After reading both Chapter 8: OCD: Now and Forever and reading Osborn it's interesting to see how even though both authors are talking about OCD how different they speak about it. Osborn speaks about OCD with optimism stating that many people suffer from OCD and that the sooner that they find help the better, he hopes that his book brings insight on OCD. Davis on the other hand speaks about the evolution of OCD and how it has changed from rare to one of the top four mental disorders in the world.
What stood out to me the most about this chapter was that Davis questioned the validity of such a rapid growth of OCD cases, and I agree that the media, internet, and books may have had a great deal to do with that.
When you feel sick you don't go to the doctor anymore, now with Google and WebMD you can simply type in your symptoms and find your answers without leaving home. This is the technology age and we (the people) have a tendency to turn to technology for everything, with the internet we have the power to become what ever we want: doctors, scholars, experts. We believe anything and everything we read, we are very simple minded and unfortunately I have to go with Davis on this one I believe many people have tricked and self diagnosed themselves with OCD to the point that they live life as if they really had it, so how valid are the reported cases of OCD?
I agree with you. I myself have used google to try and find out exactly what I have when I am sick. I almost always end up being wrong with what I think I have and end up having to see my doctor. Its true. Many people probably have tricked or self diagnosed themselves with OCD without even knowing it. This also makes me question how valid these reported cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder really are.
ReplyDelete