Dear Editors,
The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) is deeply disappointed with Harper’s July 2025 cover story, “Shadow of a Doubt: How OCD Came to Haunt American Life.” This underinformed and out-of-date article had the potential to provide your readers with a thoughtful exploration of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and encourage those affected to seek treatment that alleviates needless suffering and distress. Instead, the author, who himself suffers from OCD, perpetuates shame, reinforces misconceptions, discredits evidence-based treatments, and derides both individuals living with OCD and the professionals who support them.
We are living in a time when people need compassion, not cynicism. OCD is a widely misunderstood disorder that affects roughly 240 million people worldwide. The author wholly misses the mark by attributing American culture to the rise of mental illness and OCD. The disorder’s global prevalence—up to 3% across countries, ages, races, genders, identities, and socioeconomic backgrounds—points to a far more complex reality that has existed for decades.
OCD involves distressing, intrusive thoughts that could be related to relationships, morality, religion, cleanliness, sexuality, violence, or even the very nature of existence itself. To alleviate the distress, a person with OCD will feel compelled to perform repetitive behaviors or mental acts. Unfortunately, due to the lack of information and seriousness around OCD, it takes more than seven years on average for someone to receive an accurate diagnosis.
Your author flagged the importance to learn more about the genetic cause of OCD and better understand its etiology. We share that concern, and advocate for addressing the stark disparities in research funding wherein OCD receives just 10% of the investment allocated by the U.S. federal government to other conditions with similar or lesser prevalence rates. In fact, a major, multi-year genome-wide association study (GWAS) research study published in a leading scientific journal in May identified 30 genetic regions that were more likely to have certain variations in people with OCD. Continued investment in rigorous, peer-reviewed research is critical to improving treatment options and bringing hope to those whose lives, relationships, education, or careers are disrupted by this disorder.
And there is hope. The IOCDF provides a guide for evidence-based treatments for OCD. While the number of trained OCD clinicians is far too low, we proudly maintain a comprehensive resource directory to help people connect with care, and a training institute to provide professionals with education. The Annual OCD Conference, community events, awareness walks and livestreams that the IOCDF hosts fosters a global community built on support, education, and shared experience, countering the isolation and stigma brought on by articles such as “Shadow of a Doubt”.
To build understanding of OCD and help those affected to thrive, we must commit to shining a light on this disorder, not cast those struggling into the shadows of stigma, misunderstanding, or convenient cultural critique. Such reductive portrayals of OCD obscure the very real suffering experienced by millions and risk reinforcing the silence and isolation that so many are working to break.
We invite Harper’s to step out of the shadows and into a space where lived experience, clinical expertise, and scientific progress can come together to illuminate what OCD really is. We encourage you to use your platform to educate, to elevate, and to move us closer to a world where no one is left in the dark.
The post Letter to the Editor: Shining Light on a Shadow of a Doubt appeared first on International OCD Foundation.
