- Date posted
- 3y
- Date posted
- 3y
The amount of people that still don't realize the capacity of what OCD is, is astounding and it's unfortunate. I deal with the same things as well and have since I first developed OCD at 3 (I'm almost 21 now), and I promise that certain people do get better- however it's not your responsibility to drill the truth of OCD into them. Just continue to be an advocate for your condition, and the right people will learn and come to terms with it; This doesn't lessen the amount that people like the ones you mentioned suck. Know that you are supported and loved, and you are now apart of a community that understands!
- Date posted
- 3y
Yes, some of my old friends are more in denial than I am, especially since it appeared suddenly and heavily at 26 lol I think some people do it because they're not educated on the subject and don't realize how distressing and debilitating it actually can be, especially in our meme/Internet/narcissistic culture now (memes and Internet I approve of), some simply lack empathy, some "don't believe in mental illnesses/OCD" and think some people are just dramatic and some try to confort/reassure you because they don't know what else to say. I think communication is key in this case. I don't know your age, and I know it can be draining, and you obviously can chose to do it just with the closest ones, but I think it would be good to speak up in those instances and explain that's it's one of the most debilitating illnesses there is, so no, it's not really the same/comparable and the level of distress is not comparable either. Sorry for the unsolicited advice at the end. TW: invalidating/insulting things about OCD Friends wise, I'm super lucky tbh, except for two, but my brother "doesn't believe in OCD", thinks I'm being a princess (contamination OCD, I throw untouched food sometimes and feel horrible about it, or can't touch some items and buy new ones) and thinks cOCD is an illness for privileged people who don't have real issues, so they make them up instead of forcing themselves to "be normal".
- Date posted
- 3y
I'm sorry your brother isn't compassionate or understanding enough to get how troubling ocd often is. I'm really sensitive to when people make little remarks about things I do because of my OCD since I already worry that it's an inconvenience to the people around me, so I can imagine having someone say things like that can be distressing
- Date posted
- 3y
@brock2478 Thank you for this 🙏 The worst part is that I already feel guilty enough and like a constant inconvenience and he's an advocate for depression and active in charities, so it was especially hard to hear and messed with me a lot. Thank god for therapy. And I hope it wasn't triggering for you to read
- Date posted
- 3y
my friend once told me that i should get over my issues with checking doors, wardrobes, etc because i'm a grown up now. i think it's difficult for people to understand when they haven't experienced it themselves
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
That is so invalidating I'm sorry.
- Date posted
- 3y
Comment deleted by user
- Date posted
- 3y
I'm really sorry to hear that. I experienced this when I first began therapy before getting reassigned to my current therapist. I'm very happy to hear you are changing therapists
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
Not yet but I can imagine that happening in the future. Ugh.
- Date posted
- 3y
Yes, my wife doesn’t understand lol
- Date posted
- 3y
lately I've been having a lot of trouble trying to get my friends to understand some of the things that are hard about relationships for me. like I don't handle uncertainty well and constantly want to ask the other person questions to get rid of that discomfort and it's almost impossible to express how distressing and completely engulfing that can get when I reach out for advice.
- Date posted
- 3y
I haven’t told any of my friends about my ocd and I don’t think I’m ever gonna lol. I’m able to hide my ocd well. I usually excuse myself to the restroom if I need a moment to do my compulsions or can do them in front of others without them catching on lol
Related posts
- Date posted
- 20w
I’ve been dealing with ocd and anxiety since I was a kid, but these recent years have been the worst it’s ever been. It’s hard to communicate with people about your mental health so I’ve been self isolating by accident lol, my social anxiety is terrible and it’s extremely stressful for me to hangout with people and my friends don’t seem to really understand even when I try my best to explain. They notice I don’t hangout as much but to them it’s “me being weird “ or “ a fake friend” I don’t know what to do and it’s frustrating
- Date posted
- 16w
My mom will sit and listen to me for quite a while, but she interrupts a lot and gets angry/upset. While I appreciate her passion, it's often stressful. Every time I come to her, if I even *mention* OCD, she gets frustrated and says, "Everyone deals with these issues, you know. It doesn't mean it's OCD." And I repeat, "I'm not saying my issues are unique — I'm saying the way I respond to them is a problem." But she just shakes her head and says, "Okay, I need to get back to my day." Full context, I'm an adult, and I live with my boyfriend, but I'm staying at my mom's for the next month. After living away from home for years, I went back to living with her during the pandemic, and I only recently left to live with him. Honestly, I think living with her for so long in my adulthood really messed with me and made me feel like a teenager all over again. I feel like my mental growth is stunted, and that's part of why my OCD is so bad lately. Not blaming, just noticing. She doesn't seem to understand how relieving the OCD diagnosis has been for me, because it explains so so so many things I've struggled with for years, and it's exciting to have more resources that can help me. But I think she sees it as me finding an excuse to *not* work on myself, which is just untrue. I'm not going to let OCD hold me back or use it as an excuse, but I'm also not going to pretend it's not a problem when I know it is — I was even diagnosed through NOCD. The whole point being to fix it, not use it as a crutch. When I have an issue, it's unbearable. Any issue, big or small, feels just the same. I feel a sinking feeling, my mind races, my heart beats out of my chest. I end up running to my support systems, crying, ruminating for days on end. Then, months later, the same exact issue can feel like nothing anymore, because it's no longer an obsession. I'm sure everyone deals with issues in a similar way, but I *know* there is something specific and debilitating going on with me. This is reassurance seeking, but in the face of being told I'm making a big deal out of nothing, can someone diagnosed with OCD tell me if they relate to the specific intensity of these feelings??
- Date posted
- 13w
When I hear the others might think that they could also have ocd when I tell them I could have it or they want to say they have it after I’ve got diagnosed with, without knowing how I feel it is like why do I always have to have something and then they say they also might have it are they supporting, joking or what?
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