Pure: a show that finally portrays the O of OCD
By Mairéad Ruane
Image: https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/pure/
Kirstie Swain’s TV adaptation of Rose Cartwight’s memoir Pure, which recently hit UK Netflix, is revolutionary in that it demystifies one of the top 10 most disabling illnesses of any kind globally: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is a mental health condition characterised by intensely negative, repetitive and intrusive thoughts, combined with a chronic feeling of doubt or danger (obsessions). In order to quell the thought or quieten the anxiety, a person with OCD will often repeat an action again and again (compulsions). But despite the fact that OCD consists of both compulsions andintrusive thoughts, representations of the illness in mainstream media have repeatedly focused on only a few of the external compulsions, namely hand-washing and cleaning, creating what writer Sam Martin calls ‘the OCD trope’.
The mainstream media’s (mis)representations of OCD have had very real consequences. One of the greatest challenges that people with OCD face is the need to fight both the all-pervasive stigma of mental health disorders and the widely held belief that OCD is a mild or even “quirky” problem that is nothing more than hand washing. Many people now use OCD as an adjective [“I’m a bit OCD”] without understanding the onerous nature of the disorder in its severe form. As an individual living with OCD up until the age of 20, with no understanding of what was going on inside my head, and no support for it, it comes as no surprise that, as OCD action report, there is an average delay of 12 years between the onset of OCD and treatment being received. How are we, as people living with OCD, to understand that our intrusive thoughts and resulting anxiety are symptoms of the fourth most common mental illness when it is repeatedly misrepresented in the media as a cleanliness fetish?
Pure shatters such stereotypes and manages to visualise the most internal of experiences, bringing to the screen the O of OCD: the intense intrusive thoughts that drive the compulsions in the OCD cycle. The mini-series achieves this with sharp humour, a dynamic cinematic style and masterful performances (from newcomer Charly Clive, Joe Cole, Kiran Sonia Sawar, Niamh Algar and Anthony Welsh) ensuring that it remains relevant and gripping.
Pure’s protagonist, Marnie, suffers from sexual intrusive thoughts: a common but lesser-known theme of OCD. Other common OCD themes include, but are not limited to, fears about violence/harm (especially of loved ones) abhorrent, blasphemous or sexual thoughts, dirt, germs and contamination (OCD Action). It is important to emphasise that the themes and content of intrusive thoughts are ego-dystonic – they are the opposite of a person’s values or actions – which is why they cause the sufferer such distress.Pure captures this distress and its effects on all aspects of an otherwise highly-functioning individual’s life. It also captures the automatic and frequent nature of intrusive thoughts for those with OCD who find it more difficult to brush them aside than those without the disorder. It’s important to note that we all experience intrusive thoughts; it’s the inability to dismiss them that marks the disorder.
Ultimately, the show strikes a brilliant balance, offering enjoyable and educational entertainment. Through its use of dark humour, it steers well away from becoming a high school mental health presentation while also weaving in honest advice: no one can control the onset of intrusive thoughts but everyone can learn to change their relationship with them to live more freely. Whilst it’s a toned-downversion of Rose Cartwright’s memoir of the same title (which I’d urge you to read), it is groundbreaking in visual culture. Pure communicated the most honest portrayal of OCD I’ve seen and left me hopeful that it could mark the beginning of a new wave of more truthful representations of OCD realities which could save so many of us from years of silent suffering.
Mairéad Ruane has created a mental health web series which covers OCD on her Instagram: @maireadruane_
Learn more about OCD at: https://www.ocdaction.org.uk/To read Sam Martin’s article on the OCD Trope: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3731&context=all_theses
To watch Pure: Channel 4: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/pure Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81254306
To read Rose Cartwright’s memoir Pure: https://www.amazon.com/Pure-Rose-Bret%C3%A9cher-ebook/dp/B0118ITJUY