Does anyone else find it hard to open up to your loved ones about how you feel? Is it necessary to tell your family what you think about, or is it okay for them to just be aware of what's going on?

I think of openness about mental health as a continuum. On one extreme end is going to great lengths to hide symptoms and distress. This might even involve actively lying about your experience. On the other end is talking about every thought and feeling nonstop, as in confessing compulsions, or when we identify too strongly with the diagnosis. The healthy range of openness is in the middle. It can differ between each relationship you have. A happy medium is what boundaries are all about.

I think it depends why you are telling them. It it’s done to “confess” and get rid of anxiety, it’s a compulsion. If you genuinely trust them and want them to know what’s going on so the know how to better help you then that’s perfectly fine. It’s defintely hard to open up to loved ones and friends about how you feel , especially because with OCD , there is a risk involved that they won’t understand it and will judge. Obviously usually they’ll be cool about it , but it’s one of those topics that people don’t know enough about so they make assumptions

I need an answer to this too. I haven’t told anyone but I feel like I should as I’m really suffering