This week I chose to show images that signify challenges that someone with OCD (obsessive complusive disorder) may encounter. This disorder is a mental illness that can be hidden deep within someone. Someone with this challenge may have a hard time leaving their house without worrying if their hands are clean enough, did I forget to turn the stove off or making their family wait in the car for an extra 30 minutes before a road trip to ensure that all the lights are off or that the appliances are unplugged. It can consume your every thought if you let it. The photos I posted are examples and expressions that come from every day task that we take for granted but someone with this disorder will do in a manic manner. The first photo is an expression of sadness that one may feel if suffering from this illness. The second photo is a huge obsession that someone with this disorder may have. On an average day you may wash your hands 5-10 times, but with OCD you may wash your hands 100 times and never feel that they are clean enough. The last photo is an overexposed picture of glasses lined up perfectly. This represents to me the unclear thoughts that someone suffering from OCD can have. They look at these perfectly lined glasses and they see glasses that are out of order. I have people close to me that suffer from this disorder, but they have been able to overcome these challenges and live productive and happy lives.
I like the images you used to symbolize this disorder, especially the top photo. Her eyes, with the dialated pupils, slight sadness and even a bit of loneliness, seem to be looking for help to stop the incessent thinking that often goes along with OCD. Years ago I had a friend who had a compulsion about "alignment" so the glasses also are a very effective expression of this disorder.
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