(December 10, 2009) — Leg shaking. Finger tapping. Nail biting. Hair splitting. All are symptoms of the popular culture’s definition of “OCD.” Symptoms of this kind of “minor OCD” appear as habits that usually do not interfere with daily life. Many people have habits such as these, but when do they become a real problem? “I think everyone has OCD; it’s just a matter of how severe it is,” sophomore Erica Barin said. “I have a little bit of OCD, where everything has to be perfect and clean.” No matter where the location, whether it be at a restaurant or at a movie theatre, there are always people re-arranging the salt and pepper shakers to be symmetrical or reapplying hand sanitizer every time they touch a door knob. They get so used to doing these things that they do it subconsciously. Sophomore Sara Anis was subconsciously shaking her leg and tapping her fingers, so she only found out after her mom scolded her about it. “Now that I think about it, shaking my leg and tapping my fingers give me comfort and a sense of peace, and maybe that’s why I do it,” Anis said. These tendencies do not interrupt a person’s day-to-day life, unlike the symptoms of a person with medical OCD, which usually interferes with everyday activities. The real OCD, unlike the popular notion of OCD, is a type of mental illness that causes repeated unwanted thoughts, according to WebMD. Patients diagnosed with OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder, are usually treated with medicine and counseling. The drugs usually increase the level of serotonin in the patient’s body to filter out unnecessary thoughts. Otherwise, the mind dwells on them, making the person experience unrealistic fear and doubt, according to KidsHealth. Counseling includes therapy that increases exposure to objects that cause the obsessions and compulsions, which causes the patient to modify his or her behavior. A lot of people misunderstand the difference between the popular concept of OCD and the actual medical condition. There is a clear distinction between these two “types” of OCD. There’s no need to rush people to the hospital for constantly shaking their legs or washing their hands. Sometimes, however, OCD can help with staying clean, especially with the H1N1 concerns. “Every day when I wake up, I have to brush my teeth twice, wash my hands at least three times and shower at least once on the weekends,” junior Lilit Galstyan said. “And now, with the swine flu going around, I’m getting more paranoid about washing my hands.”