- Username
- Lauren C
- Date posted
- 2y ago
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!
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".
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
@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
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
That is so invalidating I'm sorry.
Not yet but I can imagine that happening in the future. Ugh.
Yes, my wife doesn’t understand lol
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.
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
*me preparing to share with loved ones or friends about my mental illness* *taking a deep breath and being brave* me: “So... I wanted to share something deep with you. I have recently been struggling with OCD.” them: “OH MY GOD ME TOO!!!! I hAtE iT wHeN tHiNgS aRe NoT cLeAn!!!!!!!!!”
Hey this is my first post on here. I have struggled with ocd since i was 5. I didnt know because I repressed these memories I guess but my mom told me I had to see a therapist when i was in kindergarten. Anyways, I finally opened up to my best friends the other day about my crippling OCD. And none of them seemed to really care...at all. I wish people would realize OCD is more than just being “neat” and “clean”. It makes school and everyday things more difficult. People dont take OCD seriously enough. I wish my friends cared so I could talk to them about it more, since therapy is so expensive, but I just wanted to share my experiences with a group of people who would understand.
I’ve tried to be really open about having OCD, but I often hear back “I’m really ocd too” or “everyone’s a little ocd” or “that makes sense because you’re so organized”- just comments that show they don’t really understand the disorder, or that they think I’m referring to a personality trait. I was wondering, how do you guys react to this or deal with these situations? And how does it make you feel? I try not not get frustrated, because OCD is not commonly well understood or spoken about. Still, sometimes I’d like it if people would process the severity and know I’m not saying I’m a neat freak.
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