‘They don’t choose to have OCD’: why Covid-19 is hell for Hongkongers with obsessive compulsive disorder

Therapists says lack of control has exacerbated the condition for many during pandemic, with constant messaging on hand-washing, social-distancing compounding fears

Calls for help have quadrupled at one local non-profit, while some struggle with relentless, panicked thoughts about potential vaccine side effects

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Compulsive hand-washing is one of the better known behaviours of obsessive compulsive disorder. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 3:00pm, 14 Nov 2021Updated: 9:20pm, 14 Nov 2021

Nearly everything about the coronavirus pandemic seems tailor-made to increase the anxiety of Hongkongers living with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

From washing their hands dozens of times a day, to locking themselves in their homes to avoid human contact, as well as relentless worrying about vaccine side effects, Covid-19 has exacerbated a mental health condition Hong Kong therapists have watched steadily grow during the city’s two-year battle with the virus.

Minal Mahtani, founder of the non-profit group OCD and Anxiety Support Hong Kong, said calls to her helpline and email inquiries have quadrupled from about 20 a week in the pre-pandemic era to nealy 80 now.

Worryingly, the numbers have remained stubbornly high despite the near-elimination of coronavirus cases in the city.

“Covid-19 has turned all our lives upside down. A lot of us feel a sense of unpredictability and lack of control about the future,” Mahtani said, citing general uncertainty over being able to travel and visit family members overseas. She added that OCD symptoms and severity were worsening among patients.

Minal Mahtani’s non-profit group OCD and Anxiety Support Hong Kong has seen calls for help quadruple during the course of the pandemic. Photo: Dickson Lee