Hi Danielle! Your article was the only one that came up when I searched for OCD-related articles on Elemental, so I appreciate your writing this.

Thank you for approaching OCD from this particular angle. I have a formal OCD diagnosis myself, but it too took a very long time. For a long time, therapists treated me like a typical anxiety case. I bounced from counsellor to counsellor, but my symptoms didn’t improve and I felt misunderstood.

I finally got the help I need by checking in to a hospital of psychiatrists. The psychiatry was a lot colder and not as humanist as talk therapy, but I finally got the diagnosis I needed. I accessed medications that made an enormous difference, and even got referred to a specialized OCD treatment program.

Getting diagnosed made an enormous difference and opened up many doors. I wish more people could get the sort of help I did, but I understand that lots of people didn’t have the resources I did. I was a student at a large university with many well-educated folks that pointed me in the right direction. I also have universal healthcare where I live, so psychiatry was free. Many people don’t have these luxuries.

I have a few articles about OCD on my Medium profile as well, if you want to take a look. Thank you for advocating for OCD!