How to explain to someone who doesnt understand?!

[alicegrimshaw]

People who know i have OCD often say to me "why cant you just forget about it?" or "If you know the thought is irrational why does it still bother you?"
Some people also assume that im just being a bit dramatic and that its probley that ive just watched a scary movie and now im nervous. They dont relise that it can compleatly take over my life for months at a time

Does anyone know any easy ways to explain it to someone who doesnt have OCD.

[Grandma]

Hi alice -

It's so frustrating when our illnesses - anxiety, depression, OCD, etc - are not taken seriously!

You might try explaining to people that OCD is not just a kind of thinking or acting that can be stopped, if we just decide to stop it.  OCD is a real illness - as real as diabetes or heart disease or chicken pox.  It is recognized and treated as a real disease by the medical profession.

Ask them is they would dare tell a diabetic that she was being dramatic when she refused a piece of candy, or checked her blood glucose level at certain times each day.  Ask them if they would be dumb enough to tell someone with heart disease that she should just forget about taking the medicine and following the diet that her doctor had put her on.  Ask if they would tell someone with chicken pox to not feel itchy and miserable.

Maybe this will help them understand.

Love, Grandma

[lisa101]

It's really hard to get through it and able to make things better but isn't better. I was been diagnosed with OCD and I really worry much of it. I was send to a therapeutic boarding school at Turning Winds. There I was been given the treatment and have the feeling of not alone. I really appreciate and grateful of what the institution had brought me. You could also know more about info on Turning Winds here.

[sunnysankey13]

Try explaining that part of obsessive compulsive disorder means that even though you know the thought is irrational, it stays with you. There is always a little nagging part of your mind that says "Wait! But what if it's not irrational?!". Even though you KNOW it's irrational, your mind will not let go of the thought and it becomes emotionally painful. Explain that you want to stop thinking about these things, but your fear will not allow you to do so. Tell them it's like a small wound. You know it won't kill you but it still really hurts. You can't just let go of the pain and eventually you will be compelled to do whatever makes that pain stop. Your compulsions are like a band aid or an ice pack. It doesn't really help cure the source of the pain, but for a while it lets you forget about it.