RESEARCHERS ARE LOOKING into how messaging around handwashing during Covid-19 impacted people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. 

A team at Trinity College Dublin have launched a study on handwashing, which it says is an “under-researched” part of a “hidden mental health issue” that impacts around three in every 100 people living in Ireland.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterised by unwanted thoughts or obsessions, and repetitive behaviours or compulsions, that individuals feel driven to perform, often to relieve fear and anxiety.

Lead researcher Róisín Cunningham said: “Handwashing became a global ritual during the Covid-19 pandemic. But for some people, it was already a distressing and hidden struggle that quietly affected their daily life.”

She told The Journal that the most common behaviour people with OCD live with is compulsive checking, but washing and cleaning compulsions are also common, with some studies reporting up to 70% of people with OCD experiencing this type of compulsion.

“For these people, handwashing becomes repetitive, time consuming, and difficult to control. It can significantly affect daily functioning and mental wellbeing, yet it is rarely spoken about openly,” she said.

Signage on a church gate in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, reminding visitors of the need to social distance and sanitise hands if they wish to visit the church. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

To receive an OCD diagnosis in Ireland, at least one hour of the day must be spent on compulsions, but Cunningham said some people with OCD spend significantly longer than this and live with obsessive thoughts throughout the day.

She said the constant messaging around handwashing during the pandemic negatively impacted people with “pre-existing fears” around contamination, but the specific experiences of compulsive handwashing and how the behaviour is managed are still not understood.

“It put handwashing into the spotlight, and blurred the line between hygiene and compulsion,” she said, adding that five years after the pandemic started, this impact is still affecting people’s lives.

She said OCD is little spoken about and often not understood.

“OCD can definitely be misunderstood or easily dismissed as “you like things to be tidy”. It’s much more than that, it’s debilitating,” she said.

She said that some people with the condition do not have a diagnosis due to long waiting list times, mental health stigma and a fear of no longer performing compulsions.

“People engage in compulsions to relieve anxiety, so it can be frightening to give up the thing that makes them feel safe”, she added.

Adults aged 25 and over are invited to take part in the study, which involves three confidential one-to-one interviews. A formal diagnosis of OCD is not required.

For people struggling with OCD symptoms, Cunningham recommends discussing support options with a GP.

To find out more or express interest in taking part, please contact the Principal Investigator, Róisín Cunningham, Psychologist in Clinical Training, via email: cunninri@tcd.ie