Anonymous
- Date posted
- 26d
diagnosis questions
hi! how did you guys get your ocd diagnosis? what was that process like? did it take a while? do some of you not have a diagnosis but just know you have ocd?
MichelleVMichelleV
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 26d
I live in the United States, so I don’t know how this works in other countries. I reached out to the mental health department of my health insurance for general therapy in 2021. I tried 2 therapists, and the second one recommended I be screened for OCD. I got in touch with a psychiatrist, and she diagnosed me. I was then referred to NOCD. I suspected I had OCD for a long time before I sought treatment.
SwicklessSwickless
- Date posted
- 26d
My sister has diagnosed OCD and my mom is a hoarder so she clocked that I have it, but I didn’t get a diagnosis until I told my most recent psychiatrist about my intrusive thoughts. Once I explained all my symptoms and he asked me some questions it started to make sense. When I was a kid I used to count my steps in 10s in my head, step on tiles to get the exact feeling under each foot/same amount of tiles, and literally hit myself to make my body sensations even 😂 I’m surprised nobody figured it out earlier
SwicklessSwickless
- Date posted
- 26d
@Swickless Those are just some examples of, in my opinion, obvious OCD symptoms. I still have a problem with symmetry but I’ve learned to ignore it more. I suspected I had OCD when I looked more into what it actually is and not the societal perception of it.
Tea and HoneyTea and Honey
- Date posted
- 26d
I got diagnosed through NOCD. It was a snap. So easy to do. I think I was diagnosed in the first or second session.
if-elseif-else
- Date posted
- 26d
I actually just went thru this today! When you start therapy, you do a screener before the first appt. They will discuss it with you and ask questions to better understand your symptoms and then give a diagnosis if one is appropriate.
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 26d
@bksk1427 are you talking about starting ANY therapy? like general therapy? or the therapy that nocd provides
if-elseif-else
- Date posted
- 26d
@Pandora_2003 nocd specifically. I’m not sure how all other therapy practices approach it, but in my experience it’s similar
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 6d
Getting an OCD diagnosis can look different for everyone—some people are diagnosed quickly, while for others it takes longer or they recognize the signs themselves. You’re not alone in wondering about this, and your experiences are valid whether or not you have a formal diagnosis. Help is here at NOCD and we can assist you in finding outside help if needed too. Also here are some helpful resources: https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/how-long-does-ocd-treatment-take/ https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/can-i-get-over-ocd-if-no-one-knows-i-have-it/ https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/for-years-no-one-listened-to-my-ocd-struggle-im-making-sure-no-one-feels-the-same-way/
dollandtoyloverdollandtoylover
- Date posted
- 6d
When I was in my early 20’s, I was seeing a psychiatrist (my fave ever) for other mental health conditions, but after some months he changed my diagnosis. It then took 2-3 years for me to actually believe it, but I now realize I have had ocd since I was around 5 years old. So while my behavior was noticed by family, it wasn’t identified as ocd when I was a child. And even when I was seeing professionals as a teenager, I got misdiagnosed with depression, gad, and bpd. Now I feel confident that I have ocd and bipolar 1, but it took about 10 years and half a dozen doctors to figure it out. I learned that an uncaring or overconfident doctor can really derail proper treatment.
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 26d
For me it started with my psychiatrist. I get my meds from Talkspace and they recommended this app for therapy. I’m sure you could even start with this app and they will screen you for OCD before you even start therapy
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ATT2001
- Date posted
- 24w
I believe I was misdiagnosed
Hello there. I’m new here and think I may have OCD I’ve struggled with anxiety my whole life. However, in my early teens, I started experiencing obsessive fears and engaging in compulsions because my brain convinced me that if I didn’t perform a certain action a specific number of times, it would “prove” that I wanted something terrible to happen. When I was 17, I began seeing a therapist and opened up to her about this. She diagnosed me with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and I accepted the diagnosis But last night, I became curious about whether people with GAD engage in compulsions and have specific fears, so I looked it up. I was shocked to learn that these are not typical characteristics of GAD Now, I would love to find a therapist who specializes in OCD so I can get a formal diagnosis and the appropriate treatment
Andrea Wells
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 23w
Misdiagnosis & OCD
OCD is so much more than just being 'neat' or 'organized'—it’s relentless, exhausting, and often deeply misunderstood. The intrusive thoughts, the compulsions, the anxiety—it can feel like a never-ending cycle that others just don’t seem to get. Many of us have had experiences where even therapists didn’t fully grasp the depth of our struggles. I myself faced difficulty being misdiagnosed and my talk therapist not understanding the full extent of what I was going through until I found NOCD. So many prior therapists wrote off my symptoms as general anxiety, not realizing it was actually OCD all along. If you could sit down with a therapist who truly wanted to understand, what do you wish they knew about OCD?
hopewrldds
- Date posted
- 11w
will i eventually understand my ocd better?
i was recently diagnosed with ocd and i think im having a hard time identifying what is my ocd and what isn’t? or im not really sure how to express myself but i feel like i still don’t really know much about ocd and feel like an imposter saying i have it because i don’t know enough about it to really understand it? like all my life these things i would do or say or think or feel were i guess “normal” to me,, so how do i move forward when i don’t know really where to begin?
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