OCD
Most people think that OCD is simple and everybody has it. People think this due to the way people use the term like it’s nothing, blaming and comparing every action to “it’s my OCD’. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not just an individual liking things clean, it is not an individual wanting things a certain way.
Most people like things clean and tidy most people also have a preference of the way they want things placed such as regular habits. OCD is way more than this and we should be spreading more awareness of it. OCD afflicts 2% of the world population, with this being said you can imagine the frustration people with OCD get when people are always throwing around the term like it doesn't matter.
When six years old, I was diagnosed with OCD. My Mom noticed it when I would tie my shoe strings so tight that they would break, and get in and out of bed exactly 24 times every single and morning before I would get ready for the day or for the night, I would even pick objects up and tap them to surfaces 24-48 times. I had certain numbers in my mind that would stick, and would know I had to meet up to those numbers or did not feel right. OCD is an awful disorder, not something to joke about.
When I got diagnosed with it I was put on medicine, which did not work good for me. I felt like a zombie throughout the day, and could not stay awake at school. I stopped taking it due to these side effects and never went back to the doctor for it. When young my habits were extreme, so extreme they consumed my life I was always mad at my life and tried so hard to break them myself but could not help it when my mind was convincing me otherwise.
As I got older i have trained myself to calm down and can control it better, my symptoms are not nearly as extreme. Now it usually only acts up bad when I am stressed out, and even then my symptoms are not as bad as they used to be. Everyday i have minor symptoms. I can not go to bed without my room being spotless clean, I have to shower every night and do my washing in a certain order, closing my car door a couple of times, checking the stove and oven, checking my car to make sure I didn't leave anything on, etc. The reason for me writing this story is to spread awareness.
These habits get exhausting and it’s something we realize is there but our brains are forcing us to do them anyways. Coming from a person who suffers with OCD, the term should not be thrown around like it means nothing. It is extremely offensive and should be taken seriously.
