- Date posted
- 4y ago
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Hi! I am a social worker at a psychiatric hospital and struggle with severe OCD. I definitely understand your concern of struggling with mental illness and being a mental health professional. Sometimes I have these thoughts too. But after all of my education, field experience, and work with my own therapist, I’ve learned it is possible for people like us to have these jobs! If anything, there are benefits to it as we are able to empathise and understand our patients on a deeper level. There are days where I feel triggered or down about my OCD at my job, but I am learning to have better self-awareness and practice self-care when I am not at work. I also see a therapist regularly which helps me manage my OCD in my personal and work life. Don’t let OCD discourage you from working in the mental health field one day. It’s actually pretty typical for people with mental illness to work in the mental health field. OCD is good at telling us we’re not good enough for something or not capable, but OCD doesn’t define us. Hope this helped😊
- Date posted
- 4y ago
thank you so much for your input! you are right about everything you said, and i should probably not let my ocd influence my self-esteem so much. im just afraid that i might never get better and not be a right for such a job because of that, but i think it was a little ignorant of me to assume that mental health professionals don't struggle themselves. your words were very encouraging and im glad to hear that you're managing your ocd well while also having such a demanding job! your post was very helpful btw i wish you well <3
- Date posted
- 4y ago
@feethebee I’m so glad I was able to encourage you a bit! It’s hard not to let OCD influence what we do or what choices we make and don’t beat yourself up for that because this is just something our OCD does. Believe me, I struggle with this a lot and am still working hard on this. But giving yourself some self-compassion and telling yourself you are more than youR OCD will help! If your dream is to work in the mental health field and pursue psychology, then do it!! And thank you, I wish you well too<3
- Date posted
- 4y ago
i acknowledge that there are people working in the mental health field that struggle with their mental health or a mental illness and honestly good for them that is awesome but i don't know if id be able to do that as well. i feel like im far too weak. im afraid id end up messing my patients up even more. id be too hesitant to pursue such a career because i strive to be helpful and the thought of failing to meet someone's expectations and disappointing someone i want to help makes me feel so anxious and depressed. i know this isn't very much ocd related but i felt like ranting sorry about that. also im only 15 idk why im overthinking this ive got years ahead of me. but ocd is stealing my dreams and i hate itttt
- Date posted
- 4y ago
thank you to all of you answering, i can't respond to each individually but seriously thank you guys im always happy to see encouraging and inspiring people on this app❤️❤️ i hope you guys can make the most out of working in the mental health field if you choose to do so and kick ocd's ass. pretty interesting how people with mental health issues or conditions are more likely to be interested in this field :)
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I’m want to be a psychiatric np and I have a lot of mental health issues, but I don’t wanna let it stop me. It is a little scary like what if I get triggered by something they confide in me or I get so hypersensitive about it, but those worries do not outweigh the genuine enjoyment I feel. I love learning about these things and helping people. It’s the one thing I’m actually passionate about. Don’t let ocd stop you from doing things you’re passionate about :)
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Don't let OCD take this away from you!!!! I totally understand where you're coming from. I want to go into the mental health field also, but of course I'm worried about being triggered and thinking the similar things as you: "What if I or my partner have this disorder? What if I find out I have a personality disorder or my partner has borderline personality disorder? (If you can't tell, I have ROCD lol). But guess what? I'm in my first semester in a graduate program for Counseling Psychology with the goal of becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. All those worries are still there, but I'm choosing not to let OCD take this passion and goal for me. I'm working with an OCD therapist and to manage my mental health, which I recommend if you chase this passion. Do it! I'm here doing it and I believe you can too 💚
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w ago
I remembered something I did a couple of months ago that has changed me completely from trusting myself it was a conversation I had with my cousin and something they said unrelated made me remember this happening, I went into a full blown identity crisis i couldn’t walk out of my room or get out of my bed for months paranoid and scared of everything I’m still scared and feel like I don’t even deserve to shower I’m working on it slowly each day but I knew I had to get a therapist and I was diagnosed with ocd because of this event I remembered, and I just don’t know what to do…. I read online that it doesn’t matter how little or bad the event is it’s still ocd regardless when diagnosed but I know I have a compulsion to see others real events and it is nothing compared to mine which I shouldn’t compare but it’s difficult because no matter what I have to come to terms that it’s undeniably bad legally and morally what I did and it’s just so confusing how it’s something I JUST learned about months ago I’m literally in my mid 20s, and I went years without even realizing how troubled my childhood was and yes my real event happened during that time but I was still a teen and old enough to know better but I didn’t understand the magnitude of what I did at the time still no excuse though, this is where I don’t know what To do because 1. I already know what I did was awful and there’s no excuse for it 2. I can’t apologize in my situation that I don’t feel comfortable sharing specifics yet3. Yes I know I changed so much obviously I’m a grown adult now I know what’s appropriate and what’s not that’s why I’m so troubled over this and I never did anything like that again, I’m literally in the happiest relationship and seeing a therapist to also help me understand all this trauma, this event involved my cousin but even they are cool with me and very close as well hasn’t said anything I don’t know if they remember or not but it’s not something I can talk about with them at least not yet (again just don’t want to go in to specifics) but this is why is so confusing and has caused me to have intrusive thoughts about everything EVERYTHING the what ifs what if they remember what if I go to jail what if they hate me what if I’m denying who I have been and I’m this horrible person this whole time without even realizing and everything is a lie my relationship my joy for things what if I’m a ped, what if I can’t love or care what if I’m a person who just harms others manipulates I even spiraled thinking I was going to physically harm someone… it’s very bizarre to me because before my OCD my biggest anxiety was just having to learn how to drive…I’m in my 20s just to mention that again😭 I have probably almost all intrusive ocd categories, These thoughts never existed in my head until I remembered my event it has completely traumatized me but do I even deserve to feel better do I deserve to get help if I did something unforgivable do I move on or don’t? Should I even be living life I just feel guilty even breathing stepping outside I know for a fact if people knew they would never trust me they would feel like I probably should go to jail but do I go on to what others feel or myself? I know I wouldn’t harm anyone regardless of what my ocd tells me I never did anything like that again and wouldn’t but if it’s something that even legally I could be punished for does all of that not matter? I’m sorry I’m just trying to figure out what the right thing to do is , I’m continuing therapy and getting the help but obviously my therapist cannot say if I should be punished legally but even my boyfriend said that if I turned myself in they wouldn’t even take me seriously because I don’t even remember everything fully it was so long ago, but from what I do remember it’s still bad enough mainly just of me being a teen, I don’t want to make that event my identity but I just am so freaked out I feel awful what if I caused trauma to another person and all these years I didn’t even know, this event only happened once that I remember, there were things that happened to me as a child that would explain why it happened but it’s still not an excuse, I did a compulsion and googled what would it be called or the charges for it and the words that popped up triggered me to my core as anyone would feel if they were as stupid as me those words I googled are what monsters are so it’s hard not to think of myself as that it’s hard to not make that my identity if that IS what happened, is living with this guilt my punishment?I don’t want to give up on life I want to love and care and just love life I know this is complicated and a lot not much I can do but I’m just so lost.
- Date posted
- 23w ago
TW. Also long post ahead . I’ve been dealing with OCD for the past 10 years. I’m 32 years old . I didn’t get diagnosed with OCD until this year. I was always diagnosed with GAD, panic disorder, and depression. I don’t have your typical compulsions. Mine are mostly all mental. Reassurance seeking, avoidance , repeating a prayer , etc . I have three main themes . Schizophrenia OCD, sexual orientation OCD, and HIV. Sometimes i deal with harm OCD and POCD but my main big three are the ones I listed first . I feel like the schizophrenic OCD is the most debilitating for me. For the last ten years I’ve been thinking I’m losing my mind . I thought once I got to a certain age the fear would go away but it hasn’t and is in full force . I’m constantly checking my surroundings, what I’m hearing, how I’m acting , questioning if things are real and so on . Now I do have times where this theme doesn’t bother me . It’s put on the back burner . I go through cycles . But when I’m focusing on this theme I feel like I’m hearing stuff . Most of the time I can’t make it out but recently I feel like I’ve been hearing a whisper saying “hey” . It mainly happens at night . It sends me into a complete panic and I feel like “this is it “ I’m seeing an OCD therapist and she recommended me to go to this psychiatric place in town to get meds to help my anxiety from the OCD. My last psychiatrist always pushed the newest medicine and was constantly changing up my regimen. I thought I would give it a try. WORST IDEA EVER . Keep in mind my therapist gave me a letter to give to her explaining I have been diagnosed with OCD and explaining it . She doesn't think I have OCD at all. She wanted to put me on an antipsychotic so me with my OCD brain . I asked her if she thought I was psychotic . She said I was nearing psychosis . She called me interesting . She feels like I have major depressive disorder . I'm just at a loss for words. It was honestly the strangest meeting I have had with a psychiatrist. It was very unprofessional. She has no idea the damage she has done nor do I think she cares. I just don't know what to Believe in anymore ... We met for approximately 45 minutes . First time ever meeting. I just want to cry and I’m freaking out 😢
- Date posted
- 19w ago
I've gotten diagnosed with OCD and I'm in therapy. But I'm worried that I don't have OCD/that I got misdiagnosed. And recently I'm worried that I've just gotten myself into a habit of thinking of dirty minded or just plain old terrible things after I see/hear certain things because I feel like I need to prove I have OCD or else I'm faking(sometimes this goes away). Or that I'm just mimicking symptoms of ocd to cope with real problems I may have and that im just really deep into denial. I don't know...I'm just so tired. I mean, what if I really am what I think I am and this is my brains only way of coping? I don't even really feel anything towards most of the thoughts anymore either I just know they go against my values and I don't want them. I don't know if that's because I'm so mentally exhausted, I just don't care, or that the thoughts are true and I'm comfortable with them.
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