In honor of OCD Awareness Week, I would like to thank some of the brave souls that helped me get through treatment these past three months. Everyone that I met during my residential and partial hospitalization stays made an impact on me. There are so many people out there struggling with OCD and everyone has different challenges. If our stays overlapped while at Rogers Memorial Hospital, just know that you have helped me change my life for the better. Thank you.
The awareness of OCD among the general public is lacking severely. Even though OCD is the fourth most common mental health disorder in the United States, most Americans don't know what it is or have massive misconceptions about OCD. Because of the stigma surrounding mental illness, many people suffering from OCD don't talk about their disorder. They are too afraid of judgment or invalidation. It is incredibly sad that in the twenty-first century, we are still too judgmental about mental illness. Any mental illness is just as serious as any physical ailment. It may affect you differently, but you can suffer just as much from OCD or depression as you could from cancer or heart disease.
Not only is the general public unaware of the threat that OCD is to its sufferers, but treatment and funding for mental health issues is horrifyingly scarce. Did you know that there are only three residential treatment centers in the entire world for OCD? The wait lists to get into these centers is incredibly long and it can often take months to get in to a treatment center when you are at your lowest point in life. This only occurs if your insurance company is willing to pay for treatment. Many insurance companies today aren't willing to pay $1,000 per day for "an invisible illness." Since mental illness isn't directly visible or measurable with doctor's tools, the insurance company gets to completely decide when you are "better" and whether or not you need treatment. Many people in treatment also have to cut their stay short because the insurance companies are too ignorant to understand that OCD is a serious disorder and it takes a long time to treat (1-4 months typically in a residential treatment center). We need to talk about mental illness in order to stop the misconceptions and educate people.
It is difficult enough to have OCD, but to go through it alone when no one understands you or you're afraid of judgment is beyond challenging. We need to take a stand as a nation and talk about the effects of mental illness. If we leave it in the dark, more and more people will go untreated and become suicidal each day. Please don't suffer in silence anymore. Let someone know if you are struggling and if you aren't struggling, start a conversation. That is all it takes America. Together we can provide treatment for many people struggling and educate our nation on what it is like living with mental illness.
The awareness of OCD among the general public is lacking severely. Even though OCD is the fourth most common mental health disorder in the United States, most Americans don't know what it is or have massive misconceptions about OCD. Because of the stigma surrounding mental illness, many people suffering from OCD don't talk about their disorder. They are too afraid of judgment or invalidation. It is incredibly sad that in the twenty-first century, we are still too judgmental about mental illness. Any mental illness is just as serious as any physical ailment. It may affect you differently, but you can suffer just as much from OCD or depression as you could from cancer or heart disease.
Not only is the general public unaware of the threat that OCD is to its sufferers, but treatment and funding for mental health issues is horrifyingly scarce. Did you know that there are only three residential treatment centers in the entire world for OCD? The wait lists to get into these centers is incredibly long and it can often take months to get in to a treatment center when you are at your lowest point in life. This only occurs if your insurance company is willing to pay for treatment. Many insurance companies today aren't willing to pay $1,000 per day for "an invisible illness." Since mental illness isn't directly visible or measurable with doctor's tools, the insurance company gets to completely decide when you are "better" and whether or not you need treatment. Many people in treatment also have to cut their stay short because the insurance companies are too ignorant to understand that OCD is a serious disorder and it takes a long time to treat (1-4 months typically in a residential treatment center). We need to talk about mental illness in order to stop the misconceptions and educate people.
It is difficult enough to have OCD, but to go through it alone when no one understands you or you're afraid of judgment is beyond challenging. We need to take a stand as a nation and talk about the effects of mental illness. If we leave it in the dark, more and more people will go untreated and become suicidal each day. Please don't suffer in silence anymore. Let someone know if you are struggling and if you aren't struggling, start a conversation. That is all it takes America. Together we can provide treatment for many people struggling and educate our nation on what it is like living with mental illness.