Changing minds on mental health

Award-winning psychiatrist is spearheading efforts to develop the sector, Xu Xiaomin reports in Shanghai.

To many people, obsessive-compulsive disorder might seem like a relatively harmless condition characterized by the unusual need for cleanliness and orderliness, but such misconceptions cannot be further from the truth.

In fact, some people with OCD never display such inclinations. Rather, the disorder manifests itself in other ways, such as an irrational fear of contracting an illness or harming through violent means. Such obsessions and compulsions can become so time-consuming and distressing that they cause immense stress to an individual.

In China, OCD affects around 1.5 percent of the population, but the impact of this condition has been profound－an investigation in 2019 revealed that OCD results in 33 billion yuan ($4.78 billion) in economic losses every year.