I just read that OCD cannot be treated and that it will always be there. I feel so hopeless, i don't see if my life will have any meaning if i will always live like this. I want a normal life like any other person around me. I don't want to take medicine every day of my life from now on, or to spend most of my time with therapists, i want to be free. Why other people have the right to be happy and i don't? It feels like no one from my country knows about this, i don't even find enough information in my language on google. I went to a therapist that was just awful, and probably everyone is like this.. I just feel horrible

OCD is a chronic condition. So there is no cure. But ERP can help you experience a major reduction in your symptoms. It can help you break the OCD cycle. Just prior to starting treatment I was exactly where you are now. I have had OCD symptoms starting at age 8. I was diagnosed in August at the age of 45. When I first started treatment, I had pretty much convinced myself that my therapist was going to tell me I didn't have OCD. Then when I got diagnosed, my OCD started telling me "Even though ERP has worked for countless others, it won't work for you. You're the exception." There is no shame in taking medication for a mental health issues. Mental illnesses are medical illnesses. OCD is believed to be caused by a malfunction in your brain. Its no different than taking medication for a thyroid problem or insulin for diabetes. ERP is a very specialized type of therapy that doesn't require years of therapy. Usually just a few months. ERP has been life changing for me. I feel much more stable and OCD is still there. But its more in the background. Are there still times where I get triggered? Yes. But I can handle it much better now. ERP is not fun or easy. Its one of the hardest things I've ever done. You get out of ERP what you put into it. I suggest going all in. Everyone recovers at a different pace. Some recovery pretty quickly. Others, it takes more time. Its not a race. Recovery is possible.

It’s true, just like any other mental illness. When I learned that I can’t cure my mental illnesses as a child (and I have many), I actually felt relief. What you can do is go into ERP therapy and learn how to deal and heal from your OCD so it can be managed. You’ll also learn coping mechanisms that’ll be in your mental health tool belt for the rest of your life that you can pull out whenever you need to.

Like many illnesses of the mind and body there is no CURE for OCD, but there absolutely are TREATMENTS that make it MANAGEABLE. And for many, medications play a part, but meds or no meds, therapy is very helpful, or I should say good, OCD-specific therapy is very helpful. As you learn more about your OCD and how to fight it, it will get easier. And even if/when there’s a downward part of a cycle, you’ll still have those tools to help you recover. I know now everything seems pointless or that this pain and this part of it will last forever, but that’s not the case. Sending you strength and comfort. 💪🏼💜