Hi everybody, I’m 33 and I recently got diagnosed, quite literally today and I’m part relieved to know I wasn’t tripping and knew something was off, but it’s still weird to have this diagnosis now. What was everybody’s experience when they first got diagnosed?
I don’t remember exactly how I felt. I think I was about 17. As I’ve gotten older I can look back and make sense of behaviors and thoughts that I experienced before I was diagnosed and I’m like “Yep that was OCD”. So it’s definitely nice to be able to label it.
@strike1207 Mine started at 6 with hair pulling , but went through a lot of childhood trauma that I thought the hair pulling was an isolated thing that just happened. I don’t realize it was something bigger until I went to school for counseling but it didn’t click because I don’t feel like I fit the textbook symptoms. It’s been quite a light bulb moment when a lot of things could be tied back to being OCD
I was diagnosed back in 2019. I felt like i was going crazy because I was having so many intrusive thoughts.
@Hopefulfeelings123 Yes! This what led me to finally getting an assessment to get help! Over the past year, it really gotten worse after a family member we died and I was having so many intrusive thoughts about disease and myself dying… I thought I was going crazy!
@trinityb3 Yea it was so scary. Im glad you were able to get diagnosed so that you knew you weren’t going crazy
@Hopefulfeelings123 It’s definitely scary when the thoughts start and they are rapid fire. Those thoughts get really loud
@trinityb3 Sooo loud. And they feel so real. Its unbelievable how intense they get. I have taboo themes of ocd so you can imagine how tough that is. 😔
Welcome, and thank you for sharing this. Getting a diagnosis can bring such a mix of emotions! Many people describe that first diagnosis moment as both validating and disorienting, because it can change how you see your past and your future all at once. It makes a lot of sense that you “knew something was off” and now feel partly relieved. A diagnosis often helps people look back and realize there were signs for years, and that they weren’t tripping, or making it up. It can take time to adjust to this new understanding of yourself, and it’s okay if your feelings about it keep shifting ✨
@Brittany Pavao It definitely brought about a mix of emotions even though I suspected it which was the reason to get reassessed. I thought I was going crazy or if I could just turn off my brain, I’d be fine
Heya, welcome! I'm 35, and I was diagnosed a couple years ago after a hospital stay. Honestly, my diagnosis didn't change much materially for me, but emotionally it meant a lot. I had somehow convinced myself I was alone in this, so learning that what I'd been dealing with since I was a kid really helped me reframe the whole experience. It's still not... great, but I'm greatful to be through that part. It does feel weird sometimes still, though! How have you been holding up?
@Lystel The worst experience was me trying to explain to someone why I might have OCD before I got diagnosed and they said “oh you don’t have OCD, your home is messy sometimes” I was like “well, if my brain could stop thinking so much then I can clean” lol
For me, I struggle a bit with trying to convince myself that it’s not as bad as I think or maybe I really don’t have it!! But i know that’s just a large potential staple of having OCD 😅. But it is nice to have a diagnosis for sure!!
@Anonymous I think that was me for a while. I kept trying to white knuckle things until last year, I got a ct scam for chest pain because I was convinced I was about to croak from a heart attack and when they said I was fine, I asked them if they were sure and wanted to see my scan. I really knew something was off then
I got diagnosed not long ago but I had known I had OCD for many years prior. Learning about it made me realize I’d likely had OCD since I was a very little boy. It’s good that you got diagnosed. I know at first, I felt a lot of relief I felt seen for the first time. What’s important is what you do now. With that diagnosis talking to someone about possible medication and ERP if thats something you’re comfortable doing. OCD is horrible and this is a journey we all walk and struggle with here, but there will always be support. I know I found it here myself. I’m so glad you are on your journey now.
@necoarcfan445 Yes! I had been struggling since I was about 6 with a lot of anxiety and body rituals that continued well into adulthood. I got diagnosed with ADHD some years back and thought treating adhd would solve everything but I didn’t! I still had major issues with anxiety and the thoughts got worse last year. A friend of mine made a Facebook post about being misdiagnosed and it clicked that I need to finally get reassessed because adhd couldn’t explain the thoughts
I knew i had when I was 10, I did hours of research online, told my Dr at 13, she wrote me off and didnt really believe me, finally got diagnosed at 16, I was relieved, I knew I had it for six years before that so getting diagnosed was a way for people to finally stop saying I was faking it or being like "well are you diagnosed"
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