As our collective understanding of mental health has grown, more and more people have begun accessing care for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and other mental health conditions than ever before. Today, many people are receiving help that was previously unavailable, unknown to them, or avoided due to stigma and fear. And while OCD still remains highly misunderstood, more and more people are coming to recognize it as a serious condition, rather than a joke or personality quirk.
In spite of these advances in healthcare and the growing understanding of OCD as the debilitating illness it can be, many people are still not seeking out the help they need. There are several reasons for this, but I want to make it clear to anyone who finds themself in that position right now that you can find relief from OCD, and you can start your recovery journey today. Here’s why:
Yes, it is serious enough
One reason why some people with OCD delay getting treatment for so long is that they don’t feel their symptoms are “serious” enough. In my years as an OCD therapist, I cannot tell you how many people I worked with who spent years questioning whether their symptoms warranted treatment or if they were overreacting. They had intense feelings of doubt about whether they were “sick enough” to need therapy.
I would respond by asking them if their symptoms were getting in the way of living the life that they wanted to live. If the answer was yes—and it almost always was—then I would say that it is serious enough. The goal of treatment is to improve your quality of life and increase your ability to function the way you want. A person’s OCD symptoms and severity may vary from time to time. There is no “wrong” time to get treatment if OCD is interfering with the life you want to live.
You can free yourself from stigma
Many people grew up attaching a strong negative connotation to mental health conditions and mental healthcare as a whole. So many people have kept their struggles a secret, fearing that they would appear weak if they shared them with others. The stigma and shame attached to mental illness has held so many people back from seeking help over the years—I hear this often from the people who were determined enough to eventually seek the help they needed.
In the past, some people saw therapy as nothing more than activity done by people who were interested in it, and less of a standard healthcare service. For others, therapy was seen as a shameful, taboo topic, or a sign of failure. Fortunately, these beliefs have evolved, and we’re finally headed in the right direction. Even just a few years ago, telehealth was difficult to access and the options that did exist were more heavily stigmatized.
In recent years, the accessibility of effective, specialized care has increased greatly, and advocates’ hard work has made significant progress in dismantling long-held misunderstandings and stigma surrounding OCD and other mental health conditions. Today, 9 in 10 Americans with commercial insurance can access NOCD Therapy using their health plan benefits, whereas even 5 years ago, health insurers rarely had any OCD specialists in their network.
You might not feel ready, but it doesn’t have to hold you back
The truth is that you may never feel ready to start treatment for OCD. That’s how OCD tends to work. It can run from discomfort at every turn, and making the choice to seek treatment can seem uncomfortable. But we still do it because it works. We do it because living with untreated OCD is far more uncomfortable and far more distressing than fighting back against it.
The longer you postpone treatment, the longer you suffer needlessly, and the longer OCD remains in the driver’s seat. You don’t need to listen to OCD. And you don’t need to wait to begin this next chapter of your life.
You can get effective and life-changing treatment, and you can start your recovery journey today. OCD is very treatable. You can live a very fulfilling life. You just have to take that initial step. It may feel scary now, but with time, it can become liberating.
You are not alone in how you’re feeling—there is a whole community of other people who struggle with this condition like you do, who’ve dealt with similar doubts and fears, and who have conquered OCD in spite of them. I hope you’ll make this the year you start your own recovery journey. You have suffered long enough in silence. Make now the time for a change.
Now is the time to get treatment
NOCD is here to help you take your first step toward recovery. The good news is that today, effective treatment with a therapist who specializes in OCD is more accessible than ever, and overall awareness of OCD is on the rise. If you are struggling with OCD and need to work with a licensed therapist with specialty training, there’s no better time than right now.
All NOCD Therapists are trained in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the gold-standard treatment for OCD. The effectiveness of ERP in treating OCD is backed by decades of clinical research. ERP therapy is designed to break the cycle of obsessions and compulsions, helping OCD lose its power over time.
NOCD Therapists will work with you to create a personalized treatment plan and manage your OCD symptoms. They’ll help you understand how OCD operates and how ERP works to manage it. When practiced regularly, ERP can help you learn that OCD’s anxiety and distress are false alarms, and that these uncomfortable feelings will eventually pass without you needing to do anything.
Every NOCD Therapist specializes in OCD and receives ERP-specific training from experts who’ve designed some of the world’s leading OCD treatment programs. They deeply understand all themes of OCD, as well as the way OCD can switch themes from time to time. They’ll use their expertise to tailor your treatment plan to your unique needs and provide non-judgmental support every step of the way.
To learn more about getting matched with a NOCD Therapist and making this the year you start conquering OCD, book a free 15-minute call with our team.