i feel so guilty lying to my friends. i cant go out much until i get a grip on my ocd, and i dont have much money. which im not comfortable telling them. i just make up appointments or whatever. i feel so terrible. in turn the lying triggers ocd symptoms too. its just a cycle.

I understand not wanting to share all those issues with people. What I tell my friends, or acquaintances, is that I am going through some medical issues on and off, and I may not be able to hang out with them as often as I would like because of that. Living in this time period, people are extremely accepting of that answer, much more than they were 20 years ago. Being honest with them, but not necessarily letting them know what you have, is acceptable. I happen to have both a physical, and mental health issue that I battle equally, so they never even have to know the issue. This is just a suggestion. This way you don’t have to lie, nor feel bad about your answer, because it is all true.