My mom always say "why do you do these things if your not neat" I wish she can believe this video

But it doesnt make you not OCD either and behaviour can be dysfuntional, before it gets pathological.

gay

my ocd sometimes makes me UNneat and UNorderly

I'm not even neat because of my adhd

felt that on a spiritual level

Or, it makes you think they are being nice to you just so they humiliate you later by making fun of you for believing that someone could actually like someone like you.

They mostly are disgusted by me. Hate would probably be better, but neither is good. Guess that is why I haven't left my house in a week and a half. (Got so bad my battery died twice because I did not drive the car enough to keep it charged)

Yes

I can relate sooo muchh!

How can I help?

Try to drink water with electrolytes. Or some type of liquid with a little bit of sugar in it :). It helps to give you energy and will make you a little less nauseous. I do this when I’m in a attack

Last night I was watching a video about eating disorders and I learned about "ARFID" "Avoidance / Restrictive Food Intake Disorder". Food has always been the source of my anxieties. When I was a teen (years ago) I would be up all night with panic attacks starting after supper - my throat would clench and I'd start hyperventilating. It got to the point that I just couldn't eat unless I was starting, and even then I wouldn't eat very much. I became anemic because I wasn't eating - a condition I still suffer from today (about 35 years since I started getting panic attacks) ARFID is different from anorexia or bulemia in that it's not about trying to be skinny, it's about a fear of food. My fear is that I will eat something that will make me deathly sick or have a severe allergic reaction (I also have a major fear of death) You should look into this if it sounds like what you're dealing with. I wish I had found out about it years ago, but the "experts" just discovered it themselves within the past few years. I wouldn't wish this disorder on anybody. My entire life has been messed up because of it.

same but than the more nauseous i get the more anxiety i get. so on and so forth

Totally me

Yes! I get so tired of people (mostly my super extroverted and outgoing sister who never thinks twice before doing something) saying “it’s giving me anxiety” or “it’s triggering my anxiety”. It’s super frustrating. I always correct her with “it is making you anxious. Not giving you anxiety”

G L SAME! I tend to look all over me to see if there’s something on me or if my back pack is open-something like that. Sucks.

it especially sucks for people who actually suffer from the illness. it makes it seem like a less of a deal and that they are just trying to get attention.

Shay138 self diagnose

U need new friends dudeeeee .. and so do I ( so do I 😢 )

Kermit Sewer Side ??

I had a presentation last week in my English class. (I do presentations/projects alone because reasons) About half way through, I was hyperventilating and felt like I was gonna have another panic attack, so I cut it short and went back to my seat. I don't know if I have OCD or not, but I'm very organized, for example, I always keep my room clean, I do my own laundry because I don't trust anybody else in my house to do it correctly, I keep my backpack organized. Does that mean anything?

I used to make them, only about myself though. That was years ago, back when I thought I had anxiety (I was a preach, stupid attention wanting kid) now I'm older, and now I discovered actual symptoms of anxiety that I have developed over the years. I hate my past.

i have ocd and of course anxiety but i still make jokes about mentall illness

Wow, that's relatable (It's a Sr Pelo reference)

Hi hi hi hi hi hi I hate ocd it sucks and its difficult to just go to the bathroom, it's a chore chore chore chore chore. ..! ..! ..! Chore chore

Mellow Jello I mean, if you make jokes correctly, it can help you deal with it. Otherwise, don’t make anxiety jokes

namjoon and crabs that is 100% true . Trying to tell somebody about anxiety is like talking to nothing. “Damn” “That sucks” “Same”

I've had friends try to tell me "it's all a mindset" after I've tried explaining to them the neurochemistry behind it.

and the more painful thing is that, when we let it out, we get judged at times or even get laughed at, telling "stop bragging about yourself. stop seeking attention with your non-existent insecurities" ugh!

I tried to tell my family that i started feeling sad kinda like depressed but they just laughed at me and told me that i have no reason to be depressed and told , me that it's not possible because i always laugh and smile

@@hobi4lifers201 same! my parents told me to let out whatever i had it in. it was hard for me yet i told them things which pricked me a lot. but all they did was laugh and said "youre too young. its really nothing. stop acting up" like what? they clearly saw me being dull when im actually not a dull person. but they just said stop acting like a kid. like they just made me feel like im not capable of feeling things.

same

Are. You. Diagnosed.

Same

You can try meeting people in a virtual reality first, like talking with your team on an online game using your mic. Stuff like that will problably help you

I was going to say exactly what Mike said.

+Dori C so. therapists can help?

that is actually amazing, I'm so happy for you dude

that's it. I'm showing this to my aunt. I have depression and anxiety (and because of anxiety I have insomnia) and my aunt doesn't understand the anxiety part. I'm legit too afraid to call And schedule an appointment with my therapist because I don't want to waste anyone's time and annoy them (even though that's kinda their job) and I ask my aunt to call them for me because of it. she has told me multiple times "well stop being scared and just pick up the phone and call. I'm not going to do it for you" I'm so glad this worked for you.

Computer programming is also a very powerful tool for people suffering from anxiety disorders.

You are lucky to have parents who at least EVENTUALLY accepted your mental disorders and do not deny your requests. My invalidating, misunderstanding parents have made no progress over the past years and I have felt like ending life.

munzing I do! I have intrusive thoughts that are horrible and sometimes it seems impossible to try and contain them. One thing that helps is visualization. Imagining all your thoughts as waves tumbling, crashing, foaming on the beach, some of the water reaching your feet where you’re standing. And you can be there, and just observe them. You don’t need to drown yourself in them over and over again. You don’t even need to swim, it’s okay to just watch. Know that they’re not you. I find it helps calm me, so much :)

I know these mechanisms very well, I've had so much of them. Are you in some kind of treatment? I did ERP therapy and I sometimes have a few sessions along the way when I feel myself losing grip and it's really getting too intense. Be sure to get help. Talk to people. It helps me so much to talk. Somehow I find that I get rooted in reality more. "I was standing at the base of the stairs, but I could not step down, because I was so scared that when I do the shaking might get a door loose and hit someone. I had to make sure that I keep watch of the nearest door, because it's connected to all the other doors in the house and make sure it stays put as I stepped down - and then I blinked and had to jump back up that final stair quickly so the door can't come loose without me noticing it. When I tried again, I did it right and could finally get off the stairs." Saying that it loud makes it a lot more absurd than it feels in your head. Learning that is important too. I hope you can get better soon. There's help and I know that it's not easy, but it's worth the effort.

@@ta_nya5240 Thank you so, so much for that! That is extremely helpful and I'll keep that in mind. I'm in some periodic therapy, but due to financial constraints & school I'm mostly self treating with various things. My main two are exposure therapy, doing things that, while safe, make me anxious in order to re-train my mind/body, and meditation. I wish you all the best, and thank you again for your kindness

I have intrusive thoughts as well. It’s hard for me sometimes to feel justified in getting therapy because my OCD and mental health issues are not visible to others. People have told me, “You seem fine to me.” But, I’m not fine. There is war in my head constantly between the real me and the OCD voice of me.

It's called pure ocd, something I learnt just minutes ago. And now in questioning if my depression is even real or I have it as a result of being tired of thinking and judging myself and... Thinking

Lisette Gold What you might want to do is the complete opposite. I know it's scary, but you have to try to have one on purpose. Doing this will decrease your fear of having them over time.

ikr

This is like a metaphor for my life

LOL happened to me all the time. Then I cried a lot because I was SO STUPID I was causing the freaking problem. I'm better, but still fear the attacks will get back...

It's time to become strong😂😂

My teacher is making me go sit with random people today even though I just want to be left alone.

I know right? My math teacher gets really mad at me when I don’t ask for help. I wish she understood ):

I think I developed social anxiety from being in 6th grade I never raised my hand to answer a question and I hardly ever spoke to anyone bc I feel like no one liked me and that they ignored me and I always worried that they judged me I’m in 9th grade homeschool today and every time I see friends from 6th grade my hands get sweaty my heart races extremely fast like its going to pop out of my chest and I feel nauseous. When I’m in stores and I can’t find my mom I instantly freak out and get the same feeling. I still feel that way now I want to tell my mom I think I have anxiety but I’m scared to can anyone help me ?

@@TheMJGChannel Is their anyone you know who has not talked to you much but never really has been mean to you or other people? In my school there are people that say "they have no friends" or "nobody likes them" (not social anxiety but similar situation) and yet I have talked to them been kind to them but they don't notice. With your mum just try talk to her about it if you haven't already

Catn_t Please let her know. Teachers often don’t know when their students are suffering from debilitating anxiety. I’m sure she’ll be much more sensitive to your needs if she knows what’s going on.

Jade Damboise Rail I was the 69th like tehe

ya its a joke till u eat the whole buffet

so accurate

I like that!

Sara Loscalzo Really?

That's not a panic attack, tht is an anxiety attack, panic attacks occur without any present external cause. And it's not right to belittle someone else's more subtle anxiety, most people get it, it is just shown in different ways.

@@oo-gg6yo I have a panic attack when my mom screams at me

Sofia Tuirán my mom was about to take me to the hospital for having a panic attack..... i’m not diagnosed with it but yeah psychologists told me it was a panic attack and told me i might have S. A. D

I've had panic attacks that have landed me in the ER. It's basically your body trying make you unconscious because it physically can't handle the stress. It feels the way a heart attack is described, and is the most frightening experience I've ever had. It took weeks for me to feel mostly normal again afterwards.

Lara m

I feel you. I have had multiple panic attacks at school (I'm 17)and other places and it felt like EVERYONE was pointing and laughing at me. I felt like I got shot in the chest and I was dying. what was even worse is that I had a panic attack when I was taking a standardised test once and all I was thinking about is that I was going to fail the test, not get into college, not get a proper job, and die on the streets because i couldn't write a proper essay for the essay part. I didn't know what to do so I asked to go to the bathroom and as soon as I got near the bathroom, and away from my class I started crying. there was teachers near the bathroom and when they asked me what was wrong I could only answer "I don't know" while I cried. it was terrible and ever since then it's been EXTREMELY hard to do a standardised test or write an essay without having or almost having a panic attack because I'm afraid of having another one.

standardized tests are so unnecessary they bring so much stress to our already stressful lives. our parents and theirs before them will never know how much more stressful schools have become for us. i feel you tho.

I literally had 2 panic attacks last night. I'm exhausted.

I went into hospital because I was freaking out and they thought I was crazy hahaha

isn't there anything one can do if youre having a panic attack? i experienced my significant other having a few the last months in my presence.he got a diagnosis and is currently seeing a doctor but it's still horrible to watch and feeling so helpless.. like sure i can hug you and tell you everythings gonna be fine when we both know it's not going to be. i wish there was sth better to do..

Bhuvanesh Kodem I truly hope you’re doing better now. :) I’m on meds too and they help.

1. chamomile tea 2. lavender inhale 3. anxiety oils 4. breathe right nasal strips 5. cortisol manager--------------hey sufferers, keep these ever with you.

With my OCD, if I've closed something, like a door or a drawer while I had a bad thought I feared that that thought was "stuck" inside the thing I closed and that It would become true if I didn't reopen it to "correct" my bad thought. I also had that with light switches. If I thought about someone dying while I turned of the light I had to turn on the lights and forcefully think that they are in fact not dying before I could turn off the lights again. Otherwise I had intense fear that that person would die. This led me to situations where I would turn the lights off and on or close and open a door way too many times. As one could guess that caused my family to ask me uncomfortable questions about my behaviour. I went to therapy and am better now. I am glad to hear you are better now too.

@@voynich7119 Everything you just wrote is what I'm experiencing. I one time had to rewrite what I wrote because I had a bad thought about my favorite singer dying. I tried to ignore it telling myself it wasn't true and that it was only OCD. But then a thought popped up saying if I didn't rewrite it in the next 10 seconds they were definitely going to die. I quickly rewrote it because I was scared the next day I would see on the news that the singer was dead. I was so scared and even started crying

@@faithalways8537 It's always good to know you're not alone with your experiences. I really hope you get better. Keep on fighting even if it hurts. You can and will beat your OCD.

Same 😢

SAME!

I know this comment is a little old, but I don't see any other replies so I'm going to do my best to help you. While I don't have a social anxiety disorder I do have others so hopefully that will be enough to get a decent perspective. What I would suggest is to take very small steps towards social interaction. Make the steps as small as you need them to be and be sure to go at your own pace. For the first step, I recommend maybe trying to connect with people online. This way, you're not face to face with anybody and you can answer at your leisure. Perhaps you could start with family members or friends you would like to get to know better. Or sometimes, a total stranger can be nice. If those are still too stressful, there are online therapists you can talk to and everything is confidential. Once you get comfortable with that, you can try live chats. Slowly but surely, you can make it all the way to interacting with someone face to face. If not knowing what to say is part of the anxiety, I recommend finding out what things are popular with your age group. This allows you to have some kind of ice breaker at any given time. Just be sure you have an actual interest in what you're talking about otherwise you might come off as fake or could worsen the anxiety you feel. I really hope this helps you even if in some very small way. And if you want, you can practice talking with me. I'll listen and try to get you through this. I really do wish you the best. Just practice and stay positive! 😊

marry me ketikatz ??

@@wolfsydproductions9082 can you recommend any of the group chats or private therapist and do think that there good for the breathing ocd

@@tallmidget1395, I'm sorry but I can't recommend any online therapists as I've never used one. I go to the face to face kind of therapy so I've never really needed to use the ones on the internet. I simply know they exist. As far as group chats go, I'd say to check out Squadpod. Everything is confidential on that site. Although keep in mind, I've never used it before and I'm simply going off information I've found. I hope this helps!

@@wolfsydproductions9082 thanks

I struggle very little compared to others just very persistantly

I dont think so..

Great advice. Hope you are okay.

Thank you and you too ❤️

I gave up on finding help. It's not exactly pure anxiety, but it's maybe social anxiety as I've just been back stabbed so many times in relationships old and new that I can't trust people anymore. With that, understanding how the system works and what they do with that information even if they say it's 'confidential'. I just didn't want people to know because all I really wanted to do was fit in with others and have friends since the first day of high school, this is currently my last year in high school and 'love' rumors got out about me for a formal we're having which totally just ruined my years of building up.

I have been professionally diagnosed with this form of OCD as well. It really sucks, and I always feel like no one will understand.

I know exactly how you feel. It's awful, and I'm really lucky that most of my friends and family have experience with mental illness and are really supportive and understanding. I'm here for you if you need me

I haven't been professionally diagnosed (mostly cuz I've been unable to find a psychiatrist for all these years that I've experienced these symptoms). But I'm 99% sure I have Pure-O OCD. I'm curious what kinds of rituals do you perform, if any, mentally to cope or "treat" the intrusive thoughts?

saffant My compulsions are much lesser than people with typical OCD I think, but they include stuff like google searching the exact type of OCD I have and it's symptoms and reading other people's accounts, trying to reassure myself that I am actually ill (even though I've been professionally diagnosed) and that I'm not just a terrible person with terrible thoughts. I ask my family and friends if they'd still love me if I was crazy or violent (which is confusing for them, because I'm a weak, anaemic pacifist who cries a lot; I weep when I step on snails). I avoid certain situations and certain people in case they trigger my OCD. I don't like being too close physically to people who are close to me. There are lots of ways in which OCD compulsions present themselves, most of which are not really taken into consideration by people unfamiliar with OCD beyond "That cleaning disease", and it took me a long time to realise that. If you think you have Pure O, first of all: I'm so sorry dude. Really, I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Second, please, if you can, see a GP! I know that's easier said than done; I'm lucky enough to live in England, a country with amazing free healthcare that, though strained, has saved my life. But, if it's an option available to you, you can visit your GP and talk to them about your condition. They can be extremely helpful in guiding you to start medication and directing you to the appropriate professionals. Medication and therapy did wonders for me, and I can now live my life fairly normally whereas I was unable to function most days. I hope you find a psychiatrist soon, and that you're able to recover. You're not alone.

go away Thanks for the heartfelt response. I have the same issue where I often avoid places or things due to OCD as well as some of the other stuff you mentioned. I've been unable to find a therapist despite living in a country that like England offers free healthcare--Canada. But I'll have to continue trying I guess. Anyway, I was curious as to what specifically the medication changed? Atm I have this need to come up with these patterns in my head as well as all that other stuff you mentioned, where I always always second guess myself, and spend a good load of time trying to convince myself i'm not any of the irrational notions I have of myself in my head. Does that medication just clear you mind, and relieve you of such urges? Thanks.

There is help available.

Hahah me 2 damn I don't like to tell people and talk about it but my professor of psychology talks about anxiety my anxiety get triggers 😢

@@winterdragon560 damn, and your hands starts to get sweaty and shaky. I'm getting nervous just thinking about it

@@itsmeharperjacksons6633 same girl and your heart start to beat so fast and you wanna cry , it's like hell 😢

Ian Bosley we can after dying 100 times inside so goin out aint fun no more if thats the case

Have you sought therapy to deal with this?

Many droment diseases can lead to feeling like bus are crawling over you... Get it checked?

Now you know why. It was from your genetics.

I have a friend who has arachnophobia, which I understand. He can't even see a video or a picture of a spider, I didn't know he didn't like them a lot till I accidentally sent him a video of a spider that I really really regerted since that's how bad it is, he's fine with spider man, spider gwen or anima girl spiders tho xD. Which I made a character for him just so he can try slolwy get rid of his phobia but it won't full go away of course.

i used to sleep under the covers out of fear spiders would crawl into my ears, and i always instinctively panic and assume every hair/string that touches me is a bug, and have even seen bugs crawling on me that arent even there and feel like bugs are on me all the time. i have to continuously remind myself that bugs will not hurt me, there are no bugs on me, and i will even research particular bugs im afraid of to reassure myself that i wont be hurt by them. i am not a professional or anything but my advice would be to just try to calmly tell yourself you will be ok and remember to be kind to your mind and get help when u need it.

Elisa Palacios that happens to me too, no reason for it, I just all of the sudden I just don't realize what was happening and I feel like I can barely breathe and there's more to it but its really frustrating to think about.

thank the heavens for tea

Elisa Palacios But At least. You don't have 3 types of phobias cause I have 3 :/ I have social, nyctophobia , and scared of the bees I don't know what that phobia is called

yes tea helps lots

I sometimes get it in class when I'm talking in front of loads of people... I once threw up...

X.BrookeNoel.X what are you obsessing with?

That's anxiety for me.....like all my physical applications of it are really easy to hide( like shortness of breath, migraines and EXTREME fidgeting). I can hid them all really well and while I probably shouldnt, my anxiety mainly social so I really don't want that attention......that's unhealthy....I really shouldnt. But other than that it's ALL in my head. When I asked my parents about it (it was the early stages and I was trying to figure out what's wrong with me ) , they said "you don't have it it would be noticable" and......it's really not (all the time). And when I did start straying away from people(from getting overwhelmed) they just told me to stop acting like that.......and I'm like .............wut? But ik they care for me they just don't understand what's inside my head fully and I can't exactly articulate it in a way I feel comfortable........................ugh I hate it so much

Brooke Jett OMG SAME...

Brooke Jett me too.

Love to you, guys. I hope relief comes soon.

Yes because I haven’t been diagnosed with anxiety or anything like that. At work when people didn’t put the dishes away right, I would fix them and people would comment and I’d usually say something like “I think I have OCD or something.”

I wouldn't take it so seriously, it's not their intent to diminish it. People just truly misunderstand it due to a lack of experience with having the disorder. It used to bother me when people said stuff like that, but that was because I based my identity off of my illness and not who I really am. Easier said than done with such a pervasive and intrusive disorder, but it's possible.

"Feeling depressed" or "feeling anxious" isn't the same as saying "I have depression" or "I have anxiety". The former two are legitimate feelings one can experience, key difference is duration and severity of course.

Suzanne O this.

Maximum Melody OMg I have been struggling with the exact same thing but a tip ( it sounds REALLY dumb ) is to get a night light or keep a hall light on :)

Egoon * that’s exactly what I do but it’s really a annoying when people are like”you know you’d fall asleep better if you turn the light off.” Like no I really wouldn’t.

Christi Lps unfortunately my parents don’t really listen to me when I talk about these things and ask them for help and since I’m a minor (though not for much longer.) I can’t really get help for myself but this past year I started taking melatonin which helps a lot even though I still only fall asleep around 11 or 12 it’s better than being up till 4am every night. Also music is a big help and I often find myself listening to piano arrangements of various film soundtracks.

It will get better. I went through the same thing, you’ll get past it in time. Especially if you speak to a professional.

I know this post is a bit old but have you ever been camping or slept in a tent. When I was younger and afraid of the dark, I didn't mind a tent for some reason, maybe as it is enclosed and I know nothing can get to me (other people being with me maybe helped a bit too)

sasha Scott that’s why I want to be in the field, so I can help people work with their fears or troubles in their life and give them a chance to live with themselves better

Hell yeah Sasha Scott Hope you're doing even better than when you posted this. When I was 16-19 I actually had extremely bad social anxiety, it kind of developed from my natural levels of anxiety about socializing due to other problems I have and grew to the point where I was literally the cartoon guy from the vid. Over a decade later now and I wouldn't really label myself as having full blown social anxiety disorder anymore. I hope you have your own success story soon if not already!

Thought is limited,whatever you do with it is finite,from a psychological structure that is tormented,limited and clouded with fear,confusion and all the anxieties of man how can you get over a depression, a psychological fear or anxiety. You cannot solve that with the thought that started the whole thing,all you can do is do nothing(NO ACTION from that thinking) and see the fact that the effort to solve a problem that started this negative thinking only enhances the unstable psychological burdens,Negative thinking telling thinking how to solve itself.The past thinker(self,YOU) trying to solve something with instability,confusion,fear and anxiety. To be free from that you have to see as a fact(as you see a tree) the amplification of the thinking process from the past to the present going into the future when you try to DO ANY action with thought(which is fearful,anxious and confused,therefore always LIMITED) The basis is there:fear,confusion,depression,anxiety and all the negative feelings,all those are the make up of the ego(YOU),The self the persona,the psyche(psychological structure made up from our past thinking(the source is memory),all that content of ones consciousness which is stored in the brain. With that basis we try to solve by effort and will,therefore psychological and mental effort which produces more thinking. Tremendous energy is lost from that process and that thinking influences the biochemical reactions in our body,we tense we dont breathe normaly because we overthink all the time with that basis,we never observe our thoughts as they are exactly and understand the nature of thought.Just observe. NO REACTION.Just staying with what is. Fear is you,depression is you, can you stay with it and completely attend and observe your emotions,feelings thoughts,NOT as though they are different from you but it is YOU(the self which is made up from memory which is thinking) IF all your memories are gone then who ARE YOU. So what we call ourselves is memory,conditioning,programming,social pressures,environmental pressures and everything we add to ourselves to define the SELF(YOU). Thought is usefull and nececasry but in the psychological field it is destructive and limited,we might be changed slightly but deep down the basis is still there.we are never free because we never ask oursleves the fundemental questions, WHAT IS THE ME?WHO AM I?AM I THOUGHTS,AM I A SOUL,WHY I FEEL THIS ANXIOUS,WHAT IS THOUGHT? WE never completely observe ourselves to find out our structure because we are afraid.we never gone into the mechanics of thought... So whatever you do with thought the basis is still there,slightly modified but never free to see and observe,we thought-act and that action is limited and confused but when there is the understanding of thought then you dont act from that basis, THERE IS just ACTION, thinking to act and saying tomorrow i will do it IS AN ILUSSION!!! The past is now (past thinking happens now as well as future thinking) the past continues into the now and then into the future,that is our thinking if you observe it. the future is now because whatever i do now determines what we call future,the next second is the future so now is the future,so everything is contained in the NOW. Observe yourself and you will find out if all that is true,ONLY you can find out. Dont take my word for it just see for yourself!!! FIND OUT Thats what matters.

sasha Scott so proud of you!!! People really don't realise how hard it is to overcome these things. I have been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder for 6 years now and it sucks but things are so much better than they were 6 years ago. I'm even volunteering in a cafe now and I never thought I'd be able to work in any aspect tbh. It's only 1 day a week so as not to overwhelm me but me and my support worker are trying to build up to doing more days. :)

sasha Scott I’m proud of you, you have made it so far 😊🙏🏾

Jacqueline Cleto I hope you are doing better. I constantly find myself loosing at least 5 hours every night and being incapable of doing homework or anything productive because i have obsessive thoughts about whether or not my friends or girlfriend or family actually care about me. And i find myself writing a text to one of those people and then deleting it repeatedly for hours straight. Its completely debilitating, and I hope that one day you are able to be free enough from your symptoms to live a fulfilling, comfortable, and happy life. OCD sucks. Check out the book "turtles all the way down by john green" if you havent already. It was very comforting for me and freed me from my symptoms for the week i was reading it because it distracted my brain enough.

I have those same intrusive thoughts but my compulsions don't really show. If I start to have those thoughts I HAVE to look online for reassurance that my thoughts aren't going to happen. It sucks.

Thats kinda wat i have

I thought I would never in my life find someone with the same problem as me , exactly the same it affects every single thing , putting my clothes on washing my hands, walking out of my room or any door when I see cracks in the floor like entering a different dimension without thinking about the terrible thing I always think about tracing my step pattern and retracing ,

Thats kinda my behavior few years ago. But little bit different.

OCD just seems like one of the mental disorders that is made fun of a lot ("omg im so OCD!"). I don't even have OCD and I'm sick of the jokes as well.

Ashley Wee I know right. Like I'm sorry, I didn't realize that picture frame that is slightly unaligned sent you into a panic attack or you that you have to fix it because if you don't something bad will happen! I don't understand how people can be so insensitive.

I agree. I have a friend with OCD and it aggravates me when people use it jokingly.

obsessive compulsive disorder OCD full form I think

Could not agree more. I tell my girlfriend this every so often. So misused, and people don't fully understand the gravity of the actual diagnosis.

Ugh my mum does it and I'm like mum you don't know what that means so shush

i can relate. I'm in my house all day:(

If I lived near you I would help you and be your friend

+Legolove LL as nice as that sounds, its harder than it seems. People with social anxiety distance themselves from others. We don't have friends not by choice, but by circumstance. In my 9th grade year, I started out rather popular and then by the end of it, when my anxiety peaked, I was sitting in the bathroom stalls playing Candy Crush during lunch. And I can't explain it. It's like I thought my friends hated me, so I quit being around them before they could hurt me. Well that's my case anyway.

I'm the same :(

It must be hard guys stay strong I have empathy for you guys.

Does anyone else get feel guilty/anxious over feeling guilty/anxious about doing and watching things that you love?

Yes... On UKposts, there are many things that I watch that I’d feel ashamed of if anyone at school or my family saw (not inappropriate content, I try to avoid that) and I worry that they’ll judge me or make fun of me, and it’s awful. I’m certain I have social anxiety, but I haven’t been officially diagnosed, so I’m afraid that nobody will believe me if I tell them about it or that they’ll blame the phone. However, this started well after I started watching a lot of UKposts. I still exercise and try to eat healthy, but I just can’t shake off these fears of being judged or being made fun of, except for my own home. UKposts is more of a way for me to forget about it, although I genuinely enjoy UKposts and the content I watch. I’ve kept it repressed for a while, and I always told my family I was fine, but I didn’t realize until this past year that I’m not okay. I know I’m not, but I keep thinking nobody cares, I’m lying to myself, I’m fine, people would think I want attention, and AGH, it’s overwhelming! Sorry for the long post, I just can’t keep living like this, and I need at least someone to know. Just typing this makes me feel selfish when I know I’m not being selfish. I just want it to end, one day without it, one day where I don’t hate my own voice and appearance, one day without these overwhelming fears... I can’t believe it’s come to this... me unloading what I’ve been going through in a comment section... not having even told those I trust most about my suffering... if you didn’t anticipate this long post, I’m sorry...😭, I really am... Also, the worst part is, I’m a male, and males are expected to be “tough” and crying or telling others about mental disorders is seen as “weak”, or so I believe... I’m not understating anybody’s situation, I’m just clarifying one of the worst parts of dealing with such conditions. I often feel like I’m alone in my suffering and that nobody can help me... I’m drained physically and emotionally so often... I just want to be normal...

Isn't it social anxiety ?

Lina no it is GAD I should know I have it GAD is thinking the worst outcome of any situations that's why we tend to avoid them it's that demon wispring every fear you had and turning it to something huge and just can't get out of

I have GAD Too I can't go anywhere without worry if I go out of my house I feel people are going to kill or do something I can't sleep because of it and I have a really hard time I have panic attacks every single day! I'm on pills now but they make me depressed and more anxious yay :)

also I freak out about my parents driving in rain, places with to many people close and sometimes I freak out over things I can't control

Why can't people say that they have anxiety before a test if they are nervous? Anxiety itself is not a disorder.

It definetely is a form of social anxiety. My brother is the same way and he recognizes that is way worse for him when he has to interact with people he knows.

Thank you!

Are there ways to fix this?

+lottie pool I wish I knew .. 🙁 But just like Hank says, I feel like if you don't fight your instincts, it won't get any better. Try to do what you're afraid more often, and once you see nothing bad actually happens, I feel it will be easier for your brain to distinct true danger from the danger in your head. I know it doesn't sound pleasant, to always do something you're terrified of, but like in any part of our lives, if we don't get out of our comfort zone, we will never grow. But try to do some research on the topic on your own instead of going to doctors, try to talk with people online who feel the same way to learn some tips from them. I also have social anxiety, but I feel like it's not as bad as other people. I simply don't like to be the center of attention and my body reacts to it in a form of hives all over my body .. It's really uncomfortable for me, especially when other people see it too .. But I just do what I need to do and try to make piece with it. 💕

Thank you very much.

this is so true omfg

i mean, I also have moderate to severe OCD and it is a w f u l

I understand completely. People I work with have said they have OCD because they like to organise the shelf. I didn't say anything but it was so frustrating when I leave that same building every time I'm there convinced that I've killed someone. It can be such an exhausting and debilitating disorder, but we can defeat it. I hope that you beat it soon! I also like you're profile picture thing, love Hamilton!

Thank you

I like being OCD I enjoy being organized for school it’s so helpful

that's horrible :( and i hope you'll get over your fear fellow phandom member

Don't Cry Craft damn daniel

Renate Oldenhoff thanks fellow phandom member :)

You're lucky. Imagine how it is to want to avoid every single person in the world.

[insert edgy meme] make somebody force you over the bridge, that got my dumb irrational fears to go away

That is exacty what i hhave and have to do.

+Yumi Thank you so much

I actually cried reading your comment, you have idea that means to me!

How does your's work?

I think you're legally allowed to execute people in the manner that you see fit when they do that shit. If you want I could give you some ideas.

Tyler Witt Usually when I'm having a panic attack, I can't speak or really do anything, so there's not much of a way for me to get back at them.

***** Mine is mostly a germ/disease thing. It's largely herpes, for whatever reason. Just things that I can't get rid of. I remember little things from years and years ago that were different; I used to have to check the doors 3 times before I went to bed to make sure they were locked (for fear of being robbed or murdered). Even after I'd still be petrified, but it helped. There were pure obsessions too; I would just lay down in panic or freeze in class because I suddenly came to the realization that there would be a huge earthquake, a shooting,etc. When I got to high school, though, it got intense. I had started worrying about germs in 8th grade (sometimes I would feel the need to rub hand sanitizer wherever I felt was dirty). When I got to high school, I was so freaked out that I missed the first 5 weeks of school because I was so panicked. I constantly used hand sanitizer on my legs, arms, anywhere that was exposed. If I didn't, I'd end up curled up on the floor crying (I wouldn't be able to go on my bed because I felt too dirty) I could feel the dirt and germs on my hands, legs, everywhere. A few times, I was so panicked that I would soak rags in rubbing alcohol and scrape my legs until they were raw. I got on medications, but they didn't fully help. I still can't open any doors or cabinets with my bare hands (I either have to cover them with paper towels or I open them with my feet). I have to carry hand sanitizer everywhere. I'm a lot better now, but I still have the fear of getting some deadly/permanent disease. It's freaky.

Debilitating. I wonder why germs are such a common trigger. I had an obsessive fear of certain numbers associated with a fear of impending violence. It would make sense if I went into how it was triggered but it's pretty silly. How it manifested was that every repetitive thing I did, like pressing buttons, I had to do a certain number of times, many times. I damaged electrical switches at work and at home. Also, when I saw the numbers in question or various combinations of them, like when it was a certain time, I had to wait. Even when people were around. It's ridiculously funny now, flares up sometimes but not nearly as much.

Hope you get better💛

I felt just like you. Now I go to a group very month that has the same as me. Sometimes i do feel alone every now and again but not as bad.

That's great! Have you started getting any counseling and has it helped?

Uhh I know I have panic attacks. Because I experience them, all the time. I thought it was physical, but after I was able to get a heart monitor strapped on and nothing happened I realized it was mental. Which then let me deduce that I have panic attacks. I am self diagnosed yes, but because I ruled out my heart being deformed or just wonky. You can't just go out and point to a disorder and say you have it yes, but I know I have this because I ruled out other things. But here is a question are my repressed emotions a result of GAD or panic attacks? But here let me tell you how I know I have panic attacks: "a few nights ago I was taking a bath and decided to use a new conditioner I got. I put it in my hair and all of a sudden when the smell hit me I started to feel my heart race memories from a nightmare shot up out of nowhere and I had to start regulating my breathing otherwise I would have hyperventilated" the smell was mint btw. This attack came out of nowhere and just hit me like a hammer. I haven't thrown out the conditioner, but now I only use it in the shower. These attacks can come at any time. Recently today I was falling asleep on the couch and an attack came, I am still feeling the effects two hours later of a racing heart beat. It's annoying and I don't want to feel this way at all. Once I had it so bad it was making my left arm ache literally. So do you think that I can't deduce I have panic attacks or anxiety when I experience it and rule out a bad heart?

It's bad to self diagnose. It is. But if you are feeling the symptoms of "something's wrong with you." Then....maybe you should research more on it. I'm not saying you should go on like a website and then say "I have a mental problem" and panic. But maybe you should think about it.

Maria White Saying 'don't self diagnose' is not saying 'you don't have X or any problem'. I have (although no longer as bad) both random panic attacks and ones when I focus on drawing efficiently (it doesn't help being an artist) but with having even a basic understanding of bias mostly in self reporting I would not and do not diagnose why I have them. Assuming you don't go up to professionals in scientific fields they spent years learning to tell them what to conclude why go a step further and conclude for a provisional without one? You're experiences are anecdotal at best and even assuming you remembered, interpreted, self assessed etc. perfectly what your saying equates to things like: "I tested one physical thing (the heart) a single way (frequency) and declared it was mental ignoring how even assuming that's true that doesn't rule out physical tests as everything psychological is simultaneously biological" and "You can't just go out and point to a disorder and say you have it yes, but I know I have this because I ruled out other things." is special pleading. Something that may help with panic attacks is to logically reason your options. You panic because you (consciously or not) think you should. Popular examples of reasoning's effects are sugar pills working like morphine, professional chess players sweating like athletes and climbing mount Everest painlessly wile breaking every limb. You can be tricked into it like crystal healers getting effects from rocks mistaken for crystals (placebo effect) or not; like separating fears from unrelated causes. The way I address SPW (stress, panic and worrying etc.) or others with the same is the simple flowchart: can you fix X (in this case panic attacks)? (they can be by stopping the feedback loop of SPW often by focusing on something else) If yes there's no point SPWing over it and if no SPWing is not going to help.

Maria White Having panic attacks is not a diagnosis. It's an effect of something else.

Sexual Potatoes Sometimes I feel like I'm dyslexic because I get East and West mixed up and sometimes miss-read words in different places.

LordRaclettus I think I have one....

LordRaclettus ✋

Antonina Maciag me too

LordRaclettus Hello. I have ADHD also.

High five. I was diagnosed with OCD✋

Sakura Tamashii. this is exactly me. you are not alone

Hooney2me I hope things get better for you

thanks you too

Sakura tamashi, how are things going for you now?

I'm suffering too😞.... but people don't even care to understand what we go through every single day.. to do the simplest work!!!

Read stories online about people with ocd/anxiety, it helped me realize the same thing

Anesha Ross And I'm over here in tears..

I Have It, And Im Bearly 13... It's Not Easy 😕

So you're telling that the capital "O" in OCD at the beginning of your comment doesn't bother the shit out of you, because the rest are lowercase? (The c and d) And that the second OCD is not in capital letters? Because the correct way of writing out an acronym is to put it in capitals, typically that is.

@Bri shaw The correct way is however I choose to write it. Why are you pin pointing how I wrote the letters? My " OCD" has nothing to do with how words or letters are written out. Everyone is different, if you have it you would know that.

okay i'm just saying

Thanks to realize I'm not alone in this

I get them everyday for no reason. but most of the time I get panic/anxiety attacks when I think about my health. and I won't go away until atleast an 1h+ later.. *sigh* fuck you anxiety disorder 😧

Manors Bridget I try to. rly I do. I'm getting a little more used to it now tho.

+Athena Nguyen because I got waves of panic attacks like every 20 minutes if would come back

+Abbey McClellan I completely understand what you mean. Our channel has a video about it, you check it out.

+Abbey McClellan Four in three days is about par for the course for me, maybe a bit on the good side. Four in one day is when I know things are starting to get bad. :(

Hiding out in my room

Going to doctor everday just to confirm my heart is fine

Hiding

Dude im here stressing over a teeny tiny discoloration of my phone which is driving me nuts.. i know its a small thing but i guess it has to do w my ocd or something

My thing was pillows, I got obsessed with fluffing out pillows.

Gina MeC how can I tell my mom I'm positive I have social anxiety. It's getting to the point where I won't step outside my house other than for school.

Lisette Flores It's really difficult, but you basically just have to be straight up about it. I self diagnosed and it took me six months to work up the courage to tell my parents. I just told them that I knew I had really bad anxiety that was irrational, and I wanted help with it. If your parents try to say it's normal, just tell them you'd rather go to a professional and have them tell you you're fine than go by their words, backed behind no medical or psychological degree, and go undiagnosed and live with that anxiety to the point you are no longer a functioning human being.

literally me, but I haven't had therapy or been professionally diagnosed. I think I'm going to stick it out and go to therapy once I get to college so I don't have to try to explain it to my parents... but do you have any tips you learned through therapy for how to deal with it?

Lucky ducky. Mine made me drop out of high school. :D

+Lisette Flores Yes, tell everyone about it. This is something serious u cant joke with. Tell your mum , tell anyone u can ,otherwise this 'little' thing will take away a lot from your life

Pretty accurate

fun fact: that actually is one of the responses and is also quite commonly used! it's fight, flight or FREEZE. (i relate tho but i just needed to share this fact)

+Frankie Reid Agree...

I completely agree! The only thing I want to do is lay down no matter where I am

Your name is perfect

Everyone does that to me too

Panic! at the Phandom honestly i have them too and my mom says "well im a little ocd too" all the time and im like ?? okay lol

Treatment ? U took. And how are u feeling now

Hannah M to

Hannah M i have panic disorder and OCD too. My parents dont believe me when i talk about it.

k

I actually have a phobia of bananas and bunnies.

I have a phobia of spiders. I have nightmares about them sometimes

Thank you for making this video. Most people who know that I have bipolar disorder don't know much about it. I've found that the best thing to do around people is keep it to myself because they have a tendency to avoid me or talk about me when I'm not there. Many people think that either we just have bad moods, or that we're ticking time bombs that at any moment could snap and kill someone. I hope that you plan to discuss bipolar disorder and its symptoms, and maybe it will change a few common misconceptions.

Have you done an episode on Depression? Considering Robin Willliam's suicide and battle with depression it could help people understand Depression.

don't worry I have Gad too at a point where it's making me sick all the time, but there is always hope we don't need to live with that for our whole life

yes I'm always anxious

Smolbeebojishwabean yeah I have gad and social anxiety too. I feel you

Oh god yes, when you're anxious about being anxious and you are fully aware of that. Hate it to the bone.

I hate it and I wish it would go away.

I don't have trips in my high school but there was a dance yesterday (I'm trying to lessen my anxiety by not avoiding social situations and so far it has helped a little) and I had 2 panic attacks. 1 before the dance and 1 during the dance. Ugh I went so long without having one too.

I relate to you, I move had a panic attack at school and it was horrible

+Gustavo Cruz-Velasquez I had panick attacks and I never had that itchy feeling. I felt like I was running out of breath, I sweated a lot, I had severe head aches and cried like for 1 hour non stop. I don't think you have panick attacks put you should go to the psychiatrist just in case.

+Gustavo Cruz-Velasquez i have an anxiety and panic disorders and i get itchy across my chest and around my rips, whenever i have a panic attack or am really anxious

Gustavo Cruz-Velasquez I have no idea what it could be

Me too I have anxiety

Is their a cure to social anxiety

S Nguyen Depends on the person.

Mohamed Salah Sorry to hear that =(

I fight into it day by day

PREACH

YES PREACH IT!

Dude! Same here

I have a panic disorder which means it feels like the world is spinning, your whole body tenses up and at the same time you're seriously shaking, everything is dark and light at the same time, your stomach hurts so bad you feel like you're getting stabbed over and over and sometimes it's the feeling where you miss a step on the stairs and you get that horrible feeling but it is continually happening, you feel is though you are drowning, thoughts come running to your head, but I only get really bad attacks if I feel as though I can't escape it or I'm constantly being surrounded by it. I get these around 1-3 times a week they're not fun things.

i feel you. :I

My mom doesn't believe I have anxiety. Stupid older sibling problems.

What? Even if you are just considering that you may have anxiety, that should be an indication there is something wrong! Don’t worry, there is support out there. (No pun intended with the worry there! lol) But seriously, if you don’t have support at home, there is support at school and of course don’t neglect the online community! I will be posting a video soon about my experiences/what I did to tack it if you ever need help. There is also other videos out there too. :) xxxx

My OCD is similar. I have had minor compulsions before, but most of my problems are solely in my mind. I have intrusive thoughts and unpleasant thoughts and guilt over things in the past which I cant stop thinking about, even though I dont want to think about it.

***** Oh haha thank you! Yes, I used to do the same! The best thing I found was to keep my mind distracted. Do your teachers know about it? If you let them know, and tell them why you try to skip class, they could really help you with that. They can probably give you jobs to do, which means you get out of class to go outside etc. xxx

Angeline Productions omg isn’t it terrible?! And then when you go to tell someone, they think you’re looney...

Are you also diagnosed with OCD/GAD?

My anxiety causes chest pains every night. Feels like I'm at deaths door every f***ing night.

+Missy Teree Ur not on meds? medication helped me big time!!

I am. but I haven't started the meds for OCD just yet.

+Ramone Tavarez its muscle spasms in your pecs and intrinsic rib muscles most of the time. i get them, they are caused by stress tension like trigger points or knots pressing on the nerves that sends false signals to the brain.

***** No, that one was funny.

Actually - it is funny... And ofcause people should be allowed to make jokes about OCD etc., its a quite human way of coping with things - I work in a field where I'm around people suffering from various diseases/dysfunctions - the best jokes I've ever heard about Parkinson was from a Parkinson patient - same goes for spastics and a lot of others...

***** I think there's a difference between an informed joke and a dismissive joke. Calling everybody who washes their hands before and after using the bathroom OCD is dismissive, and a careless joke is never okay, and we all know someone is being obnoxious when we hear it. An informed joke told in a friendly, casual manner can make people feel more comfortable. We have to remember context. Sometimes, your best friend calling you a bitch, or a tool can make you feel better than you did before, because it's a sign of acceptance. When you dance around an issue and never tease someone about it, it's saying that you're unsure of their acceptance of the joke, implying that you're not confident of your relationship with them. I've heard that there are several groups that feel left out of the mocking, and I'd imagine that that's like saying that whatever's different about them is REALLY serious, and it's not acceptable to talk about. You can make fun of someone for being of a particular culture, but not for being in a wheelchair? Because suddenly, even though the, say, black person wasn't supposed to be offended, the handicapped person is, as if the comedian really MEANT it when he was talking about the latter but not the former? Nah. Let's make fun over everybody.

You're the kind of person who pisses off all these PC police watching these comments I like you.

***** actually humor can be an excellent way when you wanna educate people even if more serious matters..

FairyLights you’re so right!!

TheLunaOne Hi! This may come a bit late, but I've through that too. Your muscles hurting and having difficulty breathing might be a response to the rise in adrenaline during a panic attack. Fear makes your body prepare to run away or fight a danger, but during a panic attack we tend to just "freeze", so you don't "burn" that adrenaline. For me, doing some exercise helped me to reduce those symptoms, and, if I was able to notice a rise in anxiety before getting an actual panic attack, breathing techniques helped me stop it. Hope that helps you a little :)

TheLunaOne you described everything I feel

TheLunaOne this is exactly what I feel on a daily basis and I have been diagnosed with GAD so you might also have it

Stumbling across this just now. You described me to a T as well. It's surprisingly reassuring to know I'm not just one of those evolutionary mutations destined to be a dead end (which hasn't happened yet, somewhat ironically, due to a fear of being cut/any kind of 'sharp' pain. That's probably normal for normal people too, but still kinda funny fear and lack of access to a gun is why I'm alive), but just one of many dealing with an annoying as hell condition. How are you doing? Have you managed to get any help in the last year? Make any progress on your own?

My god it’s almost like I wrote that comment...

Correctamondo ;) I agree that OCD is usually paired with both the though and the act but OCPD is characterized by just the thought and maybe an expression but mainly the repetitive thought that is linked to personality traits that they have. OCD know that there is a problem and can see that their acts are not mandatory but to them it seems that way and so they carry on, however OCPD can not see the problem in their behavior or thought process and its everyone else that is the problem :)

I don't know much about OCD and I've never heard about OCPD before, but my ex was diagnosed with OCD when we were together. It seemed odd though, as he usually cared about people's actions rather than things. Like he would be tremendously angry at me for drinking coffee, because it was "wrong". Do you know if this goes under OCD or maybe OCPD? He didn't see a psychologist, just a social worker, but he did get medication for OCD.

KreeZafi That is so incredibly interesting. I wonder how people came to use the one term to describe (in an inaccurate hyperbole) the other. Thanks for the info.

KreeZafi is it possible to have both? Cause I have both

KreeZafi Thanks

Good luck!

leeks Thanks!

I want one but the people I live with won’t let me have one :(

+Sienna Shadow Ikr, I hate how people think it's a cleaning disorder. I've had repetitive thoughts and weird rituals for years now, and I didn't know I had OCD until recently. It went right under my nose because I thought it was for neat freaks

+William Zhang Oh, Me too. I hate when people tell me I don't have OCD but I don't have "regular" OCD. I have a safety OCD.

+Sienna Shadow well your rituals can broaden often spilling into organization, yet has nothing to do with cleaning as much as why it is you clean. Usually from trauma, it's a disassociation of cause and effect reality, we all do it in some respect. But where is your behavior leading? What concenquences have your rituals had to your time/productivity, social life, family life, close relationships? It can get out of hand. are you guys diagnosed?

Sammeee!!! I'm so unorganized and I'm a hot mess but i have the worse compulsions!!!

Preach. I always have these thoughts that get in my way of my priorities. For fucks sakes, I can't even drive without having bad thoughts in my head that make me worry. It's a constant struggle to ignore those thoughts in order to prevent a panic attack. Going out with friends and socializing with people is sometimes a struggle because you can't even keep yourself straight when you are secretly suffering from your the voices in your head. It's always been like this and I've learned to deal with it. I'm going to a very good college and earned my first drivers license. Don't let a mental illness bring you down! Be strong and use your every strength to fight against your mind.

So you have Harm OCD?

Morrigan Miller Yea pretty sure.

Had? So you got rid/control over it?

Coo kies Actually yes... today i am not affected by it anymore...

M Avila wow alright, how did you do that? :o I'm rly happy for you!

I have horrible anxiety regarding getting nauseous. I don't know if that qualifies but whatever.

Yes! I have Emetophobia and nobody really takes it seriously! It is horrible!

it's good to see other people with the same problem, good luck getting over it you two

Yep. I had that for years. The plane thing... I caused an 'incident' on a plane trip when I was 11 or so, because a man in my isle was sick all over his plate. All the flight attendants, my mom, the friends we were going with rushed to me to find out why this kid suddenly started screaming on the top of her lungs. 20 minutes before I could point to the guy and they noticed his situation. I had to be moved to a seat in the back. I feel bad about it.. but honestly, I still occasionally have nightmares about that day. I would really, strongly suggest working on it BEFORE you have babies. If you plan on having them. It's something that has to be under control by then because babies vomit. As a parent you'll have to deal with it. Just a little advice from someone who went through it the hard way.

Anne Marie thank you very much Your wisdom will certainly come in handy

Almost the same thing happened to me at my voice lessons recital. I was fine until I had to go up on stage, and just for the practice with maybe 20 people, I could barely get through it, and then I just ended up going into a room and crying, before my teacher found me and then I just left... It really sucks, because I wanted to do it so bad, but I just couldn't.

The same thing happened to me except we weren't even performing in from of a crowd we were just rehearsing and I was asked if I wanted to try a solo part and so I thought yeah I suppose and I started and I just lost all confidence in myself and broke down into tears right there in front of everyone. It was horrifying, it took me a long time before I got that confidence back years even never again will I try going solo. I love to sing and I'm good at it but I'm not a soloist I have to be with other people.

+JohnnyDeppforlifee Definitely relatable - and that's a great mantra to have! I agree with your comment wholeheartedly: OCD definitely needs to be taken more seriously. I can't even begin to describe the dropping feeling I get in my stomach when someone jokes about being "soooo OCD! hahaha" when - for example - they've just straightened up and cleaned a shelf. In those situations I often find myself thinking that if only there was a deeper awareness of OCD then that person would be able to understand that making a sweeping statement like that can really have an impact someone who suffers from OCD, and that just because they like to be tidy doesn't mean that they feel the same crippling anxiousness about contamination that an individual who has OCD might feel. You're right again that obsessions and compulsions can be strange and inexplicable. In my experience, sometimes they're odd enough to make me think "Have I somehow fabricated this for myself? Am I lying to myself? Where has this come from?" and then having that become yet another obsession (which really just gives further evidence of how debilitating it can be, because at some points people might feel like they can't even trust themselves!). It's great to see another individual out there trying to speak up and stay positive about it all. Stay golden!

Amen.

+JohnnyDeppforlifee personally, i do not suffer from OCD but i do agree it is taken too lightly. Every time someone makes a joke about any sort of mental illness, its a shame that i have to tell them not to do it. You would think it's common sense to not say such ignorant and insensitive things.

Thank you for sharing your experience. It is so frustrating when people don't take these issues seriously and think you're just "weak" or "overdramatic". There is still a huge stigma against and lack of understanding of the brain and psychological disorders. I know if these naysayers are still alive in the coming decades when we have a better understanding of the brains and its functioning, they will be eating their words. Telling someone with a mental illness to "stop being such a drama queen", or " just get over it" will be as insulting and useless as giving the same instructions to someone with heart problems.

***** THIS