ᴍᴏʀʙɪᴅʟʏ ɪɴғᴀᴛᴜᴀᴛᴇᴅ ☑

94. OCD

Jungkook sat in school with an absolutely absent mind. It was a week later that he returned, but he couldn't focus at all. Candy tapped on his shoulder. "Let's go." 

"You seem excited." Jungkook chuckled. 

"I didn't tell you this before, but it's my sister who is the guest lecturer," Candy wriggled her brows proudly. 

"Really? Is she a doctor?" 

"Yeah, therapist." 

"That's why they want everyone to attend the session." Jungkook picked up a notepad and a pen to go to the auditorium hall where the guest lectures were organized. 

All students settled down on the chairs and Jungkook could tell he has seen the lady that stood on stage under the illumination somewhere. He just couldn't pinpoint where has he really seen her. 

"Thank you everyone for joining the session today. I hope you will get something out of it and you are able to make a difference with what you learn." As the voice resonated in the large hall through the speakers connected via mic, everyone practiced their attention. 

"My name is Sa-Rin Kim. I have mastered psychology and I have been a practicing therapist for ten years," the lady spoke and Candy waved at her. Jungkook hid his face behind the notebook as he continued to listen. "We are going to talk about OCD today. Does anyone know what it stands for?"

Unmistakably, she received a holler from students. "Obsessive-compulsive disorder."

"Right. We think it's common because lately the movies or the TV shows are projecting such disorders in a healthy light and educating us all that not all mental disorders render a person maniac," Sa-Rin walked to the side and turned on the presentation that suddenly projected behind her. The words were written in bold on one slide. "Now... I want you to understand that this disorder comes from two words. Obsessive and compulsive. Both words have different meanings and a person suffering from OCD can either have obsessive part of the compulsive part, or both present in them."

A few took interest in the topic and Jungkook seemed to not pay attention yet.

"Most people suffering from OCD have compulsions rather than an obsession. There could be behavioral or mental compulsions. Can anyone tell me any example of how a behavioral compulsion would look like?"

"Biting nails?" A voice answered. 

"Good guess. Although it's a habit in many children that they bite their nails, when we teach them, tell them how they are intaking germs, scare them educationally, they stop doing it. But if someone refuses to stop biting nails even after that, what happens then?"

"They have an OCD?" Another voice asked from the crowd. 

"Not necessarily. We cannot deem a person fit or unfit on the basis of just one habit. In therapy, we do comprehensive diagnostic assessments to analyze before we can reach any conclusion. So...biting nails, walking a certain way when you are outside, keeping the AC at one particular temperature, watching TV at only one set volume. All these are examples of behavioral compulsions."

Jungkook's eyes squinted a little as he now focused.

 "Now... Mental compulsions," Sa-Rin resumed. "A person struggles with their thoughts. One overthinks on why they are having the thoughts they have, they try to solve the intrusive thoughts in mind, argue to themselves, repeat numbers or certain phrases in your head."

Jungkook started noting some of those traits down. 

"A person suffering from OCD won't harm you. Let me be very clear on this. But the person will avoid the situations, memories, certain activities, people... Basically anything that can trigger their OCD. They can go to lengths to hide things."