So last night I wrote this on Facebook to my friends and family: Please don’t describe yourself as “so OCD” if you don’t actually have it and make it seem like less of a struggle than it genuinely is for people who do. OCD for me means my mind is always loud and running at a fast speed. OCD means insomnia and nights with 3-4 hours sleep. OCD means if I don’t want to be late in the morning I need to give myself 3 hours to get ready. OCD means everything around me has to be perfect or I can’t concentrate. OCD means carrying out the simplest task can cause a massive amount of stress. OCD means relief when I arrive at work because I have finally gotten myself out of the house, no matter how long it took! I get to work and my stress levels surprisingly reduce because one of the toughest parts of my day is over! And it’s a heap of other things I deal with! OCD is something most people don’t see. I laugh about it when I can but it sucks 🙄 people understanding it better helps ❤️ I’m just sick of people using it as a phrase and making it sound like no big deal!

The casual use of the term 'OCD' is ridiculously harmful. I am a kitchen designer, and I daily have customers say something like "please can the cupboards line up becuase it will upset my OCD". I have started speaking up about it because I do genuinely hold pin a lot of blame over my delay in diagnosis on this blasé approach, as I have never been particular about symmetry. But I will never speak out about it too much - I usually just say 'i have OCD' to those people, and generally they go sheepish. What I want to say is similar to what you have written! I want to say something along the lines of: "I have OCD too. I get so caught up on hypotheticals that I constantly wrestle with suicidal thoughts. I have a constant court case in my head arguing my guilt over an impossible multitude of different situations, that I often perform checking habits that people notice, and if I can't check, I consider turning myself in or just ending it in order to assume control." It's a struggle, and I appreciate you so much for fighting the fight both with your OCD, and the people that unintentionally disparage it x

Thank you guys! I’m glad I wrote it on there. I asked 2 of my friends what they thought of it before I posted and then said right and now for the anxious wait to see if anyone actually gives a crap 😂 even if I stopped one person from saying it I’d be pleased, I think it related my diagnosis because everyone makes OCD sound like nothing and also very stereotypical so it took me years to figure it out ❤️

Yes. (I'm so tired I can think so I just have up and wrote yes I got nothing........good job though mate.) 😊

I love this. ❤️ Also, I can relate. For the most part, this is what OCD looks like for me too.

I am sick of my brother he knows such things when he doesn't. Goodness, he is a stupid asshole