To be very annoyed by “OCD Cleaners?”

[sweetkitty]

There’s a cleaning company local to me called OCD Cleaners presumably as a nod to the fact they clean as well as people with OCD.

I am really annoyed with this, I am a member of OCD-UK and know OCD is one of the most debilitating mental illnesses there is. It is so much more than just being super-clean. It is really debilitating and leaves sufferers feeling very isolated and shameful. There’s 6 different types and Fear of germs is just one type.

My 21 yo DD suffers from it and she literally has no life, she cannot work, go to college, care for herself and go outside without a parent. She feels an utter failure. I have heard so many sad, horrific stories from other parents of sufferers too.

I feel like contacting them and saying stop making light of a serious mental health condition you wouldn’t call a company Bipolar or Depression would you? Or would I come across as a bit of a Karen, am I super sensitive because of my DD?

If you don't like someone using the term OCD for reasons that seems negative to you,then why would you use the name Karen to do exactly the same.

YANBU. I called them out last year and they blocked me I think.

I compulsively clean. I've suffered since childhood, and I have to constantly stop my compulsions from escalating. As others have said, they may well have the condition themselves.

Just to add, it has become debilitating at times throughout my life. Right now, I have it somewhat under control, although my compulsions are still there and I have to consciously fight them or they would take over my life.

If it's the one I'm thinking of, they're based on Cornwall.

My OCD never manifested in cleanliness, rather irrational and uncontrollable feelings that my thoughts will cause my loves ones to die or for me to murder people in my sleep.

With the odd exception of when cooking for someone else's kids I'm convinced I've accidentally put razors or oven cleaner in the food, or that the cookware is poisonous so had to be scrubbed for aggggges.

Sounds bonkers written down.

I haven't downplayed the harm of exploiting mental illness at all, simply pointed out the Op's hypocrisy, as have many others. You are quite clearly downplaying the harm of misogyny ("discomfort" in being called a Karen) - the fundamental basis of the epidemic of VAWG.

I think it's a poorly thought through name. They are probably capitalising on the "mainstream knowledge and conception" of OCD - people with OCD clean obsessively. Lots of people casually throw out "I'm very OCD with my cleaning" what they actually mean is I am very meticulous when I clean.

I know someone with OCD, she is not a meticulous cleaner. Instead she has rituals she has to perform before doing basic tasks or leaving the house for example: switch the lights on and off 12 times before leaving a room, turn the tap on and off and let it run for exactly 30 seconds 3 times before making a drink. Her morning routine takes her well over 2 hours because of all the rituals she has to do. If she doesn't do the rituals in the correct order then she struggles to leave her house, sometimes it involves starting all the rituals over again. It rules her entire life.

What if its Olivia Carla Dawson Cleaners?

Still shouldn’t use OCD cleaners imho.

I had a cleaner who started her business because of her OCD and being really into cleaning. A friend suggested it was the perfect job and so it was. Perhaps the name is literal and you are just assuming they are being flippant.

Did she have a clinical diagnosis of OCD@MontysMum909?
A lot of people misunderstand what it is.

Couldn't agree more @Icecreamandcoffee , that's more likely the case, than the navel gazing theories floating around. Its not just intrusive thoughts, its the horrifc compulsions sufferers feel they have to perform to silence those thoughts.

Sean Fletcher's BBC panorama documentary about his 13yr old son's battle with OCD showed the brutal reality. It nearly tore the family apart, I can attest to that.
It started slowly, unable to complete basic tasks, then he couldn't go upstairs to his bedroom, then he couldn't go in the house. He was in a psychiatric hospital for 18mths and missed a year of schooling. It's one of those rare moments where media actually told the truth about this illness instead of turning it into entertainment. This thread is evidence of how far that damage still goes.

I thought the same! Plus Karen is such a misogynistic slur whereas likely this company are simply lacking in understanding, rather than actually being deliberately hateful towards anyone!

I totally understand your annoyance. It bugs me when people say 'Oh I'm a bit OCD' because they're tidy or are fastidious about hand washing. Those traits are NOT OCD,they're just normal. Real OCD can be debilitating and seriously affect your quality of life.

They're probably as ignorant as the people on here who think using a diagnosis in a flippant way is as bad as calling someone an insulting name, or the people that have suggested they're doing well by turning their illness into a businesses like it's something you can use rationally or turn on and off.
At times in my life I've struggled to leave the house - checking maybe 20 times each that the light are off, the cooker is off, the microwave if off, the unlit candles haven't lit themselves, the tap isn't dripping, the doors are locked - otherwise I can't leave the house. Driving back home part way through my journey to recheck these things otherwise I'm convinced the house will burn down.
Having to perform certain rituals when certain cars drive past otherwise my dad will die.
Having to say prayers when I see certain things otherwise everyone will die.
Intrusive thoughts - going over a pot hole and having to drive back round multiple times to check I haven't actually run someone over.
Touching things a certain number of times otherwise a non specific terrible thing will happen.
Not putting the heating on all winter, to the point that my house got to 4c inside, because it was easier to cope with that than having to check and double check and check 20 times that the heating was turned off before I tried to leave the house otherwise the boiler might explode.
I could go on, but let's be honest people that aren't living with it don't get it, think it's a bit of a joke and say it when they like to put their highlighter pens in a neat order or something.