The media's portrayal of OCD sufferers as eccentric and overtly neurotic is a contributing factor in the continuing public misconception of the disorder. Contrary to popular belief, OCD sufferers will rarely exhibit their compulsive behaviours in public, often becoming very adept at hiding or camouflaging their rituals. To the outside observer, the person with OCD will often seem completely normal. In fact, the more visible traits of OCD are actually ones that are encouraged and even admired in society, such as perfectionism, attention to detail, and cleanliness. The popular media rarely portrays sufferers as how they truly are — locked in a debilitating cycle of meaningless rituals that they feel compelled to perform despite recognizing their senselessness.
Justin Green's 1972 comic book Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary was based on the artist's childhood experience of what was later diagnosed as OCD. Green suffered from arranging, cleansing, and avoidance compulsions related to intrusive religious and sexual fears.
The science fiction novel Xenocide by Orson Scott Card portrays a planet on which people with a form of OCD are revered as religious figures.
Richard Briers' character Martin Bryce from the sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles was clearly suffering from advanced OCD and this manifested itself in organizing all the local events, societies and charities of The Close. His home and daily routines also had to be spotless. One running gag was the repetitive straightening of the telephone cable, a trait which he eventually passed on to his wife.
Adrian Monk (played by Tony Shalhoub), the title character of the American television series Monk, is a detective whose OCD is alternatively beneficial and detrimental to his line of work.
The 1997 film As Good as it Gets starred Jack Nicholson as a theoretically obsessive-compulsive author. Nicholson received an Oscar for the performance. The film is notorious for its unrealistic, Hollywood portrayal of OCD symptoms.
In the book series Everworld, Jalil Sherman's OCD is particularly painful, as his mind is otherwise rigidly bound to science and logic. It also serves as the basis for his connection to Senna.
The 2003 film Matchstick Men featured Nicolas Cage as a con artist suffering from OCD-style symptoms.
The 2004 book by Steve Martin, The Pleasure of my Company is told from the point of view of a juvenile but charming mathematical genius with OCD.
The 2004 film The Aviator starred Leonardo DiCaprio as reclusive genius Howard Hughes, who was believed to have suffered from OCD.
In the 2005 film Elektra, the title character (played by Jennifer Garner) is said to suffer from OCD, despite her own claims not to. The film itself makes almost no physical reference to this fact, other than a scene in which Elektra is shown to be cleaning a floor as a "compulsion" and a scence where she arranges and rearranges the objects in a house she is staying in. The movie was criticized by OCD-experts and sufferers for this unrealistic treatment.
In the 2005 film "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo", Deuce's girlfriend, Eva suffers from acute obsessive-compulsive disorder. She does things like bite people when a horn is honked, smells herself when she hears sirens, slaps herself 3 times when someone sneezes, etc.
In the TV show Joey, Joey Tribbiani's executive producer, Lauren (played by Lucy Liu), suffers from OCD. She goes crazy when she thinks she left her oven on and when someone knocks, Lauren has to knock on something.
In the TV show Desperate Housewives, Bree Van De Kamp (played by Marcia Cross), suffers from OCD. She is highly sensitive about objects being in order (as well as her emotional life).
The Riddler, a DC Comics supervillain, is portrayed as having OCD in most modern interpretations. He is unable to commit a crime without sending a riddle to either the Gotham police force or Batman that reveals the crime's nuances. Ironically, most of the crimes would be unsolvable if not for the riddles he sends.
Episodes twelve and thirteen of season three of the TV series Scrubs featured a guest character played by Michael J. Fox that suffered from OCD.
Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and an online advice expert. She has been helping people make smarter life choices since 1998. Visit her for Advice & Counseling, or take a free Depression Screening today.
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