Family member dismissed my OCD

Hey @D1ng0 I may not be able to offer advice on how to help your parents believe you, other than perhaps sharing more information and resources about OCD with them like this one. But even then, it sounds like they are pretty closed off to accepting that these are things that you're struggling with.

I used to misunderstand OCD, like a lot of people do, until a good friend of mine started to confide in me about their diagnosis of OCD and how debilitating their thoughts could be. It's incredible that you've been managing up until this point and shows a lot of strength, though I'm really glad to hear that you've got a psych who is now helping you to understand and work through these thoughts, and I really hope that your parents are able to show some more understanding in time

Thanks @Ru-bee for the kind words. I appreciate it. It's taken a lot of work to deal with these thoughts without properly knowing what's going on. I'm exhausted and honestly so glad to have help now. It's why I wanted to tell my family about it. I really just want them to understand the level of effort required for me to simply function.

I don't know if my parent is closed off necessarily. I think they're scared of mental illness and reckon problems go away if you just push through. And they're skeptical about mental health care in general. It sucks because they care heaps, they're just of a different generation. Telling me to just live normally is how they care for me. It works for them, so it should work for me.

I hope my parent comes to view OCD differently. Thanks for telling me that you've learned. That does make me hopeful.

If anyone with OCD can offer some support, I'd really appreciate it. Especially anyone with Harm OCD. I'm still absorbing the fact that I have this condition, and I feel pretty alone.

hey there @D1ng0 it's so lovely to see you!!

i'm so sorry that you're feeling quite alone in your diagnosis at the moment. unfortunately i don't have OCD, but i'm more than happy to sit with you so you're not alone, and chat about anything you'd like. here to listen 💙

Hey @rav3n, thanks for supporting me. I hope your evening's going alright.

I'm mainly just exhausted, to be honest. And I'm sad about the way my parent reacted. The thoughts are hard enough, I didn't expect that coming out about them would be so difficult. I couldn't even get to the proper explanation.

I feel very alone. It never seems like the right time to tell anyone about my OCD. Especially the Harm OCD. I don't know how to have that conversation, when what I need to get off my chest is the fact that I'm dealing with graphic, distressing intrusive thoughts many times per day, but those thoughts don't equal SI. I really would like to know how other people with Harm OCD have navigated similar disclosures.

Is there a reputable online space, similar to this one, for OCD sufferers? A forum that SANE can recommend?

Cheers.

Hey @D1ng0 been a while! I'm sorry things are so hard for ya friend, dealing with stigma is the worst.

I dunno about a forum, but you could look into these guys? ARCVIC - they're based in Victoria but offer services Aus-wide. They started out as the OCD foundation so it's like their 'specialty' I guess? But yeah I think they have support groups and stuff too that you could check out.

it really sucks to hear that your parents reacted poorly @D1ng0 i can imagine that it must've taken so much courage to even speak about it in the first place, i wish i had the power to make that go your way.

i can see how overwhelming this is for you and it's totally okay to take your time to process all this. there are definitely people on similar boats to you out there, and like Jynx mentioned, ARCVic is a great one! they have a helpline you can contact as well as online/face-to-face support groups.

i've also found these, i don't personally know too much about them but feel free to give them a go:

• OCD Support Group - they offer face-to-face and online support groups too
• OCD Stop! Program | Head to Health - this is a self-paced self-learning program... it is targeted towards people with mild-moderate OCD symptoms so you may need to check if this is a fit for you. the program offers a free therapist to assist you with the online modules for about 12 weeks i think

sending you lots of love 💜

Hey @Jynx and @rav3n, thank you both so much for the recommendations and the kind words.

Hey @D1ng0 , I'm missed ya! So great to see you. It's always great to see you pop in 🙂

Cheers @tyme. It is good to have this online space.