Having obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can feel isolating. It might seem like you’re the only one going through what you’re going through. Social media is a way to find information and a sense of community. It’s how I learned what OCD actually was. I’d always thought that I just had anxiety, and I set out on social media one day to find more people who shared that experience. My search led me to therapists, many of which talked about both anxiety and OCD. That education led me on the path to receiving the right diagnosis and treatment.
The power of social media can be invaluable when you follow the right people who prioritize spreading accurate, evidence-based information. In no particular ranking, I put together this list of people who are doing just that. All the linked handles will take you to the creator’s Instagram account.
1. Alegra Kastens, LMFT (@alegrakastens)
Alegra Kastens is a therapist and founder of the Center for OCD, Anxiety, and Eating Disorders. She is licensed in California and New York, serving clients both in-person and virtually. She also writes for Psychology Today, NOCD, and other mental health outlets.
What I love about her content: Kastens weaves together clinical knowledge with her own lived experience with OCD in an empathetic, but also direct and to-the-point way that only someone who knows what it’s like could share. She is especially passionate about dispelling the myths and misuses of OCD, like “That’s so OCD!” or “Everyone’s a little OCD.”
2. Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT (@youranxietytoolkit)
In addition to her private practice in Los Angeles, Kimberley Quinlan is a leader in the OCD advocacy space. She has presented at multiple International OCD Foundation conferences, written a book called Self-Compassion Workbook for OCD, hosts an educational podcast, and created CBT School, an affordable resource for learning the principles of OCD treatment.
What I love about her content: Quinlan is a master of self-compassion. Reading her posts sort of feels like getting a hug. You’ll likely walk away from her page with both a deeper understanding of your experience and less judgment of it.
3. Uma Chatterjee (@umarchatterjee)
Uma Chatterjee is a neuroscientist, researcher of psychiatric disorders, board-certified Mental Health Peer Support Specialist (MHPSS), science communicator, and an International OCD Foundation advocate. Her lived experience with OCD and other conditions informs the way she supports others in a one-on-one capacity as well as through her research. She also has a podcast about her experiences with mental health.
What I love about her content: The combining of scientific research and lived experience. The passion behind Chatterjee’s work is palpable.
4. Adrienne Marcellus, LCSW (@allforthedopamine)
Adrienne Marcellus is the owner of Rainbow Counseling Collective and specializes in OCD and neurodivergency—specifically, autism and ADHD. They provide a safe, affirming space for all and are passionate about advocacy. They also offer accessible online courses and workbooks.
What I love about their content: Marcellus speaks with transparency, compassion, and humor. They encourage a safe space on their page and welcome everyone to be their authentic selves.
5. Krista Reed, LSCSW (@kristaruthreed)
In addition to her online advocacy, Krista Reed is a therapist with a private practice based in Kansas. She also works with the International OCD Foundation and is the founder of ICT OCD Alliance, an organization where OCD specialists can team up, share resources, and work together to promote proper treatment of this condition.
What I love about her content: Reed does something she calls “Taboo Tuesday.” Every Tuesday, she answers questions about OCD themes and phenomena that are considered “taboo.” Once a month, she goes live with fellow OCD experts and sufferers to chat about those topics.
6. Alexandra R. (@alexandraisobsessed)
Alexandra R. is a therapist in training with personal experience with OCD. She is an advocate with the International OCD Foundation and also hosts support groups here at NOCD, the leading telehealth provider of specialized OCD treatment.
What I love about her content: Alexandra shares her personal experience about what she’s learning as she studies to become a therapist—and her feed is packed with helpful information while still being accessible and easy to digest.
7. Nathan Peterson (@ocdandanxietyonline)
Nathan Peterson is a therapist who treats OCD and anxiety. In addition to his private practice, he’s created a wealth of online resources via OCD and Anxiety Online. Resources include courses about OCD, tests to help you determine if you have OCD, and an OCD support group.
What I love about his content: Peterson tackles some niche topics that aren’t as widely discussed elsewhere. For example, some of his recent posts include, “OCD uses this phrase to bring you back in…” and “What does it mean to ‘sit’ with discomfort?” and “You did the exposure…now what?”
8. Juliet Gustafson, LMSW (@ocd_therapist_juliet)
Juliet Gustafson has a private practice in Michigan specializing in OCD. In addition to one-on-one therapy, she also hosts telehealth educational groups. And she has a free monthly newsletter.
What I love about her content: Gustafson often uses humor in her approach to OCD, which I find really refreshing when dealing with a diagnosis that can feel so heavy.
9. Christina Ennabe, LCMHC, LPC (@christinacounsels)
Christina Ennabe is a therapist and coach specializing in OCD and anxiety serving clients in New Hampshire, Maine, and Florida. She has a special interest in helping clients break free from perfectionism—a common struggle among those with OCD and anxiety.
What I love about her content: Like some of the accounts mentioned above, Ennabe draws on personal experience while also educating her followers about OCD. This makes for content that is relatable, honest, and truly empathetic.
10. Chrissie Hodges (@pureochrissie)
Chrissie Hodges is a Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPSS). She draws on lived experience to provide guidance to OCD sufferers along their recovery journey. She provides one-on-one peer support services, support groups, and is the founder of nonprofit OCD Gamechangers.
What I love about her content: Hodges is skilled at talking about OCD without sugarcoating it. She speaks with openness and honesty, in addition to using humor. Her ability to speak from personal experience is also a huge bonus.
11. Windsor Flynn (@thewindsorflynn)
Windsor Flynn is an OCD sufferer, advocate, writer, and meditation teacher. She also has a newsletter where she discusses “finding wellness and then sometimes losing it.”
What I love about her content: Flynn is a great person to follow if you want to see a candid example of what the recovery process looks like. She discusses the wins and challenges of recovery with authenticity. Flynn is also a great person to follow if you’re looking for info about how parenthood and OCD interact.
12. Tracie Ibrahim, LMFT, CST (@tabootracie)
Tracie Ibrahim is an OCD-specializing therapist (and, fun fact, serves clients here at NOCD) with lived experience with the condition.
What I love about her content: Ibrahim has a couple of unique angles to her content. For one, she makes a point of talking about the more uncomfortable themes of OCD—hence the handle “Taboo Tracie.” Plus, she posts herself actually doing exposures.
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This list should give you a great start on who to follow on social media for a sense of community and understanding. Accounts like these have been so impactful along my journey with OCD, and I hope the same for you.