Working on Us – Mental Health Prompt

I’m doing another one of BeckiesMentalMess “Working on Us” prompt!

I’ve decided to go with prompt #1 and answer a couple of questions.

How do you deal with the stigma surrounding your mental disorder/illness? If so, in what way?

The stigma around OCD is usually being a neat freak or germaphobe. But this is simply not the only way OCD affects those with the disorder. Usually when I do a compulsion, I get the “Mikayla are you OCD?” and I will laugh and say yes. Some people will laugh and think I’m just being funny…which seems to be another thing that comes about with OCD. I simply explain to them that I actually do have OCD and that it’s a real problem that causes a ton of anxiety. I usually like to explain how there are inward compulsions and outward compulsions if people are genially interested in understanding the disorder. I’m not a neat freak, mine is more inward, but things being out of a certain order will cause me panic… most everything about these things are because I feel like I will go crazy if I don’t check, fix, or avoid certain things. Which is unfortunately pretty counter productive. People are usually very understanding of it and will start to add it to my personality, which I really like. I don’t mind being teased for my OCD. It makes me feel better about having it…or being that way. Even though a bad episode will give me severe panic attacks.

I won’t scrutinize people for being uneducated about OCD. I don’t share the darker parts. I have a problem with letting people know how much I really am suffering. I feel like OCD makes me very weak, and if people knew how much it really hurts me I will be treated differently. I leave the heavier bits for my closer circle, like Daniel and my mom. I just want to be normal. So if people want to make light of it…that’s fine by me.

Does the stigma associated with mental health bother you? If so, in what way?

I’m not too bothered by the stigmas out there. One thing that does kinda bother me is that sometimes people think mental illnesses cause limitations for everyone else. Like in a classroom.