Misdiagnosis is a huge problem and barrier to receiving the right treatment. Who else out there has been misdiagnosed?

Maybe I was misdiagnosed; perhaps more so misunderstood. I tried to get help from a pastor regarding my POCD years ago. Ended up losing my job as a tutor. My pastor “made me” quit immediately, since I was treated as a threat. Never felt so destroyed. Still trying to recover.

I thought I had (only) GAD for 20+ years. I couldn't figure out why the things that worked for other people with GAD weren't working for me. I felt like I was not trying hard enough and that it was my fault I wasn't getting better. Now I get why talk therapy was getting me nowhere with certain things. I have made more progress doing ERP in the last month than I have in 20 years of trying everything under the sun to manage my anxiety.

I was misdiagnosed as having generalized anxiety disorder. I never questioned until about 2 months ago. I heard a guest on a podcast share about her experience with OCD. I was shocked when I realized I could relate to a lot of what she shared. Prior to that, I knew very little about OCD. I thought it was just about excessive handwashing and liking things neat and organized. I didn't do either. The more I learned about OCD, the more things started to click. Once I knew what to look for, I realized I had struggled with OCD for most of my life starting around age 8. I was diagnosed in August at age 45. I did about 10 years of talk therapy. I did everything I was supposed to, but never made much progress. I tried several different therapists. I eventually got frustrated and quit. All together, I did about 10 years of therapy. I would go weekly for 2 years. I felt worse than ever. I am so incredibly thankful for my NOCD therapist. ERP has been lifechanging for me. I've made more progress in 2 months than I did in 10 years of talk therapy. I haven't reached recovery yet, but I am determined to get there.