Twin Sisters With Severe OCD Die In Apparent Suicide Pact

Two twins in Colorado, US, who suffered from severe OCD - characterised by germaphobia - throughout their lives have died in an apparent suicide pact.

33-year-old sisters Sara and Amanda Eldritch had suffered from germaphobia (sometimes known as mysophobia clinically) for most of their lives.

The condition is often detected in those suffering from it by excessive handwashing.

However, the Eldritch sisters' case was so severe that from their early twenties they would take showers of up to ten hours.

The pair were reportedly found dead in a car near their home in Royal Gorge, Colorado, last Friday.

GoFundMe

As The Sun reports, Fremont County Sheriff's Office spokesman said: "After further investigation and results from the autopsy this appears to be an isolated incident, and there is no threat to the public."

The two women were unable to work due to their condition but had in recent years undergone deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment.

DBS is a neurosurgical procedure where electrical impulses are sent to specific targets in the brain to try and treat neuropsychiatric disorders.

It is used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, chronic pain patients, people with Tourette's Syndrome and people with major depression or OCD, such as the Eldritch sisters.

However, it was only approved as a procedure for OCD patients in 2009 and is a relatively new treatment.

Following their deaths, a GoFundMe page was set up to support their mother Kathy.

CBS)

It said: "It is with great sorrow and unprecedented grief that we share that on March 30, Kathy Worland tragically lost her twin daughters, Sara and Amanda. This unspeakable sorrow is falling on Kathy on top of losing both her parents last year."

"Sara and Amanda were amazing young women with big smiles and even bigger hearts. Unfortunately, they suffered their entire lives with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), and in January of 2015 had groundbreaking DBS (deep brain stimulation) surgery.

"Their progress after the surgery surpassed all expectations and they packed an entire lifetime into the last three years.

"But, there is no cure for mental illness, and they finally succumbed to this insidious disease."

OCD is an anxiety disorder that can affect people of all ages in any walk of life. UK charity OCD Action works to highlight the fact that condition is severe, treatable and that those suffering from it should seek help.

More information about OCD can be found here.

Topics: News, Mental Health, Health

Ronan O'Shea

Ronan J O'Shea is a freelance journalist from London who has written for titles including LADbible, Headspace, The Independent, National Geographic Traveller and New York Post. Contact him at [email protected].