People with OCD talk about how the fears around COVID-19 have set them back in their battle to beat the mental illness

People with OCD talk about how the fears around COVID-19 have set them back in their battle to beat the mental illness

Posted on February 27, 2021

Amid the mental health crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, people with OCD are experiencing unique difficulties. The pandemic has led to 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression, an increase from the one in ten adults, according to Kaiser Family Foundation research. Dr. Ken Duckworth, NAMI CMO, told Insider: "We have certainly seen an increase of anxiety disorders at NAMI. There's also been a big leap in people with germ phobias being provoked by COVID-19." Hand-washing to prevent the coronavirus' spread is particularly tough for suffers from contamination OCD, a sub-type of the condition. After years of being told to stop washing their hands to control their condition, the new message to wash their hands to prevent COVID-19 can be mind-boggling.