A Victim Speaks
V Suryanarayan
WHEAT STALK—SWAYING, NOT SEVERED: A BOOK OF QUOTES ON HOW TO TACKLE OCD, AVOID RELAPSE AND SUSTAIN RECOVERY by Fatima Yusuf. Illustrated by Fernweh Become Shakespeare, Mumbai, 2020, 145 pp., 250.00, $ 9.95
February 2021, volume 45, No 2

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a grave illness, if not diagnosed and treated early in life. It is a form of chronic anxiety, where a person has recurrent disruptive thoughts (obsessions), which result in repetitive behaviour (compulsions), anxiety about thoughts or rituals, over which he/she has little control.

Obsessions stem from repeated uncertainty towards a thing, situation, or a person. It is a consequence of suppressed emotions or neurological chemical imbalance. Such individuals reach a moment in life when they are unable to accept themselves. In some cases, they develop even suicidal tendencies.

Statistics show that in the United States around 3.3 million people are estimated to have OCD. Exact statistics about India are not available. However, according to the National Health Portal, the lifetime prevalence of OCD is 2.3 percent.

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