The Best at It

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder characterized by “obsessions” and the involuntary ritual of physical “compulsions.” Obsessions are “lasting and unwanted thoughts that keep coming back or urges or images that are intrusive and cause distress or anxiety” (“Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).” Mayo Clinic). Obsessive urges typically have no correlation to beliefs or actions that a person would actually enact: Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive, and often distressing. Obsessions can take many forms. Someone might experience unwanted thoughts and images about performing a certain action, a fear of contamination, or doubts that they have performed certain actions like turning off a stove or locking a door. Rahul experiences a fear of germs and doubts that doors are locked, stove dials are off, and sinks are off. He also experiences unwanted fears and images about his outlets lighting his bed on fire.

Someone with OCD who experiences obsessions, or compulsions, will often feel compelled to perform repetitive behaviors “meant to reduce anxiety related to your obsessions or prevent something bad from happening” (“Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)”). Compulsions may or may not be related to obsessions, but they often follow a ritualistic format that only temporarily relieves obsessions. Someone might feel like if they do not perform their compulsions, something bad will happen. For instance, to face his pervasive and intrusive doubts, Rahul performs checking behaviors. Even after he does this, Rahul still worries about something bad happening.

OCD is often stigmatized and misunderstood in both media and life. For instance, people sometimes use the phrase “OCD” as shorthand for being extremely detailed and precise. These are inaccurate references that minimize a chronic mental health disorder. In the media, OCD is often portrayed incorrectly or in a limited fashion. In the television show Monk, the title character compulsively hand washes. His obsessions are portrayed as helpful aids to his powers of observation and his detective profession. The film As Good as It Gets also portrays a character with hand-washing and germ-related compulsions, as well as other ritualistic compulsions that make him act meanly to people. Mental health is not correlated with being a mean person, and portraying isolated hand-washing compulsions divorces compulsions from the mental health conditions that precipitate them.

When asked about Rahul’s “probable OCD,” Pancholy said that Rahul’s actions are “similar to some of the ‘checking’ behaviors that [he] dealt with as a kid, and honestly still do[es] as an adult” (Adler, Dahlia. “Authors in Conversation: Maulik Pancholy and Phil Stamper Talk Mental Health.” LGBT Reads, 19 Oct. 2019). Sharing mental health characteristics with his title character has helped Pancholy create a compassionate and accurate representation of OCD. The novel shows how frustrating obsessions and compulsions can be without stigmatizing OCD. Rahul’s OCD is not used as a plot device or a joke or boiled down to stereotypical and inaccurate traits; it serves as an age-appropriate representation of OCD. It thus joins a group of books with accurate representations of OCD, including John Green’s Turtles All The Way Down and Patrick Ness’s The Rest of Us Just Live Here.

While Rahul’s stressors, including being bullied by Brent, relate to his mental health, Pancholy has clarified that “it was important to [him] not to pathologize being gay. [Rahul’s] mental health struggles are not because he’s gay” (Adler). Rahul is concerned about not fitting in, but Pancholy clarifies that this worry is a universal experience. While Rahul’s sexuality is one of the things Brent bullies him about, and bullying can lead to increased stress and mental health outcomes, Rahul’s sexuality itself does not have a correlative or causal relationship with his OCD. Pancholy aims to both represent OCD in a realistic, holistic way and not create harmful stigmas surrounding mental health and Rahul’s other identity categories.