Hi everyone! My name is Kate and I'm here with my friend John. Today, we're going to teach you about OCD Awareness! 

Not many people are aware about OCD. Those that are aware sometimes do not fully understand it and say things that can be hurtful.

I'm a little OCD. Can you please try to keep things neat in here? Thanks!

What people THINK OCD is...

What OCD REALLY is...

I have all my things in a particular order. This is a little embarrassing, but it is very important to me that you don't change the order in any way! If you do, I'll have to start all over again or else something bad will happen!

People sometimes confuse OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (uhb-SES-ive cump-ul-sive this-order) with simply wanting things to be neat or clean. People are not AWARE of what OCD is actually like!

People are saying phrases like:

I like things neat, which makes me so OCD!

I'm a bit OCD!                                 Be a little bit                                                 OCD about this.

OCD is a serious mental disorder! It is not an adjective!

It's our mission to teach people that MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS and that they cannot use OCD as an adjective!

Let's talk about what OCD is.

Let's quickly talk about what OCD is.

OCD stands for obsessive-compulsive disorder (uhb-SESS-ive cump-ull-sive diss-order)

OCD has two main symptoms. The first one is an obsession. Obsessions are things that a person thinks about all the time. They cannot stop thinking about it no matter how hard they try. A person can have many obsessions.

The second symptom is a compulsion. Compulsions are activities that people with OCD participate in to make them stop thinking about their obsessions. Compulsions only make them feel better for a little while, but people with OCD always feel like they need to do a compulsion.

All of this is a little confusing, so we've brought in guest speakers to help!

#1. Annie

#2. Henry

#3. Lilly

My name is Annie & I have OCD. I can't stop thinking about germs, which is my obsession. To make myself feel better, I wash my hands for hours, which is my compulsion.

Hi, I am Henry! I also have OCD, and I am constantly worrying that something bad will happen to my friends, which is my obsession. I line things up to make myself feel better, which is my compulsion.

I am Lilly, I have OCD as well. I can't stop thinking that a robber may break into the house which is my obsession. I always check the locks (for many hours and even when I know for sure it is locked) and that is my compulsion.

Common OCD obsessions are things like the fear of germs, fear something bad will happen to a loved one, fear of losing control, etc. Remember everyone is a little afraid of these things, but people with OCD think about these things all day long!

Common OCD compulsions are things like excess hand washing, always lining things up, always tapping/counting, always praying, or always asking constant reassurance.