be more inclusive, understanding, and
supportive