What made you personally download the NOCD app? Curious what brought you here - was it for the therapy, the community, the resources, or all?
Therapy. I previously thought I was just a hypochondriac, but then I got horrible harm intrusive thoughts and felt like I couldn't go anywhere, slowly working my way out! Everything here extra has been great - the community is so helpful
That's so incredible to hear! Keep digging, you will find your way out more than you ever thought possible!
@A person 1 So relatable!
Finally finding an answer to my terrible intrusive thoughts and groin response. I have sadly been dealing with them since I was 13; I truly believed I was a broken person, that I was doomed and deserved nothing. I had a massive flare up back in December of this year, to where I couldn’t see anyone or be out anymore. I cried all day, and locked myself in my house. I found out about NOCD by sharing an article with my mother, hoping to show her what I’ve been struggling with all this time, and she recommended I make the free call. Since then, I’ve found a lovely community and therapist who understand my struggles. It is so relieving to know I wasn’t insane or losing my mind.
Wow, this is so awesome to read. What an inspiration you are for your vulnerability - this will help so many people.
To find a therapist that does ERP
I first heard about NOCD in a Youtube video of psychologist Kathy D’Ath. Recently I found out the NOCD-app. I am not from a country in which English is the official language, so I don’t think I can afford therapy offered by nocd or get insurence. But I do get a lot of support out of the reading/sometimes answering the stories/messages people struggle with. I feel less alone in all this OCD related stuff and sometimes I feel I can be helpfull (I hope), comforted and empowered by the community. Plus I really like the weekly Q&A with Patrick McGrath. So cool that he does that! Thanks for facilitating these kind of things for people with OCD 👍
Hi Maddy! Thanks so much for sharing this. What country do you live in? I ask to see if you already talked with our intake team to make sure!
Therapy, but use this daily for the community and inspiration.
That's so cool to hear. Thank you for sharing!
The resources and the community
Nice! What are your favorite resources? Do you enjoy the YouTube Lives? I love them!
@ I find the q&a on Youtube valuable.
The therapy. I was in absolutely dire straights mentally, and was losing grip of reality, being psychotic with fears I couldn't possibly reveal to others. My therapist here created a safe environment for me and referred me to a very competent prescribing nurse. My care team has saved me from complete implosion, and I can't express how grateful I am to have found this service.
Thank you so much for sharing this. Finding a safe environment is KEY.
im so tired of my intrusive thoughts controlling my entire life and destroying my sexual life to what it feels like no return
It's exhausting. I love your username! It gives me hope, too!
My car was stolen in part due to my OCD. For years I had been “testing” the universe in unsafe ways (walking alone late at night, leaving my keys in the car, etc) to see if I really deserved the car, safety, whatever. It ended up being very expensive and stressful and forced me to contend with how much OCD was taking from me. I asked about ERP in my OCD support group and several people mentioned NOCD. I’m glad they did. ERP is not by any means easy, but I have a great therapist and I’m feeling optimistic.
Wow, this story sounds similar to a lot of the compulsions I used to do. Not being able to lock my car, leaving valuables to "test" it as well. This was part of my magical thinking, and it was the worst. One time my OCD was ADAMANT that I leave my dorm room for a whole weekend with my valuables inside and leave the door unlocked the entire time. I spent the whole weekend away shivering in fear of what would be stolen. I look back now and can't believe I allowed my OCD to rule me in that way.
It was for everything! I didn’t know why I was having these thoughts & I wanted resolution and answers as to why for the first time in my 28 years of existence it was happening. I also feel like through community we can help each other better and more.
Honestly not sure. I know I have issues, even my wife has commented on them, I feel a lot of them are brought on by anxiety. Honestly, I have no idea what I hoped to gain from this.
It's okay to feel this way - it can feel like such a loss when you aren't even sure what help you need. I felt this way too. A lot of times, OCD is the root of other comorbidities, and getting a diagnosis and treatment plan for OCD can help in other areas as well. Have you by chance had a session with an OCD Specialist ever?
@ I have not. The VA had me talk to a therapist for my rating and he told me I had anxiety driven depression. But that's all I know as of yet
I was a major memory hoarder. I googled “ What is it called when I feel the need to remember everything “ it said it was OCD so then I googled OCD therapist in my area and NOCD came up
Therapy but the postings are very helpful.
I downloaded it because it sounded like a good way to deal with my ocd.
More for therapy but I’m glad there is a community. I’m constantly struggle with thoughts about how I look, how my hair looks, and my weight. I compare my body to others and I struggle to have confidence (today I’m really struggling and it’s 6 am) and I also have BDD to which doesn’t help things. I really want to be thin and have a flat stomach and I don’t see that when I look in the mirror and constantly need validation. And I don’t have a partner and I feel like I’m hideous and I’m not attractive cuz I have a little loose skin on my stomach.
I relate so much to all of this. It's so hard to have OCD and comorbidities of any kind, but one surrounding your appearance is so very hard. I relate to needing the validation as well!
I was losing control of all the facets of my life. My personal and work life were suffering. I still have not been diagnosed with what I am. Adam Brickell
Hi Adam! I sure relate to losing control of all areas of life. Have you ever seen an OCD Specialist?
Heard about the app and therapy resources in the podcast OCD Stories.
Owning it, compulsive buying & a tad amount of hoarding
The therapy! I have postpartum contamination OCD and after 6 months of things continuing to only get worse not better I realized it was something I had to get help with and can’t just overcome by myself no matter how much I research/try.
So glad you are here, Robbin! I love the vulnerability of acknowledging the need to reach out for help after trying on our own for so long!
To finally tackle what I believe is ROCD. I have intrusive thoughts constantly about my amazing secure partner and I feel like it’s more than just ordinary doubt. I am trying to be positive and excited to start therapy.
I am so excited for you. I struggle with ROCD too, and I needed help desperately, as it got in the way of my last relationship badly. This is so exciting for both you and your partner!
@ Thank you!! I really am hopeful this will let me see things clearly and the work will pay off . So tired of letting my mind throw bad thoughts 24/7 and get the best of me.
Instagram ad right when I needed it lol
I first heard about the app from the “OCD Stories” podcast. I came here for the support groups and the community. They all have been great on my road to recovery!
i feel like getting on this app is a compulsion, but it brings me so much comfort knowing there’s people out there like me. and knowing i’m not alone
Now that we’ve kicked off the new year, I find myself reflecting on where the OCD community is today—how things have changed for the better, as well as my hopes for the future. Ten years ago, it was almost impossible to access a licensed therapist with specialty training in OCD using health insurance. Most professionals simply didn’t understand what OCD actually looks like, so over 95% of OCD cases weren’t correctly diagnosed. As a result, insurance companies weren’t able to see how widespread OCD actually was—or how effective exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy was at treating it. Instead, people with OCD had to pay about $350 or more per session, all out of pocket, for their best chance at getting their life back. I know this from personal experience. OCD turned my life completely upside-down, and I reached out desperately for help, only to be misdiagnosed and mistreated by professionals who didn’t understand OCD. When I finally learned about ERP therapy, the evidence-based treatment specifically designed for OCD, I learned that I’d have to wait for months to see the one OCD specialist in my area, and I couldn’t afford the cost. But I was fortunate. My mom found a way to help us pay, and I finally got the help I needed. Otherwise, I don’t think I’d be here today. In a few months, I started seeing improvement. As I continued to get better using the skills I learned while working with my OCD specialist, I learned I wasn’t the only one with this experience—in fact, millions of people across the country were going through the exact same things I was. That’s why we started NOCD. Since 2015, we’ve always had one mission: to restore hope for people with OCD through better awareness and treatment. The OCD community needed an option for evidence-based treatment that they could afford and access, no matter where they live—an option that also provided necessary support between sessions. And the entire healthcare industry needed to understand how OCD actually works. As I write this post, I’m more enthusiastic than ever about our mission. Just recently, we’ve partnered with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Texas, New Mexico, Montana, and Oklahoma. To put this into perspective, 155 million Americans can now use their insurance to access NOCD Therapy. This year, I have high hopes for the OCD community. More and more people will be able to use their insurance to pay for NOCD Therapy, and we’re working hard to give everyone who has OCD the ability to access the treatment they deserve. In addition to providing ERP Therapy, our OCD-specialty therapists also support our Members in prioritizing their overall well-being. With a focus on developing important lifestyle habits, including diet, exercise, mindfulness, and healthy sleep hygiene, they help our members build a strong foundation for lasting mental health so people are more prepared to manage OCD long-term. For every person who gains access to a therapist specialized in OCD for the first time, 2025 could be a year that changes their lives. If you or a loved one is suffering from OCD, please comment below or schedule a free 15-minute call with our team to learn more about how to access evidence-based OCD treatment and ongoing support using your insurance benefits.
I get asked about the name NOCD a lot. People might want to know how it’s pronounced, and they’re curious about our story. Every time, I’m excited to share a bit about what the name means—in fact, it’s an opportunity for me to talk about something everyone should know about OCD. First things first: it’s pronounced “No-CD.” And it actually means a couple things, both central to our mission: To restore hope for people with OCD through better awareness and treatment. The first meaning of our name is about awareness: Know OCD. Though we’ve come a long way, not enough people truly know what OCD is or what it’s like. How many times have you heard someone say “Don’t be so OCD about that,” or “I wish I had a little OCD. My car is a mess!” Things like that may seem innocent, but they trivialize the condition and keep most people with OCD—around 8 million in the US alone—from getting the help they need. The second meaning of NOCD is about treatment: No-CD. To go a bit deeper: Say “No” to the compulsive disorder. On one level, this is also related to knowing OCD—noto means “to know” in Latin. This inspired the name NOTO, the operations and technology infrastructure that powers NOCD the way an engine powers a vehicle. But this meaning goes even further. It has to do with how you can manage OCD symptoms—learning to resist compulsions. This is the foundation of exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the most effective, evidence-based form of treatment for OCD. Learning how to resist compulsions with ERP changed my life, and it taught me how important it is to get treatment from a specialty-trained therapist who truly understands how OCD works. I’ll give you an example. When I was 20, my life was going according to plan. I was thriving on the field as a college quarterback, doing well in school, even winning awards—until OCD struck out of nowhere. I started having taboo intrusive thoughts, things that horrified me and went against my core values and beliefs. Desperate for help, I saw several different therapists—but no one diagnosed me with OCD. At one point, I was instructed to snap a rubber band against my wrist whenever I had an intrusive thought. It was supposed to stop the thoughts, but it only made my symptoms worse. Driven into severe depression, I had to put my entire life on pause. Once I started ERP with a therapist who understood OCD, I learned why: you can’t stop intrusive thoughts from occurring. Everyone has them—and the more you try to get rid of them, the worse they get. Anything you do to suppress them is actually a compulsion, whether it’s counting in your head, snapping a rubber band against your wrist, or using substances to drown the thoughts out. To get better, you have to learn to resist compulsions and accept uncertainty. OCD doesn’t get to decide how you live your life. How do you educate the people in your life about OCD? Whether friends, family, or strangers, I’d love to hear how you share your understanding and raise awareness about OCD.
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