High street store TK Maxx has apologised after withdrawing a range of “OCD” kitchenware following a barrage of complaints.
The novelty items, including a biscuit tin and a cookie jar, displayed the slogan “I have OCD… Obsessive Christmas Disorder”.
But the retailer has now pulled them from its shelves following angry complaints from campaigners and sufferers of obsessive compulsive disorder, which affects 750,000 people in the UK.
#OCDUK Don’t know wether I’m being too sensative but this in @TKMaxx_UK upset me today #ocd pic.twitter.com/VZChXfOWzR
— Laura (@LeopardKitty) November 25, 2018
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They hit out at TK Maxx for “trivialising” the debilitating mental health condition and using it as a cheap punchline.
Campaigning charity OCD-UK, which aims to raise awareness of the disorder, tweeted the store to point out the products were offensive.
It wrote: “Hello @TKMaxx_UK appreciate you don’t mean to offend. But are you aware that OCD is a devastating mental health problem, hence the word ‘disorder’?
“So for many of those SUFFERING with OCD, they/we would find this product of poor taste (at best). Will you please review products?”
Hello @TKMaxx_UK appreciate you don’t mean to offend. But are you aware that OCD is a devastating mental health problem, hence the word ‘disorder’? So for many of those SUFFERING with OCD, they/we would find this product of poor taste (at best). Will you please review products? https://t.co/9ay6vIZ9Ya
— OCD-UK (@OCDUK) November 25, 2018
The charity became aware of the kitchenware after a woman named Laura, from Liverpool, posted a photo on Twitter.
She wrote: “Don’t know wether I’m being too sensative but this in @TKMaxx_UK upset me today”
OCD-UK sent her a message that said: “Sorry you’ve had to see such unhelpful and upsetting products in a major retailer.”
The casual use of jokes about OCD would never be accepted about other mental health problems. As someone with OCD I know how disabling it can be and how ‘unfunny’ it is to people who have it. Educate yourselves TK Maxx and other such companies.
— Alison Hargreaves (@AlisonH2012) November 25, 2018
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As word spread, Laura was contacted by other sufferers thanking her for highlighting the issue and expressing their outrage.
One posted: “It amazes me we live in a ‘politically correct’ society yet some mental health disorders are completely trivialized”
Another tweeted: “Just exhausting that we have to fight this insensitivity WHILE fighting compulsions and rituals. #OCD”
Thank you for pointing this out. It amazes me we live in a “politically correct” society yet some mental health disorders are completely trivialized 😡
— Stacey (@WeepingWillow97) November 28, 2018
Just exhausting that we have to fight this insensitivity WHILE fighting compulsions and rituals. #OCD
— Alexis (@tmblingweed) November 26, 2018
This is upsetting…..it’s upsetting as all of the frustration of people misunderstanding the condition as a funny querk gets amplified again…totally misunderstood condition that’s extremely upsetting…far from funny
— CatseyBee (@CatseyBee) November 25, 2018
A third added: “This is upsetting…..it’s upsetting as all of the frustration of people misunderstanding the condition as a funny querk gets amplified again…totally misunderstood condition that’s extremely upsetting…far from funny”
OCD-UK chief executive Ashley Fulwood said: “There are two issues – one is that it trivialises it and the second is that it fuels these misconceptions of OCD being something quirky. It fails to recognize that the ‘D’ in OCD stands for disorder.
“It’s not just a case of us being easily offended. People fail to realise how severe it can be. It destroys lives, relationships, careers and sadly we have tragic consequences of people taking their own lives.”
Normally humour helps me with my OCD but I feel like this is very ignorant of TK Maxx https://t.co/XwYrkOJOiq
— Amy Wildsmith (@amymillicent_) November 25, 2018
A TK Maxx spokeswoman said: “At TK Maxx we take our customers’ concerns very seriously and appreciate that these items were brought to our attention.
“It is never our intention to cause offence and as soon as we were made aware of the concerns, we initiated a process to remove these items from sale.”
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