Despite its conceit, the 2002-2009 TV series “Monk“ makes many mistakes in depicting obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The series follows an obsessive-compulsive police consultant’s unfailing power of observation that allow him to solve challenging murder-mysteries

Obsessive-compulsive disorder “features a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears known as obsessions,” forcing one to perform ritualistic acts called compulsions to quiet their obsessions, according to the Mayo Clinic. The International OCD Foundation shares obsessive-compulsive disorder is often debilitating to subjects and can prevent them from performing even important activities (like solving crimes).

In fairness, all of this is true of protagonist Adrian Monk’s manifestation of OCD. Likewise, Monk is highly cognizant of germs and infection, which can be a real obsession held by obsessive-compulsive people, like millionaire Howard Hughes.

But “Monk” turns OCD into a gimmick, as exemplified by a tagline for the show: “Obsessive. Compulsive. Detective.” Though he may be admirably well-rounded as a character, displaying complex emotions like bravery, moral conviction and grief, Monk’s obsessive-compulsive disorder is essentially an idiosyncrasy — used to make his character more interesting and, sometimes, for comedic purposes.

Alternatively, “Monk” could have portrayed OCD as one of Monk’s many character attributes, focusing more on his deductive genius and tragic past than on his obsessive-compulsive behavior. In other words, the show could have done well to change how OCD relates to Monk — still making it present but not as much of an outsized character trait as the condition is on the show.

Even worse, “Monk” does not examine different, more anxiety-producing manifestations of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Beyond superficial obsessions over germs, organization, etc., obsessive-compulsive individuals may experience intrusive thoughts about more disturbing topics, like sexually inappropriate behavior. I have had personal experience with obsessive-compulsive sexual thoughts, which have been very intense and burdensome to me in the past.

Seeing characters on TV grapple with those experiences might be comforting to me and to other real people with OCD. However, the main character of “Monk” never displays these symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Nor are they present in any other characters in the show, such as Monk’s rival, Harold, who is also obsessive-compulsive. 

Even if the show does represent the experiences of certain obsessive-compulsive individuals, it makes OCD out to be a monolithic experience, without the actual, real-world complexities of the condition. “Monk” could have done well to understand and describe the spectrum of how and to what extent obsessive-compulsive disorder manifests in individuals’ lives.

Despite its strengths, the TV show “Monk” creates an inaccurate image of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Its portrayal of obsessive-compulsive behavior is limited to only the narrow example of Monk and another character, and the writing on the show treats OCD as a narrative tool and a punchline, rather than a unique condition that interacts in a complex way with other aspects of one’s life.

Future TV writers should take note of “Monk’s” limitations when writing about obsessive-compulsive disorder in their own creative projects. Audiences need a clearer image of the lived reality of OCD, and obsessive-compulsive people deserve a more empathetic and nuanced reflection of their experiences, than “Monk” provides.

This story was written by guest columnist Reed Larson-Erf. He can be reached at @[email protected]