- Username
- probs overthinking
- Date posted
- 2y ago
In my case, my OCD started after a pretty heavy year and a trauma, so my closest friends and family all witnessed (virtually, since I was abroad) the symptoms and they know everything. When my symptoms were really heavy, I had to tell people beforehand, upon meeting them, because it was impossible to hide, so I only hung out with people who I thought would be able to deal with it. For the most part, it actually worked out pretty well, except for a couple of people. And that did not feel nice, two had started playing with my triggers. Now that I'm in a better place, I try to filter myself and be very selective about it, or I reveal just what I feel confortable revealing. I did it in 3 steps for a friend, for instance, because of how vulnerable it made me feel and I didn't want them to be shocked or feel they had to change their behavior around me. In my work area, it's impossible to share this information, and that s why I had to take a break until I manage my symptoms better. In summary, after all this oversharing haha, I would say it really depends on who the person is, how intense/noticeable the symptoms are, and it's okay to compartimentalize, tell close friends, but maybe not your judgemental family member who doesn't"believe in mental health". Sometimes I feel that a stranger is receptive, so I can share it really quickly. For the workplace, I think it depends on how the team is, but unless necessary, I would try to share it only with people who you feel would get it and not treat you any differently, not because of stigma or shame, but because some people need to be educated and it could be exhausting to have to deal with it at work. Again, depends on how the atmosphere is.
That said... I have often made the mistake of telling people and then that's all they think of me is "oh she has ocd" I really hate it. I say only tell people you trust.
Ya, don’t tell anyone. They won’t understand.
i was just wondering this too!
i only share it with those really close to me and my manager
im so worried to go back to work bc i feel like im gonna accidentally tell my clients something about my ocd and they’re gonna call the cops or something ☹️
I think making ocd a big part of your identity could be a mistake. I have read that one barrier to overcoming mental illness is internalizing it as am identity because then if you could "cure" it you risk a major identity change (something people resist) and zo people who accept mental illness as an identity sometimes resist qctual recovery.
Only 3 people know all my OCD themes. Everyone else? Not their business.
“Omg I’m a perfectionist too”
“I’m so ocd, clean up”
i tell EVERYONE that i interact with on a regular basis. my partner, my close coworkers, my friends, my boss. i used to not tell anyone, and i felt isolated and afraid of being called out and called crazy. my boyfriends left me, my friends got frustrated, etc. now i just announce it anytime im having an "issue," and instead of feeling humiliated, though most people can't _understand_, they accept it if im doing weird shit. in my experience, its been so much easier to divorce myself from the ocd when i make it clear to myself and others that a behavior isnt something i WANT to be doing. of course, your milrage may vary
The day I get officially diagnosed, I almost can’t WAIT to let certain people know and post things about it and raise awareness for it etc. I’m excited to explore OCD. But I feel like I’m just doing this for attention / for pity and sympathy. It’s bad, and I know that, but I’ve always loved it. And this often makes me think that I don’t have OCD, I’m just telling myself I do so I can be unique and special. Personally, I found out about OCD through reading an article about a harm ocd sufferer and then telling myself that I too wanted to kill my family. It was distressing. However I can identify traces of OCD prior to that. I frantically worried that I had HIV (health) & I frantically worried that life was all just a simulation (existential). I also suffered with confessions and the need to tell people the bad things I’d done. But I still wonder if I really am just putting it on, because this excitement to tell people isn’t exactly conventional. Nobody WANTS OCD, so why do I?
How open are you all about your ocd? Do you ever tell anyone? Right now everyone at work thinks I’m perfectly happy and that everything in my world is great. When in reality everything is falling apart and I’m depressed. It’s so hard when someone makes a comment like “you’re so perfect” or “you’ve got your life so together” when they don’t know what you’re going through and what mental battles you have to fight literally every minute of every day. This is why I want to tell the people around me, but I’m also worried they won’t understand. Can anyone relate to this?
At what point in dating do you let your (potential) partner know that you have OCD? I’d like to start dating this year but sometimes I feel like I need to be in a better place to do that? Also I feel like if I actually get into a relationship and I don’t say anything about it that I’m hiding some dark secret. Any thoughts/experiences?
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