The Monster Under My Bed

Here at RFC, not only do we promote awareness, we advocate for ACTION. We are so proud to feature Brandon, a RFC alumnus, who wrote the following about OCD. We truly commend him for his courage to share his struggles with OCD so others can get the help they need.
Read Brandon’s advice for defeating the OCD Monster, and be inspired as we have.
By Brandon
Age 14
“I’m so OCD.” You may have heard that saying when people are trying to describe how organized they are. While I might just joke around with the person and say, “No, I am,” in reference to my own OCD, it also somewhat offends me, because some people just assume they know what OCD is about. They think that it’s some kind of joke. Some kind of clean, organized joke! Well, if it is a joke, then it’s a sick, cruel joke, and I’m certainly not getting the punch line. That’s part of why I wrote this article. I want to show people what OCD really is. I think that people don’t take OCD seriously partly because of the way some mainstream media presents it. I remember what my OCD was like, and what it’s still like today sometimes. In my experience, OCD is filled with constant arguing, fighting, anxiety, guilt, frustration, worrying, and anger.

I won’t talk about the back to school theme of this newsletter issue too much, because at the time I’m writing this, I don’t really want to think about going back to school. However, I would like to say that I think it was on the first day of school, or at least close to it, when I first realized how powerful OCD was. I still remember the experience of going to school thinking I could never see my family again because of something random, like my brother wiping his nose. I thought my whole family would be contaminated and that they would contaminate me. Going back to school can be hard, and OCD only makes it a lot harder. Besides the normal stress at school, you sometimes also worry about being laughed at for your OCD compulsions, because a lot people don’t understand what’s happening to you.
I’ll give you a short summary of my life with OCD. I believe I was seven when I first went to see Dr. Yip, a doctor who works with Renewed Freedom Center and specializes in treating kids with OCD. After a few months, I completed treatment. After leaving treatment, and even to this very day, I have struggled with OCD because of multiple relapses. I recently left Renewed Freedom Center to work on a plan where I can have more control over my own treatment. Over the years, I’ve learned only parts of what OCD can take away from you. It can take your family, your free time, your friends, your health, your freedom, your control, and your life.
If you have OCD or know someone who does, I have a bit of advice for you. Never give up. If you or your loved one quits, OCD will only get worse. No matter how hard OCD is, it always needs to be fought. Even if you, or as previously mentioned, a loved one is out of treatment, fighting is important for keeping the OCD under control. I support going to treatment and going on medication if necessary. I don’t know where I would be without RFC and Dr. Yip. If you suffer from OCD, you are not alone. There are many people like me and you. Push yourself to your limits and see how far you can go. Lastly, no matter how many times I say it, I can’t stress it enough. Don’t give in to the monster under your bed.