OCD is often reduced to stereotypes that don't reflect what it's actually like to live with it. If you had to choose one thing that you wish everyone in the world knew about OCD, what would it be?
How obsessions can be non-physical! Mental rituals need attention too
How bad it is! How much it affects people lives and how debilitating it can become
How “taboo” and dark some of the intrusive thoughts and obsessions can be, and that leads to people not getting diagnosed because they are ashamed or unaware they have OCD
How real the fears feel.
I wish more people knew that there are different kinds and not just the checking and organizing/germ triggers.
That you can’t always see it. Sometimes it’s all going on internally/mentally!
OCD is energy draining and needs time to get through.
It’s a lot more than keeping things tidy and symmetric; it’s disabling and ruins lives.
That intrusive thoughts aren’t always triggered by being around the trigger, they can happen randomly, at any time for any amount of time.
I wish everyone knew that we are not the thoughts that bombard us. And that even though we may look okay on the outside, the battle that we face inside is debilitating sometimes. We aren’t crazy, and we know it’s not logical. But that doesn’t make it feel less real.
I can’t turn it off. And I can’t “stop” worrying and thinking about it
I wish everyone knew what it looks like in early stages— especially therapists. I was misdiagnosed for so long and can’t help but wonder what life would have looked like with intervention and help prior to things getting debilitating.
All of those above and also how biologically driven it is. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
How exhausting it is.
How often it’s misdiagnosed because the person doesn’t present contamination or counting symptoms.
It’s draining and tiring.
While other people are nervous about an upcoming job interview or thinking about what they’re going to wear to a bridal shower, I’m anxious because pocd and harm ocd tells me I’m a bad person when I’m absolutely not. I miss my life before my brain broke. Living life vs. existing with ocd is spirit-breaking.
How much energy ocd drains from a person doing day to day activities.
That you can overcome it and you aren't stuck. Its gets so much better with time and practice!
That we don’t want these thoughts. We don’t want our daily life taken captive by OCD. That we are trying to use our tools to limit the power OCD has, but it’s not easy. You can’t just make thoughts stop. That sometimes we just need some grace, because it’s really hard to give it to ourselves
How little knowledge mental health professionals know about it. That you can’t just stop thinking about it and we are not weak because of it (my wife thinks this)
@R Lawson You’re here facing it and working on it! That’s strength and courage at its best. Weakness ignores things. Please don’t forget that 🎗️.
How debilitating it really can be😭
That it’s treatable!!! ERP is not torture and it’s doable!
That it never stops!
It is time-consuming
It is not being a “neat freak”. Just because your drawers are organized or your house is spotless doesn’t mean you have OCD. People have horrible intrusive thoughts. You can’t trust your mind. You have false memories. I wish people who think it’s being “overly cleanly” could experience the horrific reality for one day.
That you don’t wish that you had it. I’ve actually heard someone say, “I wish I had OCD so I could be more organized.” Or, “I love doing OCD stuff,” when referring to something that involves meticulous organization or cleaning. If you had it, you wouldn’t wish it upon yourself or anyone. It’s not cute or fun or funny. It sucks and is debilitating. I wish people knew how saying things like that is what causes people to take us less seriously when we struggle, or even what causes us to take OURSELVES less seriously and postpone getting help.
How up and down, lengthy, exhausting, time consuming it is and what it does to ur relationships
How even when you appear to be outwardly “fine” you can still really be struggling mentally and that you’re not just dramatic or over reacting, the irrational fear is very real to you.
that finding a way to live with it is a slow and difficult process not solved with just a pill and a few therapy sessions
Also that it can be extremely debilitating and cause a serious strain on your relationships that gives you so much guilt 😔
That we’re not doing it on purpose 😢
For people without OCD: That it’s like a bully inside of your head, making you panic and worry about every little thing as if it’s a genuine life or death situation. For people with ocd: Recovery is absolutely possible, and you can get your life back from it. ❤️🩹
I wish people would know that OCD is not a cleaning/ organizing quirk. It’s actually debilitating anxiety, compulsions and depression.
How much it can affect your relationships! #HateROCD
It makes you relive mistakes over and over
That it’s not obvious
I would wish a Lot of people that are going through it in silence know that this is something a lot of people deal with on a daily basis, that was me a while back thinking I was crazy or something was wrong with me until I found the correct help
It’s nothing to joke about
That it means nothing about who you are, no matter how real it feels.
It’s not easy to control.
That intrusive thoughts by definition are things we DON’T like/want to do
My wish would be for my husband, mom, and siblings know what it’s like for 30 days to have my intrusive thoughts. They think you’re lazy because you’re demotivated because of all the fear and shame that you feel when you have intrusive thoughts. Having OCD for over 40 years makes me wonder if they think I’m milking the disorder.
@Katsully529 🎗️🫂
How even when you get a spike under control, the thoughts persist! It’s lifelong.
Its debilitating. so much worsw than everyone thinks it is.
Like many other comments I’m reading, I wish people could see that it is debilitating and we are not always the thoughts that we have. OCD is so little talked about because the conversations around it can be uncomfortable and the person with OCD might not want to share in fear of being judged or looked at differently.
It’s OK to recognize and admit you have OCD and not let it control your life now or in the future
That telling someone with OCD, “Don’t worry” does not make the OCD go away.
It’s not a joke it’s really scary and really makes you shame your outer self
Why do you do that, it’s so weird? Trust me, i don’t want to. I fight every day not to. I’m learning how not to. Someday i may be able to help others not to. But until then, bare with me, it’s been and will be quite the ride. If you have to jump ship, no worries, I’ll be here seeing it through. Take care.
It’s exhausting and it can ruin lives
That because i am not a park bench, i can’t tell you what it’s like to be a park bench or how to go about being one. Much like if you do not have ocd, you will never know what it’s like to have ocd or how to go about living with it.
@SomeoneToMe Yes!
OCD can unfortunately be very hard to deal with at times. It is a disorder that people struggle with and not just “I am so OCD about cleaning” it can affect our thoughts daily and learning how to manage it with the right therapist definitely helps! I praise God for NOCD that has helped me for over a year.
It's not just being organized or picky
That OCD is more than being “neat and tidy all the time”. Or “having things in order”.
That you can’t just “get over it”. It is a life long condition that you live with.
It doesn't mean I'm freaking out about not making my bed or that things aren't clean. For me, it means I'm convincing myself I'm going to hyperventilate and die in that moment. It's different for everyone and can be very severe and scary.
It’s different for everyone.
How intense it feels when absolutely nothing is happening, its tendency to use everything and anything as fuel against you, the constant need to “figure it out”
That you just can’t stop thinking about it!
It can ruin relationships if not communicated especially if it’s all in one’s head. People miss construe that it is organization, germs or leaving the stove on. It’s much more. It is fears that a person can’t always control and can cause a person with OCD to make poor judgment calls and reactions. It can make a person become shit off from the world.
that it can look and feel similar to bipolar at times & that it’s more complex than it seems
So many things. 1) OCD is not a quirk or a favorable personality trait. 2) If you enjoy the habit (tidiness, etc), it’s not OCD. 3) OCD is not code for liking things to be organized. People who do struggle with those themes (symmetry, perfection, contamination) do not enjoy those themes. 4) How easy it is to be misdiagnosed, how many professionals dismiss OCD without understanding what it is, and how long it takes to get diagnosed. 5) While ERP is considered the gold standard of treatment, it isn’t easy or an overnight process. It involves confronting fears, re-wiring your thought patterns, changing how you react to intrusive thoughts, understand intrusive thoughts. all while feeling insanely high levels of discomfort. 6) It’s chronic, and there is no cure. 7) it’s not something I would wish on my worst enemy.
@MichelleV 8) The content of your thoughts don’t dictate who you are as a person, or your character. 9) Taboo thoughts do not deserve the stigma. There is a difference between people who have POCD, and actual pedophiles. Having POCD does not make you dangerous. It’s critical to have mental health professionals who know the difference so either scenario can be treated appropriately. 10) How invisible OCD is. So many people in my life did not know I have OCD until I told them. It’s very likely you pass people every day who have OCD, and you wouldn’t know just by looking at them. 11) that it’s considered one of the most debilitating disorders in the world.
@MichelleV 12) People with OCD are incredibly resilient and caring persons.
Improvement WILL come, but it’s not linear. You WILL have ups and downs, but you’ll not be back at square one. You’ll always have the benefit of your therapy to use day to day. Expect to have good days and bad days. This has been my personal experience at least. Hang in there! You’re stronger than you realize!
OCD does NOT=neat freak
How ocd can play on kernels of truth in your life , which can make thoughts or feelings incredibly intense!!!
That it is real condition that can be managed with medication and therapy Get help sooner than later
People think people with OCD are neat freaks or wash their hands all the time. There are many variations of OCD and not everyone has noticeable symptoms. Also not everyone who has OCD is disabled, a lot of us have jobs, are raising a family, or helping raise grandkids.
Just diagnosed, but it seems to show up in ways that aren't stereotypical. So it wasn't on my radar at all. And that it's a group of symptoms and not my identity.
I wish everyone knew that it’s uncontrollable and not curable, only treatable and chronic
I wish more people understood that it is ego-dystonic. OCD isn’t a personality trait you simply accept, it’s an illness that grates against the individual
How to stop being scared of getting contaminated.
It’s not just having cleaning compulsions and you can’t stop anxiety. And memes and jokes about it can be sooooo hurtful
How exhausting and emotionally draining it is to be scared all the time and overthink everything. Sometimes I can barely move my limbs, or make eye contact, or speak at a normal volume. I am not being rude, I am completely drained and cannot act the way people expect me to.
I wasn’t trying to hurt any of you but what I thought felt so real I was sure you were trying to hurt me. I was trying to fix things. You abandoned me. I’m so tired of ruminating. Like I’m still trying to mentally fix things for the future.
That it’s genuinely awful to live with.
I’m not “choosing to be difficult.” Please don’t label folks with OCD as “difficult”, “annoying”, or “high-maintenance”.
How silly you feel to tell people that you have OCD. Most of the time they think its cute or I am being funny. Then they say "OMG me too, I just have to have things clean it drives me crazy"
That, although the fears seem silly to them, they feel as real as standing outside during a tornado
How difficult it is to cope with
That OCD doesn’t mean that someone’s just obsessed with cleanliness or perfection and that it’s a really bad disorder that’s keeping you from living your life
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