- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
Sharing your ocd is hard, even as hard as acknowledging that you have it yourself. I always try to say that “I’m normal”. And that just because I have turn the light off so many times and wash my hands a lot and use tons of hand sanitizer, doesn’t mean that I am “different” than people who don’t deal with this mental illness. But, the fact is I do, and not sharing that with your support group(s) will only make your obsessions and compulsions worse. My family gets so frustrated about why I can’t just sit on the couch next to them, they just don’t understand that I can’t. They get mad at how much time I waste and take to do certain things. My sister says “why can’t you just turn the light off once, it’s not hard”. But, I just CAN’T explain to her how I feel. And I am beginning to feel guilty to the point where I don’t want to take to anyone in my family about it, specifically my family and sisters. But, that only tends to make me more anxious, which means I have to do more compulsions to realease some of that anxiety. I am on meds and have been going to therapy for a while now, but nothing seems to be working. Does anyone know a good OCD specialist in Colorado Springs? Thanks for letting me share ?.
- Date posted
- 5y
It feels like the only people who get it are people who struggle with it/ the people who help the ones struggling. Thank you for sharing <3
- Date posted
- 5y
I will recommend the book When a family member has OCD, Jon Hershfield. That's a great one!
- Date posted
- 5y
Thank you! I’ll have to get a copy.
- Date posted
- 5y
Aww I understand the pain. I remember when I told my dad he told me "why do you keep checking,just do it once and done" have you tried actually properly discussing this topic with your family? If it's hard to explain show videos of OCD on youtube or what it is really like.
- Date posted
- 5y
I did, I sent articles. I think I might of disturbed them more. I have pure O. And they have a really hard time understanding. I’m in therapy, trying meds and it’s still not getting better. My thoughts scare them, just as much if not more than they scare me.
- Date posted
- 5y
I didn't tell my parent I had OCD despite I am at university now and my dad is a doctor but kept secret. .I thought that they would dissappointed about me if they knew
- Date posted
- 5y
I totally get that. I really put a lot of effort into my everythings perfect persona. And I felt like I disappointed my dad when I revealed my “ocd” crazy. And I know I terrified my husband, and my mom who both battle anxiety. Their response has actually made my ocd worse.
- Date posted
- 5y
I’m not sure if this is available to you, but many areas hold local support groups for OCD sufferers AND their families. Bringing them with you to one could help you all learn a little more about what’s going on and help them see how other families deal with this disorder. I’m so sorry your family is making you feel this way. As best you can, try to hold some compassion for them as well because deep down they are probably just scared that they can’t help you and that’s coming out as frustration.
- Date posted
- 5y
Thank you, that’s great advice and something I should look into
- Date posted
- 5y
I think your dad would understand. It took my dad a little while. But he’s now the only one who really helps me through it. My husband and mom need to take some pointers from him lol
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- 5y
Yeah. but I don't want to share some of my feelings especially I am mature I had a good therapist And I Am doing good at my studying. ...I like him he gave every thing I need ...that way every thing will be okay
- Date posted
- 5y
I understand I have only shared a few specific examples to my husband and I think he never wants to ask for specifics again. It’s really hard to share I’ve been hiding it for 10+yrs.
- Date posted
- 5y
Yeah.i don't want anyone to deal me as a unique that's make me feel better ...I want to get rid of this enemy when I was 15 ..tried different kinds of medicine as ssri and tricyclic antidepressants..and risperidone but it doesn't solve the root of sick . Now I am having annafranil with tegritol it is goog until now
- Date posted
- 5y
Thanks ?
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
I've opened up recently to my boyfriend about my ocd itself: he knew I had it, just didnt rlly understanded it. Today, I was feeling really awful because of my incest ocd, and the toughts were awful, so I decided to open up. BAD IDEA! he said it was ok and stuff but he also said he did not understand: he is, fairly, disgusted. Plus, he knowns my relatives, which probably made him even more sick. Im so sad, he is now more disgusted by me, and I am too.
- Date posted
- 24w
Today is Easter and it was supposed to be low key for me and my family but my mom invited a family member that bothers my ocd alot and now they are on their way here and I'm freaking out I already had a panic attack (still having it) and my family is not helping either they keep making comments about how they just want one holiday with no problems and some other comments and it's like I'm sorry I'm not normal like my siblings I didn't ask to be like this now I'm just hurt, upset and I locked myself in my room for the rest of day. (And I was doing so good with erp and this is like making me have a ocd relapse)
- Date posted
- 18w
LONG VENT POST: This is my second post of the day. Seriously, I am SO sorry. I have therapy tomorrow, I promise I will shut up after this lmao. Anyway, for Memorial Day weekend, I spent it at my aunt/uncles vacation house. Fortunately it wasn’t a big crowd - just my mom, grandmother, aunt, uncle and I. For context, I come from a pretty big family, and I am the youngest of 7 cousins and a younger sister to two brothers. All my cousins are in their early to mid 20’s, each very successful in school and their careers. My half brother is 29, and absolutely crushing it. My full brother is turning 23, he’s also doing amazing with school. I just turned 20 in April, I feel very lost. I know I want to be a forensic psychiatrist one day, and that I want my PhD. I want to be the best therapist I can be, but the fact that I barely get by with ocd/adhd has been discouraging me, so I currently feel like a flop. Anyway though, spending time with my aunts/uncles/cousins/grandparents triggers my ocd the most, as majority of them can be on the judgmental side. ESPECIALLY my aunt, she’s on my moms side, and she and my mom are total opposites. My aunts a very calculated, straightforward, logical, stern, sassy buisnesswoman. She’s successful, but lacks a lot of understanding and can be so cold and just mean. My moms a kindergarten teacher in a struggling community, and she’s always thinking about others before herself, extremely emotional, caring, but neglects her own needs a lot. They’re sisters, and they bump heads a ton. My aunt and all of her kids aren’t neurodivergent. They simply don’t understand mental health. My mom does, thank god. My aunt and uncle think that if a kid is having a psychotic break, then that kid should be kicked out of the house and not helped at all. My mom and I entirely disagree with this idea, and that someone clearly mentally suffering NEEDS mental health help asap, and they need to be home. The streets are the last place someone suffering should be. While we were vacationing at the house, my mom argued about this with my uncle. I was asleep, thank god, but I seriously hate having people in my family like this. I can never tell them about me having ocd, they’ll think it’s just an “excuse” for not getting things done, or just me trying to feel special. The reality is, they don’t get it. My full brother went through the worst psychotic break a few years ago. It lasted two years on and off due to bipolar disorder, but thank god he got himself help and he’s doing absolutely amazing now. He’s frustrated and embarassed with himself but now he’s on track, and as I said, crushing it with school. But the entire time he was going through this, my aunt and uncle just didn’t understand. To keep it short, they thought his mental problems were behavioral, and that he’s a “crazy” kid. The reality is, he was coping with the loss of his childhood best friend and our other uncle who was like a second father figure to us. He had manic episodes from the grief and self medicating with drugs and alcohol. This was all the while Covid was happening and he was a freshman at a college states away. He was so vunerable. I’m saying all this because, well, how am I to seriously be forward about my mental struggles when they couldn’t even show the slightest amount of empathy to my brother, who was struggling, so much more intensely than me? I’m quiet at family gatherings when they’re around for this exact reason. I have so much resentment toward them for it. I try to avoid them when I can, because I love them, I just hate their actions/views. What do you guys do with these kinds of people?
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