Obsessive-compulsive disorder

by Loudd, 13

I have OCD, which stands for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Most of my family have, or have had, OCD.

I was put into hospital four days before my birthday and stayed in hospital for just over six months (with weekends at home). Family were allowed to visit twice a week on certain days.

Coping in hospital

When I first got to the hospital I didn’t know if I was going to be able to cope; I was really scared and worried.

The first month or to was really difficult, but as time went by and I got to know the other patients and the staff, things got easier.

I went to the hospital school and met people from other wards. I made friends from the other wards and it became fun to hang around with the other people there.

I had to say goodbye to other patients from my ward and other wards when they got better, but it was helpful to know that other people could get better. It made me wonder if I could get better too.

OCD treatment

About half way through my time there I made the first step to getting better. The nurses were really proud of me and it felt really good.

In my last two months there I started to make visits to my school, which gradually turned into longer visits.

I had been able to keep in touch with my best friends from my home school at the hospital by phone and letter writing, so when I visited my school they were all there for me.

Leaving hospital

I left the hospital in mid February. I still have OCD but it is minor now and I can control it.

When I first moved in to the hospital OCD was taking over my life and I was certain that I would never get better. I proved myself wrong though and took control over my life again.

Going to the hospital was the best thing that my parents could have done for me, though I didn’t know it at the time.

Beating OCD

I still keep in touch with some of my friends from the ward that I was in.

Now I can control my life again. If you are reading this and you have OCD, get help, because it might not seem the best thing for you at the moment but trust me, it will be.

This story may have been edited by Children First for Health for editorial and confidentiality reasons only.

For more help and information

There is a self help book based on CBT principles: Breaking Free from OCD: A CBT Guide for Young People and Their Families by Jo Derisley, Isobel Heyman, Sarah Robinson & Cynthia Turner. 2008 Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
For more information about OCD visit OCD-UK or call 0845 120 3778.
Visit OCD Action, a charity set up for people with OCD. Or you can call 020 7226 4000.
For information on anxiety disorders visit the National Phobics Society or call 0870 770 0456.
No Panic supports people who suffer panic attacks, phobias, OCD, general anxiety disorder and tranquilliser withdrawal. Their number is 0808 808 0545.
OCD NICE Guidelines.

Last reviewed by Teens First for Health: 17 August 2009

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