Are you a little bit OCD?

First published in the OCD-UK members magazine Compulsive Reading in April 2015.

To coin a phrase from the Time to Change website, "There are no hard and fast rules for talking about your mental health" says OCD-UK project coordinator, Beth Hemus.

Volunteers needed for awareness raising events to be held in partnership with South West Trains during May 2015.

South West trains recognise the importance of championing mental health and, as such, have asked OCD-UK, along with other mental health charities to attend several events they are running for Mental health Awareness Week (11th – 17th May 2015).

We need volunteer support for these events (click read more for the dates). We will be talking to the general public about OCD, challenging any stigmatic attitudes we experience and offering information, advice and guidance where necessary. We will be gifting freebies to incentivise our conversations and fundraising too, so there are lots of different ways you can get involved. Volunteers must be able to travel and over 16. So if you can attend one, or more of these events please do get in touch!

Starting this month, each month we intend to publish a different OCD success story. Today we start with James story, from a fear of stabbing loved ones to fear of throwing himself off bridges, in his own words James explains how therapy helped him overcome his OCD.

My Story
By James Poultney

My troubles with OCD began from when I was around ten years old. I began to experience obsessions and compulsions; I felt that if I did not shut the window twelve times or turn the lights on and off, then something terrible would happen. I couldn't figure out exactly what would happen, but a feeling of dread overcame me if I held off the urge.

I remember vividly at the time members of my family saying “Oh, James is doing his OCD thing again”. Little did we all know that it would develop into a more sinister and over-bearing mental illness. I coped with my anxiety and OCD the best way I could throughout my teens. I had no idea what OCD was and didn't really believe that I had it. I felt alone and thought that I was the only person in the world who had these 'silly quirks'.

On Saturday OCD-UK launched our ‘Are you a little bit OCD?’ at Leicester's Riverside Festival. This popular festival offers boat trips, live music, a variety of food stalls from around the world, displays and an exciting choice of activities for all ages, making it a fun packed weekend, and the OCD-UK volunteer team had a fantastic response from festival goers.

Click the 'read more' link to take a look at some of the pics and see some of the fun the team had.

Why did we use the 'Little bit OCD' phrase in our project title?

The flippant use of the term ‘I'm a little bit OCD about X’ that seems to be used in everyday conversation is still something that many people with OCD find upsetting and remains a stigmatising barrier to helping those that suffer with this often misunderstood disorder feel that they can be open and talk freely. Click the link to read more about why we chose this project title.

We are seeking a Nottingham based driving volunteer/s to help support our 'Are you a little bit OCD?' project team. This volunteer role is primarily helping to drive our project co-ordinator and materials from central Nottingham to an East Midland locations in a transit size van. The role is open to anybody with a valid driving license who can donate some of their time (on average no more than 4 or 5 days spread across a month) to the charity.