Decided to seek OCD therapy after 7 years

[Mallika]

Today being World Mental Health Day, I want to share that I've finally decided to seek therapy for my OCD after 7 years.

I first started getting intrusive thoughts when I was 13, but it was only when I was 15 that it actually became observable enough that it alarmed me. I didn't know what was going on then. I had told my parents, but they didn't understand either, thinking I was just being "negative".

A year later when I was 16, I Googled it and found out that this was a proper mental health condition. But seeing how my parents were so averse to my sharing before, I didn't tell them.

Fast forward to today - my OCD is a high-functioning type, so I don't have physical compulsions that others can observe. But my inner turmoil has been unbearable and debilitating - through the 7 years, I have had many an episode of immense distress due to my intrusive thoughts, though I couldn't tell a soul and not a soul could tell. It has been too painful keeping it all to myself. Last Tuesday, when I decided I had to seek CBT/ERP therapy (since that is the gold standard for OCD with a high recovery rate), it felt like I had grown wings. All through the past week, I suddenly have newfound hope that I can recover and feel like myself again. I have big dreams just like many other people; I want to overcome this and live a normal life.

I've reached out to my university's free counselling service, which has trained clinical psychologists and therapists whom I hope will be able to help me. My parents don't know that I've decided to seek therapy. Not only because they didn't previously try to understand me (TBH I don't blame them, they're amazing parents; it's just that in my culture, just like many others, mental health conditions are severely stigmatised), but I don't want to add on to their worries. But I will eventually tell them over the course of therapy. That's why I'm opening up here on TeenHelp - this is my only outlet.

I want to urge any one of you out there suffering any kind of mental distress to PLEASE REACH OUT. Help is available. As I type this with tears streaming down my face, my only regret is that I didn't reach out sooner. It's crazy to think that I've been volunteering at a psychiatric hospital and with organisations for people with intellectual disabilities for over 5 years now, and yet never once thought that I needed to be helping myself just as I was helping others. I should have just convinced my parents when I was younger to let me get therapy so I wouldn't have had to battle this demon for years. I'm still lucky that something made me seek therapy now... the average OCD sufferer takes 14-17 years to get help.

If you're looking for a sign to seek therapy if you need it, this is it. Please, go seek help.

Wishing everyone out there seeking treatment a speedy recovery

Thank you for sharing your story, Mallika. I, too, suffer from OCD, and it can be devastatingly painful. I am glad you have decided to seek help, and I really hope that it works for you and your are able to discover the skills, coping strategies, and do the processing you need to move forward. Good luck, and thank you!

[Dawn.]

Hi Mallika,

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I, too, suffer from OCD and Depression and have done so since I was 15. It has been an extreme rollercoaster and for the past week, I have been feeling distressed as well. If you ever wish to talk, I'll be more than happy to listen.

[Allyson Wood]

Thanks Mallika for imparting your story with us, you're such an inspiration to all. It really feels good to be part of this family because in here we don't have to struggel in silence. Turning our wounds into wisdom. God bless us all and more power!

[Celyn]

Thank you for sharing your story, Mallika. I'm sure it gives a lot of hope to others who may be struggling to deal with OCD to realise that there is help out there and that it can get better with the right support

[Mallika]

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for your kind words and support. It is encouraging to think that we are not alone in our struggle and we have each other for support.

Hope everyone takes a step closer in fighting their mental health conditions