Is it ok to tell people I have OCD? I feel guilty when I do. Only my mom and one of my friends knows my theme but I told my other friend today I struggle with OCD but I didn’t tell her my theme or what my thoughts are about. I’ve been told by my mom to not talk to anyone about it. Just her and my therapist. So when I end up saying “yeah I was diagnosed with OCD” I feel guilty. I don’t want anyone to ever misunderstand me or twist things and think I’m a monster. I don’t want people to hate me. I feel like my own friend that I told kind of treats me different ever since I told him. I guess I just don’t want the same thing that happened when I told my mom to happen again. She called me names and screamed at me. She told me I would end up in the “looney bin” and some other things and I don’t want that to happen with my closest friends that I literally work with almost everyday

POCD

OCDHaver

Date posted: 3y

I’d recommend not, letting them know you have OCD is fine, but don’t tell them the theme, those who don’t understand OCD or have it will probably take it the wrong way, I was terrified of telling my mom, I made sure she knew as much as she could about it before I told her. I’m sorry that’s the reaction your mother had, mental health is still very stigmatized, and a lot of people still don’t understand it, and OCD is never really understood by most, I wish you all the best though!

Magzzz

Date posted: 3y

Oh ok thank you. I regret it so much. I wish I never told anyone I just wanted someone to understand and support me and help me ya know? I would take any other theme over this any day. I don’t want my friends or my mom to think I’m a horrible monster

OCDHaver

Date posted: 3y

@Just Breathe ❤️ I’m right there with you, I hate it, maybe look for OCD support groups in your area, talk with others who would understand you, and if it helps, everyone knows you’re not a monster!💜

Magzzz

Date posted: 3y

@OCDHaver Thank you I appreciate it 🙏🏻

stardustnchaos

Date posted: 3y

honestly, i think your mom has no right to tell you what to say to others about your own diagnosis. you have the right to share whatever you please. people who don't have OCD may not understand what you're saying at first, but if you surround yourself with kind and understanding people i'm sure they would be more than happy to listen. unfortunately our culture is not very educated about OCD but it's people like us that can educate others!! just explain to them that OCD makes you fear what you despise the most!! you could even print out an educational pamphlet. your mom sounds like she needs to go to therapy or really start listening to you and stop acting on her own assumptions about what you should be doing. you truly deserve to have your own truth, life, and voice ❤️

Magzzz

Date posted: 3y

You are definitely right but unfortunately there’s nothing I can do. I’ve talked to her about going on one of my therapy sessions and she wouldn’t do it so. She ia more understanding than she was before but she still doesn’t get it. She now calls it ocd and she tries to help me when I’m having anxiety. She just gets all weird when I’m emotional or upset. It’s like she doesn’t want to deal with it. But anyways thank you so much I appreciate it!

Sillygoose27

Date posted: 14w

OCD Guilt

I can’t help but feel so anxious because of guilt. I feel guilty about not sharing everything about my OCD to my partner, but because I understand that confession itself is a compulsion and would not help anyone. I feel so anxious too that if all my fears come true and she finds out, then it would be so devastating for everyone especially her. Does anyone feel the same thing? How could I change my perspective on this?

Jenna34

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 10w

How do you tell friends and family

How do you tell friends and family about ocd? Like it makes me so anxious and I feel like such a terrible person. A lot of my intrusive thoughts are on my kids. And I hate every single thing that comes into my head.

Marcib

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 10w

Any Advice on How to Talk to Loved Ones About OCD?

I have been in ERP therapy for my OCD for nearly a year now. Before my diagnosis and doing ERP, I really didn't drive a car for five years and rarely left the house. Now I drive to work, coffee and other outings. Most of the people close in my life don’t really know about my OCD. They do see me doing lots of things I haven't done in the past. I don't really know if I should explain about why this progress happened. I hope they don't think I was just being lazy up until then. They will talk about how someone is “so OCD” because they keep their room clean and really enjoy things neat. Anytime I hear this, I just think that if they hear about my diagnosis of OCD and what it entails they will think I’m crazy. I feel very conflicted about how to go about this, so advice is welcome.

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