OCD Awareness X CAMH
PROBLEM: More than two-thirds of the public cannot accurately identify OCD.
INSIGHT: OCD is judged by what’s visible, while the real experience is the invisible mental loop driving it.
TENSION: OCD is still reduced to neatness, order, or being “particular,” when in reality it’s actually relentless, intrusive thoughts that refuse to let the mind rest.
IDEA: Show OCD from the inside out.
WHAT IS OCD
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a serious mental health condition where intrusive thoughts trigger intense distress, and the brain demands relief through mental or physical rituals.
OCD is time-consuming- typically taking up more than one hour a day, or severely disruptive to daily life, work, relationships, or functioning.
The obsessions usually manifest in a constant loop of “what if” questions. They are intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that feel disturbing, dangerous, or deeply wrong.
The compulsions are repetitive actions or mental rituals performed to relieve the anxiety those thoughts create.
OOH: Instead of explaining OCD, the campaign lets people experience it. Each headline captures a common OCD subtype through internal monologue, where ordinary moments unravel into doubt, fear, and what the condition takes from the sufferer. Repetitive, looping typography mirrors the condition itself- capturing uncertainty, fixation, and the inability to reach closure.
SOCIAL: Intrusive Interruptions: CAMH X INSTAGRAM
Social media becomes the delivery system for OCD’s internal voice, Familiar posts are interrupted by intrusive “what if” thoughts that don’t match what’s happening on screen- illustrating the disconnect between what you see and what the mind is saying.
EXPERIENTIAL: City Wide OOH
Short fragments of OCD internal dialogue appear across the city, placed exactly where those thoughts are triggered. The work turns everyday public spaces into moments of recognition, allowing people to briefly experience what living with OCD feels like.
