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Family member dismissed my OCD

Family member dismissed my OCD

Hey, folks. Hope you're doing okay.

I've been diagnosed with OCD after a lifetime of thoughts which make no sense, are really bloody distressing, and escalated over the years. I've had Symmetry OCD for as long as I can remember, but I'd learned to deal with those thoughts... I only brought it to a psych when my Harm OCD became frequent/upsetting enough to disrupt my everyday life. This diagnosis means a lot to me, even though it's scary too.

I tried to tell one of my parents about my OCD diagnosis. This parent said, "Stop getting diagnosed with things. You'll get diagnosed with everything if you keep seeing a psychologist. This stuff just a part of your personality." This parent compared my issues with them being an introvert. They reckon everything I've been diagnosed with are just personality traits. (Including... bulimia nervosa??)

I think this parent assumes that OCD is just being really clean. So they think I'm just overreacting by getting diagnosed.

I wanted to speak up and explain what my OCD is.

Content/trigger warning
I wanted to explain that, every time I see certain household objects, these horrific thoughts pop into my head, and I can't make it better without professional support. And that's just one example. Turns out, some of my SI throughout the years has actually been OCD. That's what I was dealing with alone. I couldn't figure that out without my psych.

But I couldn't speak up. I couldn't find the words. And it really frustrates me, knowing that my parent still thinks I'm being over-diagnosed for no good reason. It's not as if I enjoy having multiple conditions which are serious enough to warrant being diagnosed. I don't want to live like this. But I am living like this, so I'm getting professional support.

If anyone has any advice about making a skeptical family member believe you, I'd be very grateful. Especially in the realm of OCD. Or just some empathy. This sucks.

22 replies

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In response to: Family member dismissed my OCD

Re: Family member dismissed my OCD

@tyme I've explained it a bit in this thread: https://saneforums.org/t5/Useful-resources/Procrastination-resources-and-advice/m-p/1622173#M3762

I'm still figuring out exactly what's causing my procrastination. If you know of any procrastination resources for people with complex mental health issues, especially neurodivergent people, that would be great. I'm particularly looking for good/reputable/evidence-based resources or recommendations. I've found some harmful advice online which has just made me feel garbage, so that's why someone else assisting with finding resources would help me right now.

I will be talking with my clinical psychologist about procrastination, but right now we need to prioritise more serious issues related to my SH OCD.

Hope you're doing well, too 🙂

In response to: Re: Family member dismissed my OCD

Re: Family member dismissed my OCD

I've asked around for you @D1ng0 . I personally don't know any that are specific for MH.

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