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 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.
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.
