Archive for Your Stories
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.
‘Schizophrenia: Missing Reality’ – A Personal Account
Posted by: | CommentsSchizophrenia: Missing Reality
By Katherine Walters
NOTE: This story contains brief sexual and violent references that some people might find upsetting – though the outcome is inspiring. We aim to be honest here, so we have included the story in full. Please only read if you feel comfortable with this sort of material.
‘Depression: The Need for Govt Support’ – A Testimonial
Posted by: | CommentsI am 35 yrs old. I have been diaganosed with Major Depression since I was 21. I spent my 21st birthday in the hospital. Most days I can handle it well. But when something changes too much in my life, it’s hard for me to deal with that.
‘Bipolar Soldier: My Story’ by Tracy Mellor
Posted by: | CommentsBY TRACY MELLOR
I was always a moody child. My mother would diplomatically explain it away as having an “artistic temperament”, as I used to enjoy drawing, painting, and music. When I became a teenager prone to extremely depressed moods and suicidal thoughts, they were blamed on the ups and downs of adolescence. No one ever thought to take me to a psychiatrist, and all was swept under the rug. You see, I grew up in a household where the “stiff upper lip” was the norm, and mental illness was certainly nothing that was ever discussed.
A True Life Account of Bipolar Disorder: ‘Ellie’
Posted by: | CommentsNOTE: This story contains sexual and violent incidents that some people might find upsetting. But we aim to be honest here, so we have included the story in full. Please only read if you feel comfortable with this sort of material.
As a young child (around 4-5 years old), I suffered from my “illness”. I would hear voices, and I never slept. Often I would ask my mother why it was that I heard things nobody else heard, and her explanation was that God was trying to talk to me. So when the voices called out my name, I was at my wit’s end, calling to God, telling him I really was listening, and that He could just tell me already! Read More→
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.
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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→