Archive for OCD
#OCD: My Story – by ‘Rick’
Posted by: | CommentsPlease note this story contains 2 instances of language some readers might find offensive. We do not believe in censoring these personal stories, so if you believe you might be offended, please do not read this piece.
‘Rick’
My Story
Every moment, I know its going to happen. The other shoe is going to drop and I will die. From my own hand, maybe, because it will be so awful. I will not be able to handle it.
#OCD: The Birth of an Obsessive-Compulsive – A Personal Story
Posted by: | CommentsThe Birth of an Obsessive-Compulsive
By Nadja
NOTE: This story contains some depictions / references to violence / sex that some readers may find unsettling. However, we do not believe in censoring anyone’s life story, so we have included it in full. Please do not read if you are easily upset by such things.
Regardless of whether you believe in “Nature” or “Nurture”, I really didn’t have a chance. My poor, sweet Grandpa Ralph had OCD, except back then nobody knew what it was so they thought he was just doing weird things because he was drunk. The truth is, he was drunk because he couldn’t stop himself from doing weird things. I know this all too well. I spent my teens and early 20s drunk because alcohol is really good at drowning your obsessions and compulsions. Read More→
As part of our ongoing effort to raise awareness about neurological conditions, we are always looking for new personal stories about your lives with these diagnoses.
These stories can be completely anonymous, if you wish, or you can provide your real name or even a made-up pen name.
You don’t have to be a ‘writer’ as such – we don’t mind if you don’t have perfect English; we just want what you have to say.
We do not believe in judging others, and everyone involved in the website has been diagnosed with multiple related neurological conditions themselves.
All we want is your personal testimonials to be listed in the ‘Your Stories’ section of our website. We’ve already had so much positive feedback from the stories posted so far – they have helped others feel less alone with their symptoms, inspired people to think of themselves and their diagnoses a bit differently, and taught us all about the truth behind such conditions.
No story will be censored – these conditions often come with dark and disturbing elements, so if you feel you can’t tell your story without these, they will definitely be included on our website.
We believe the world needs to be made aware of the seriousness of such diagnoses – we want to remove the stigma in speaking out about them, but also help stop people making jokes about them.
Please do click the ‘Your Stories’ tab at the top of this page to look at what others have written.
To share your testimonial, just click the ‘Contact’ tab and write your story in the body of the message. If you’d like to remain anonymous, please list your email address as ‘anonymous@anon.com’ and give your name as ‘Anonymous’.
We hope to hear from you soon!
Vrinda, Sharon, Jennifer and Lynn
Conditional Publications
Don’t forget to get your copy of Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD – on Amazon and Amazon Kindle
An OCD Testimonial by ‘Rayray U’
Posted by: | CommentsI’ll never forget the day my life took a major twist. I was only six when the obsessions began. I was far too young to comprehend the complex nature of the disorder I suffered from. I wasn’t aware I’d be forced into a gory, lonely world – my Whinnie-the-Pooh and Little Mermaid thoughts would soon be overtaken by a plague of terrible thoughts. But I can still trace back the day where I was forced to mature well beyond my years as I tackled with the horrible, gruesome images my imagination painted for me.
An OCD Testimony from Caroline
Posted by: | CommentsI was diagnosed with OCD very casually, as if it was just assumed I had OCD and I already knew about it. So I can’t pinpoint the year. I just remember a psychologist talking about treatments for my OCD when I was about 16.
I have the more Compulsive side of OCD – probably due to the fact that it is co-morbid with Tourette Syndrome. I have had the stereotypical handwashing and compulsive checking, as well as a few obsessional thoughts I just couldn’t shake.
I tried Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for it but found it 9/10ths useless. However, when I started to be treated with Zoloft for Depression, my OCD got up and walked away. I don’t have any compulsions these days, so my thoughts on OCD are muted. It’s never been my biggest issue; it’s always just been me.
Caroline
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An OCD testimonial, by Ryan Arroyo
Posted by: | CommentsIn the end all you will have is yourself; you will be alone. That is to say, the three pounds of meat encased in your skull, the repository of everything that makes you YOU, is all you will have. In a way, isn’t our whole life just a view of the world from inside a prison of bone? But that’s beside the point. What I mean to say is that, whether through death or distance, all your loved ones will eventually leave you. In the end you can only rely on yourself, and your thoughts are your only comfort.
I am not alone. I have a constant, unwelcome companion. This companion is a voice – a voice in my head that is sadly my own.
An OCD testimonial by Jennifer Abrams
Posted by: | CommentsAn OCD testimonial by Stephen Leaver
Posted by: | CommentsI would like to say: it’s easy to see someone struggling with OCD and judge by thinking, They really need to get their act together. OCD is so horrible, so unrelenting. The anxiety is so draining. The compulsions are done to feel relief from the hell of OCD, not because it’s something they like to do. If anything, know they are struggling, and try to relate through something you have struggled with.Because the last thing they need is to feel even worse.
OCD is hell…
Stephen Leaver, illustrator for Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD, available on Amazon from 11 May 2010.
Be sure to subscribe to our newsfeed for more stories like this – and if you’ve got a story to tell, click ‘Contact’ and send us your fiction or non-fiction of no more than 3,000 words before 30 April to be in with a chance to win a FREE copy of ‘Check Mates’.
An OCD testimonial by E. I. Muse
Posted by: | CommentsTechnically speaking, I’ve never been diagnosed with OCD. Doctors have agreed I have it, but no one sat down with a diagnostic manual and said, “Ah, we see you have OCD.” Nevertheless, those who have listened to me agreed this was the case. I knew it when I read a description of it in a Psychology book in college. It just all came together.
I think for some people, this is a traumatic moment. I was overjoyed. I knew what was wrong! That knowledge was powerful. Back then, when a compulsion arose, I’d see it for what it was. OK, so another OCD issue is raising its ugly head. On the other hand, there were certain symptoms that were life-altering for the worst. I can’t be with you. I might hurt you. Or I can’t be free to live my life like other people because God might punish me. Or Only the filthiest people would have thoughts like that. Guilt and shame are powerful companions to this disease. Read More→
An OCD testimonial by ‘Kristen’
Posted by: | CommentsI’m 17 years old, and I was diagnosed with OCD when I was 13, though I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have symptoms. I’ve since been diagnosed with depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenic tendencies resulting from my OCD. My psychiatrist and I don’t consider titles anymore, just symptoms and treatments.
The best day of my life was the morning I woke up, having taken medication for my symptoms for the first time the night before. For the past year, I had awakened and instantly burst into tears upon recognizing I hadn’t died in my sleep. That morning, I woke up, shut off my alarm clock, and made it all the way downstairs before I realized I didn’t mind being alive. For the first time, I wondered if things just might get a little better. Read More→