Trigger warning: self-harm, suicide, hospitalisation
Blog post was written by Timo Kallioaho, disability advocate. Edited by André Félix, Communications Coordinator
The diagnosis OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), ICD-10 code F42, is a psychiatric disorder which can vary in severity quite a lot: between mild and moderate cases to severe and therapy-refractory cases (cases where a person’s condition or illness does not respond to standard treatments or therapies). Mild cases can be treated with medication, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Exposure and Response Prevention (a psychological treatment method commonly used to help people overcome anxiety disorders).
A small minority of cases develop the extremely severe form, which does not react to conventional therapies (either medication alone, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alone or a combination of both). This severe OCD can be “a life-destroying disease” with many variations of symptoms. According to the World Health Organisation: “The therapy-refractory form of OCD belongs worldwide to the group of 10 most difficult diseases to treat, including many cancers and cardiological disorders”.
I have had this form of OCD, and can I can assure you that life with it was hell. I come from Finland, and we didn’t have accurate care for this when my disease was at its worst – and I agree with many international studies which often state that the risk of committing suicide is skyrocketing (compared with other mental disorders) among persons who suffer from this severe OCD.
The same was true for me: I attempted suicide five times. And after some of them, I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital where I stayed for six years, until 1992. Then, I was sent to Sweden for “an anterior capsulotomy operation”. This is a neurosurgical operation conducted under strict operating practices, used just as a last resort when nothing else helps. I was lucky and got good help. After the operation, I’ve been delivering lectures on it also internationally.