At some point, more and more people around us started calling themselves "OCD." If you post nine pictures on Weibo or Moments and miss one, someone will comment: "My OCD can't handle this!" But did you know? OCD is often called the "cancer of the mind," and their world is far from easy.
In the Oscar-winning film Matchstick Men, Nicolas Cage portrays just such an OCD sufferer—Roy.
Matchstick Man—American slang for a con artist who spins elaborate lies so convincingly that victims willingly fall for the scam. Even with just a box of matches, he could use his masterful deception to make crowds clamor to buy them with cash.
Roy is precisely such a "matchstick man." For years, he and his partner Frank have pulled off countless scams with their masterful deception.
Yet Roy's personal life was a shambles. Divorced from his wife for nearly 15 years, his only companion was a stuffed dog filled with cash. He also suffered from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, constantly performing uncontrollable actions—like obsessively worrying about doors not being properly closed,locking doors three times while counting aloud, experiencing facial tics when going out, or feeling compelled to clean his surroundings... Roy relies solely on medication prescribed by doctors to function.
Obsessive cleanliness is a classic symptom—OCD consequences are severe
In the view of Dr. Feng Bin, Deputy Director of Zhejiang Provincial Tongde Hospital, Roy's symptoms represent mild OCD. "The most severe patient I've encountered couldn't leave home at all because they feared doors weren't properly secured."
After exhausting himself during a major household cleaning session, Roy confided in his family doctor: "Listen, Doc, last Tuesday I spent the entire day holed up at home scrubbing the carpet. Every time I stared at it, I felt like I was going to throw up. I kept thinking, I'm an adult—I should be able to recognize what's going on in my own head.The more I thought about it, the more I felt I should just shoot myself and be done with it. But then I worried that suicide would mess up my damn carpet."
While a love for cleaning might seem like mere neatness to most, Dr. Feng Bin, a leading expert in mental health in our province, cautions: "Neatness is one of the most typical symptoms of OCD."
Can OCD really cause such immense suffering? Dr. Feng affirms this: "While the movie plot suggests his condition wasn't severe enough to drive him to suicide, OCD sufferers do endure tremendous pain. They live in perpetual conflict—driven by intense perfectionism yet plagued by deep self-doubt, convinced they'll fail. When lecturing at Zhejiang University, I mentioned cases where severe OCD led to suicide."
The person Feng Bin referred to is Wei Dong, former director of Guojin Securities and director of Jiuzhitang Co., Ltd. In 2008, at the height of his career, Wei Dong jumped to his death at the age of 41.
In his suicide note, Wei Dong wrote: "Due to prolonged work pressure, my OCD has worsened in recent years.I had hoped to step back from work this year to focus on recovery and treat this mental illness. Yet recent external pressures have overwhelmed me. Compulsive actions and thoughts haunt me constantly, accompanied by severe insomnia and depression. I can no longer face life, have no confidence in ever escaping this, and fear that continuing this way will burden my beloved partner and family beyond endurance..."
Youngest OCD Patient Just 6 Years Old; Frequent Nail-Biting Requires Attention
Dr. Feng Bin maintains a database of his OCD patients. Over eight years from 2004 to 2012, he treated 594 OCD patients. However, in July of this year alone, 98 of the patients seen at his clinic were diagnosed with OCD.
Beyond the rising numbers, a trend toward younger patients is evident. The youngest patient Feng treated was a preschooler, just 6 years old.
"Young children may exhibit different symptoms than adults. Take this particular child, for instance: he constantly bites his fingernails, leaving all ten nails completely worn down. He repeatedly tugs at his pants regardless of whether they've fallen down. And when learning to count, he often fixates on whether a number is considered lucky or unlucky."
Furthermore, Feng Bin noted that a classic sign of childhood OCD is coercing parents to comply with the child's demands. For instance, a child might repeatedly ask about a specific event and insist that parents recount it exactly as the child dictates. When such behaviors occur frequently, parents should be vigilant.
Why do such young children develop OCD? Feng Bin explained that while the medical community hasn't pinpointed a definitive cause, current theories suggest OCD onset is linked to psychosocial factors, personality traits, genetics, and neuroendocrine influences. For instance, overly competitive children or those with parents who are excessively neat tend to be more susceptible.
Mild perfectionism may actually be beneficial as a precursor to OCD.
In the drama, when Roy seeks treatment, the doctor prescribes him an "anti-OCD" medication that alleviates his symptoms. In reality, however, the doctor had prescribed him a standard nutritional supplement.
Regarding this, Feng Bin views it as artistic license in filmmaking. "OCD is extremely difficult to treat, with traditional psychological and pharmacological therapies showing low efficacy rates. According to data released by the World Health Organization, the socioeconomic burden of this disorder ranks among the top ten diseases globally. Nutritional supplements have no therapeutic effect on OCD."
According to Feng Bin, current common treatments include: cognitive behavioral therapy, such as exposure therapy—"which means the more a patient cannot tolerate something, the more I place them in that environment."Consequently, Feng's clinic often stocks props like trash cans specifically for treating "cleanliness obsessives." Other approaches include psychoanalysis—"though this may take 20 years to show results"—pharmacological treatment, and Feng's innovative Chinese medicine technique: "acupoint stimulation." "When applied appropriately, these methods can yield quite rewarding therapeutic outcomes."
However, Feng Bin also noted that mild compulsive symptoms can be beneficial as long as they don't interfere with normal learning, work, or social life. "For instance, striving for perfection might make you excel in studies or work. Being clean-minded ensures a comfortable living environment and good personal hygiene—these are positive aspects. As long as you don't feel distressed and it doesn't disrupt your life, it's acceptable."
If you feel it's starting to affect your life, Feng Bin suggests trying self-control techniques. For example, if you close a door and worry it's not shut properly, check once to confirm and then stop checking. You can also redirect your attention, reminding yourself not to dwell on a particular thought. Appropriate exercise and maintaining a positive mood can also be helpful.