A new psychiatric diagnosis aims to identify a forgotten patient group fearing they disgust others with their smell. This results in unnecessary washing of clean clothes. The condition, known as ORD, stems from a constant pursuit of freshness.
An article in Dagens Nyheter highlights how fear of smelling bad drives people to wash clothes that are not dirty at all. 'We wash clothes that are clean,' is quoted in the text. The new diagnosis ORD, a psychiatric classification, aims to identify this previously overlooked patient group.
The background involves cultural and personal pressure to always smell good, like vanilla or sandalwood, while natural body odor is avoided. A constant striving to be 'fresh' can lead to excessive washing and, in the worst case, to ORD. The article was published on November 17, 2025, and points to how this fear unnecessarily affects daily life.
Experts emphasize the importance of recognizing the condition to provide support, without sensationalizing it. No specific numbers or additional case studies are mentioned, but the diagnosis is seen as a step toward better psychiatric care.