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Breaking the Stigma


I talk a big game when it comes to mental health – firmly stating that the more we talk about mental illness, the greater the chance of lessening the stigma and the more likely people who need help will seek it.

But then what do I do? I keep quiet about my own mental health issues.

No more. I have OCD and with this first post, I’m going to start talking about it. My hope is that even one person who also has OCD will read it and know that he or she is not alone, that there’s a support network out there, and that we have shared experiences.

My OCD comes in many forms – compulsive counting, touching, thinking “bad” thoughts. I have religiousity OCD. I have “magical” thinking OCD. I have a tendency toward “catastrophic” thinking and “black and white.”

I think I even have body dysmorphic disorder but then I doubt that – which, itself, is a form of OCD, the “doubting disease.”

And that’s just the beginning. Assuming there’s an interest in hearing this stuff about me, I’ll keep sharing.

Being this is the first post, I’ll end here. But I’m putting my money where my mouth is and doing my small part to break the stigma.

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