Yup. And you’re right. A mental condition is a pretty important thing for someone to know before deciding to be with you long term. I told a few of my girlfriends about my ROCD. Some of them really wigged out, took it personally, etc. sucked at the time, but it was a gift. Those girls were not the right kind of person for me. They’d have been stressed out by my condition and maybe would have never really understood or been able to handle it. It wasn’t the end of the world. The woman I married, I told her about my OCD. I told her how it was distorting my thoughts about me, about her, and about our relationship. She got it. She was supportive. That was also a gift, one she is still giving to this day. Doesn’t mean you have to overexplain, or tell someone you’re dating every single intrusive thought that pops into your head (in fact, that would probably be a confession compulsion so don’t do that.) But they should absolutely know that you have OCD and at least something about how it affects you because it’s an important part of them understanding who you are.
I would say, resist the urge to tell them about the events themselves that you feel compelled to confess about, but absolutely tell them you have that type of OCD and about your general themes and what your compulsions are, as well as how you are working on it so they can help support you. Obviously, a first date isn’t the best time to bring that up. Wait until there’s at least something of a connection established and you know you both like each other a lot.
I definitely worry about this, I try to remember that our character is not defined by who we were in the past, but by who we are trying to be today... just a thought hope this helps.