Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in the Black Community
Written by Dr. Jada Carter
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a widely misunderstood, underdiagnosed, and understudied mental health condition in the Black community. In our modern-day society, we typically use the term “OCD” to refer to a range of transient or non-interfering thoughts and behaviors, such as re-checking if we locked the doors at night or feeling the need to keep our home clean. OCD is in fact, a distressing and disabling disorder that impacts our day-to-day functioning, emotional well-being, and others around us.
OCD is characterized by the presence of distressing obsessions and repetitive compulsions. Obsessions are defined as intrusive and unwanted thoughts, images, or impulses that increase anxiety and compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that serve to reduce the anxiety associated with obsessions.
Some of the commonly known OCD symptoms include: contamination and cleaning, symmetry and arranging, excessive doubt and worry about harm, unacceptable or taboo thoughts, and other related symptoms such as hoarding, obsessive concerns about appearance, and health/illness anxiety. While these symptoms sound relatively feasible to recognize, cultural issues such as racial discrimination in the mental health field can impact a therapist's ability to accurately diagnose OCD with a Black identifying client.
If these symptoms feel familiar to you, you are not alone, and culturally competent mental health care is available.
Here are 5 ways to check if your mental health provider is utilizing culturally competent care with your OCD treatment:
Is my therapist aware of their own potential personal biases? Are they putting in the work to understand my personal cultural identities?
Does my therapist know about the connection between discrimination and OCD? Are they using culturally integrated assessments and treatments?
How is my therapist respectfully integrating my perspective and preferences into my treatment? Are we working as a team?
Have my OCD symptoms been distinguished from my cultural and religious/spiritual practices? Do they recognize that my identities are not the cause of OCD?
With my permission, has my therapist incorporated my family or community members into my care?
For those seeking more information and support on OCD, the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) offers web-based resources that are credible and free to access: https://iocdf.org/
Listen to our podcast episode with Jada where we talk in depth about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder through a Perspective in Color.
Contact Dr. Jada Carter’s via her directory profile