Sharing experiences through theatre

I'm just a little bit OCD
The Little, Southwark Playhouse

Given my background and experiences in child and educational psychology, the effects of the pandemic and lockdown heightened my interests in the ethos of counselling psychology, drawing me to be more proactive in my goal to specialise in helping young people with mental health issues. So, I was eager to see this interactive play on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), taking place at the very intimate The Little of the Southwark Playhouse – only 100 seats and a small stage. 

Upon entering, there were two cards on each seat. The first card was an information sheet on OCD. OCD is a serious and debilitating psychiatric condition which seems to affect men more so during childhood but women during adolescence and adulthood, so it was poignant that the play had an all-female cast. The second card was a Likert scale style survey entitled 'How OCD Are You?' 

In classic 'breaking-of-the-first-wall' style, we are first introduced to Matilda (Catarina Thane) who acts as both OCD sufferer and host of the fictional podcast, I'm Just A Little Bit OCD. Matilda returns at various points throughout for comedic effect, in an attempt to ease the tension of such an evocative topic. Many did not laugh, for example, at Matilda having to switch off a light 3, 6 or 9 times as it signified 'saving her mum's life and avoiding her dying in a car crash'. There were also some light-hearted interactions that settled better with the audience; for example, at the time of a would-be intermission, she tells the audience to complete the survey and high scorers (supposedly those more likely to have symptoms) 'won prizes' of, for instance, hand sanitiser – particularly useful now with the easing of pandemic restrictions!

'I'm A Little Bit OCD' is a phrase that's bandied around in today's society, and often stigmatised and trivialised.

The play centres on the introverted Tilly (Sarah Eakin) who can't stop opening and shutting kitchen drawers as it soothes her intrusive thoughts of harming younger children, and her little sister Grace (Jasmine Hodgson) who is a bit of a social butterfly, and at the beginning of the play, returns from the final year of her Art degree, and wonders why her sister is 'being weird'. Is it because she is annoyed at Grace for leaving her home alone with their overbearing mother to pursue her dreams of being an artist? Or is it more complicated than that? Indeed, at first, Tilly herself thinks that the cause of her thoughts and actions are the stress of being cooped up at home and having to look after her mum by herself. We never meet Tilly and Grace's mum though, and I felt that if there was funding for more time (the play was only an hour long), it would have been interesting to see the mum's interactions with her two very different daughters. 

Inevitably of course, Tilly comes across Matilda's podcast, and with the eventual help of Grace, applies for a therapy referral. The therapy room is created whilst we hear an exaggerated voiceover by Matilda. Having only attended therapy online myself, this brought home the stigma surrounding attending in-person therapy. The therapy room is morbidly empty save for just three items: a tissue box, a plant and a very big white clock. Some therapists don't have a tissue box in the session, fearing a space for negative transference, but for others it's an important signal of authenticity and empathy. 

Actress Ria Fay directs the play, which made its debut at the Brighton Fringe Festival four years ago. She self-diagnosed at the age of 17 by researching OCD on Wikipedia; she doesn't recommend this! The play was followed by an enlightening Q+A session with the cast members. I was amazed to realise that Ria herself, like the others in the cast, is a sufferer of OCD and is undertaking, and benefitting from, a course of exposure and relapse prevention (ERP) therapy (a form of cognitive behavioural therapy). I was particularly inspired by how, despite her struggles, Ria produces a first-rate performance in the character of the therapist. 

'I'm A Little Bit OCD' is a phrase that's bandied around in today's society, and often stigmatised and trivialised. People tend to reference OCD as a desire for order and/or excessive cleaning habits. The take-home message of this play is that OCD (and of course, any mental health disorder) is so much more nuanced than this. 

I took my phone out so quickly after leaving the theatre that night, eager to tell others about it. There have been a limited number of theatre shows, both on and off the West End, showing such real portrayals of mental health. When theatre engages the mind and emotions like I'm Just A Little Bit OCD did with me, it truly is doing its job. More is needed. 

About the author

Chrissie Fitch BSc (Hons) MSc PgCert; Visiting Research Associate at Nutrition and Behaviour Unit; Freelance Editorial Assistant for Good Thinking Psychological Services and Associate Editor (Culture).