- Username
- Anonymoussssss
- Date posted
- 3y ago
Imagine telling someone that you’re afraid that you might be a pedophile? If I didn’t have ocd, I’d definitely be alarmed. Or that you’re afraid of germs or that you might be gay. You’ll come off as extremely weird or a bigot.
Yup! And it sucks. This disorder can be incredibly isolating. BUT at least we have each other. Which is why this community and our relationships with fellow ocd sufferers and our therapists are so important. Also: you can still be open about struggling with others. I often say “I’m having a hard day with ocd” or “my ocd has been really acting up this week” and ask for support. I do this without going into the content of my thoughts because that’s generally unhelpful (it’s usually a compulsion, regular people don’t know how to properly respond, and it’s giving these thoughts more importance than they deserve.)
^^ this is what I do. I just say “OCD is kicking my ass hard right now” without going into specifics. Only a select few people know what themes I struggle with. My mom knows about all of them, and even then I sometimes wish I hadn’t told her. I know she tries to be helpful, saying “I’ll love and support you no matter what”, but a voice in my head screams “no! Don’t say that!” My best friend from high school only knows about SOOCD and TOCD, I told him about them a long time ago. I don’t dare tell anyone about my POCD.
Yeah I have been struggling with this myself. I feel the need to tell my family and my friends everything I’ve done so that I’ll know for sure they love me still, but I haven’t said anything to my dad or my friends Bc I am scared of their reaction. But then I still feel like I am a terrible person Bc I have not told my past mistakes to them. I’m scared they won’t understand and it’s too difficult for me to explain it to them but then I feel alone. I am happy I have y’all!
Has anyone else had trouble telling people about their OCD? I would like to help break the stigma about mental health and be a part of the change. But it is such an exhausting thing to even think about. Not only would it be difficult to tell people (even people I trust), but it would be even more difficult to have to explain to people what OCD really is (not just the stereotypes they have seen on TV). On top of that I keep thinking how do I even begin to explain the subtypes that I have experienced? I suppose I don't have to, but it helps to give some real depth for them to sink their teeth into; to really understand the difference between OCPD and OCD. I keep thinking if I can get through ERP (which I have recently done), then I can certainly share my disorder with others (well I cant be 100% certain...see what I did there?). I know I don't have to tell others about my OCD and I respect people who want to keep it private. I have for years. I just think that I would like to be confident, own it, and help others who are still figuring out about their own mental health struggles. I know many of my family and friends will be surprised to hear that I have OCD. So if you have any suggestions or anecdotes you would be willing to share that would be great. Thanks!
Advice from some experienced people. So I now no longer ruminate over OCD, I also accepted the uncertainty and I feel great now. But I have a doubt I want to keep my OCD as a secret forever and I don't want others to know about it. Is it ok to keep it a secret from everyone? Should I tell my significant other in the future about this or should I keep it as a secret? Am I a bad person if I want to keep it as a secret. I feel guilty for keeping it as a secret. What should I do?
How open are you about your OCD to friends, coworkers, bosses, professors, in-laws, etc.? As I learn more about OCD, I realize that it’s a huge part of who I am- for better or worse. Given the choice, I would choose not to have it of course. But the community and sense of identity I’ve gained since my diagnosis and meeting fellow OCD peeps is kind of special to me. I don’t know how to present myself to people. In some ways, I kind of want to tell everyone I have to interact with regularly that I have OCD as a little disclaimer. It would save a lot of explaining and awkwardness. But I also hate self disclosing and don’t like to answer a lot of questions or have to educate people on OCD when they assume I must live like Monk since I have OCD 😐 I also don’t want to be known as the weird girl who over shares or makes something their whole personality.. and if I were to be up front about my OCD, I don’t want people to think I’m one of those, “omg I’m soooo OCD! I have to make sure all my labels face out!!” type of people. When do you choose to let people know about your OCD? Is it something you keep to yourself, or is it something you “take pride in” and are up front about? Are there certain people you tell (like boss, college advisor, etc.) and others you don’t disclose that to? How much of your identity is OCD?
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