Long Ago and Far Away

[Candidshot56]

It came out of nowhere and suddenly it became my life's focus above all my true ambitions. There was no diagnosis, name, much less help back then. I was on my own to figure it out. Yet here I am still trying to figure it all out with time running out.

[deValentin]

We are all in the same boat, trying to figure out (in a non-OCD way, hopefully) the OCD puzzle, so we can function better in life. This being said, I'm glad that science made tremendous progress in that domain the last 40 years or so.

You said that when it hit you, there wasn't much help available for OCD. How did you manage on your own?

[80_Zil_ian]

Yes, it is a lot of questions, and despite many answers, it never feels like enough… it’s strange. Sometimes I think about how many opportunities I lost in life because of OCD, and other times I think about the ways OCD had a positive impact.

After 20 years, I have a strong confidence that OCD is not going to ruin my Life anymore. But on the other hand, having better control over it also makes me less hopeful that I’ll ever be free from it—because if, after all this learning, treatment, time and dedication, I’ve only managed to make it manageable, that’s a strong indication that this might be the peak of improvement I can reach.

[deValentin in reply to 80_Zil_ian]

If we feel we used all possible reasonable means to live in line with our values and we aren't completely OCD-free, this is not due to any failings on our part. I find that belief good for our self-esteem, and what's good for the self-esteem is bad for OCD.