Good Stuff Roy, but somebody should tell Ray that it's not borderline OCD, he's got the real deal. Rondo's excessive hand washing and germophobia could be an indication of the same. However, let them get treatment when their careers are over
I can tell you have never known anyone with a full blown case of OCD. Ray's is hardly the real deal - nor is Rondo's. OCD is a crippling disease. Some people can't even leave the house because they will keep checking the stove. They know it's off but they have to check it over and over again. They will wash their hands till they are BLOODY. It's not a laughing matter nor an assest for your career in anyway.
Being a perfectionist or very neat is NOT OCD.. Here is the critical difference really - IMHO. An OCD suffer will do things that aren't the least bit rational, and they are aware they aren't rational and keep doing them. Working even obsessively on your jumper when your a PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER is entirely rational and can be considered a good idea.
Ray is a pretty smart guy and his "borderline" qualifier is quite accurate..
Pete
Actually, this doesn't quite ring true. I have what you call "full-blown OCD", and have been dealing with it most of my life. Personally, I've never done many things that were "irrational", and being obsessive about a jump-shot could very well be a symptom of OCD. It affects everyone differently, of course, but to say that only people who display irrational behavior are the ones with "full-blown" OCD is not correct.
Yes, that can be
one way in which the disorder manifests itself, but that comes far short of explaining the pathology and extent of it's symptoms. OCD behavior is usually a repetitive or obsessive action done to relieve anxiety or stress, or anxiety-producing intrusive thoughts, and can be things that are quite rational indeed, (in fact most often are).
It's very much like the "snowball" effect, as when the obsessive or compulsive behavior is done, it's negatively reinforced by relieving the stress or intrusive thought temporarily, and thus adds to the propensity of it being done again, and the period of relief becomes shorter and shorter, thus requiring the behavior to be repeated on a more frequent basis.
Speaking first-hand, I can tell you that most of the behavior
I had trouble with, was
very rational and realistic, but I felt an irrational
need to repeat it, to the point where it interfered with my daily life and duties. Most others I've known with the problem, were also not performing "irrational" acts, but just doing normal things in an abnormal way, or to an abnormal
extent.
Also, the reasons that this behavior is repeated and obsessed about are very rational indeed. There may be a fear of getting disease from touching someone else's glass, or by standing too near to someone who's coughing, and so the person feels they have to wash their hands, or wear a dust mask, or similar. The fact that they could get a disease or germs from touching something that someone else has touched, is a
very real possibility, and not "irrational" at all. How they
respond to that stimuli, however, by say washing over and over, is what is not normal.
I must also state here, that OCD can be "full-blown" in someone, and that person may exhibit very few outward signs at all. It may manifest itself as just obsessive or intrusive thoughts, which may cause paralyzing anxiety, or which the person may internalize to a great extent, and not display any outward public behavior at all. It that sense, someone may have a very intense case of OCD and those around him may not know at all. This actually happens quite often.
To say Ray does or doesn't have OCD would be up to a professional who has worked with him closely on addressing it. He may very well have "full-blown" OCD, and not be exhibiting overly-dramatic abnormal behavior. Saying he doesn't have it because he's not doing irrational things over-and-over, is really not correct, and is simplifying a disorder that goes much deeper, and manifests itself in far more extensive and subtle ways.
I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade here, but a great deal of misunderstanding can come from such over-simplifications, and if we're ever going to address this insidious problem in a positive way and out in the open, they we've really got to take the time to understand it's many facets, not take discussing it objectively for granted, and not jump to conclusions based on a lack of experience or knowledge. It's a much bigger problem than what most people realize, and there may very well be people close to you who struggle with it privately, and have no outward, irrational behavior at all.
Ray may be one of these, or he may not ... it's not up to us to say. But we also shouldn't come to premature conclusions based on what we think the problem is all about. Talking about it is a great thing, as it brings these misunderstandings out in the open, and we need to do that much more than we do. But, unless there is somehow first-hand knowledge from a professional who has worked with Ray and diagnosed him as not suffering from OCD, there is absolutely
no way you could tell from his public behavior that he
doesn't suffer from it.
Most people in my life, even those closest to me who lived with me day-to-day, had no inkling I had such a problem with it, and it wasn't until I did something about it
myself, that it was recognized and treated. Ray could very well have had openly obsessive behavior, and be effectively treating it, in which case it would not be noticeable either. And while some feel it's psychological, and some feel it's neurological, it's still not known to this day what all the causes and mitigating factors are to this problem.
I think it's prudent to keep discussing this subject, as there is still so little known about it, and so much that's misunderstood. But I also think it's wise to not jump to conclusions, or assume someone does or
doesn't have it, just by basing it on their outward behavior. That's selling them a bit short, I feel, and selling this problem short as well. Talk about it, yes, but leave the diagnosis and treatment to the professionals who are responsible for doing just that.
Topic: Ray Allen has OCD (literally) (Read 25698 times)