OCD: It's Like a Bully in Your Brain

Giving a child the weapons to fight obsessive compulsive disorder.
For more from the Child Mind Institute visit www.childmind.org.
For more on OCD, visit goo.gl/SmKVg
Visit our mental health guide: goo.gl/ASI4K
Worried about your child? Connect symptoms and behaviors to possible childhood psychiatric and learning disorders: goo.gl/l5mWX

[@snowskimskate1461]

To all those people with OCD, I know how you feel. I had OCD for like a little less than a year and it was the most stressful time of my life. My OCD was feeling the need to consistently wash my hands for ages until i felt they were clean, so much that at one point i couldn't bend my hand much or my skin would have probably cracked because they were so chapped. After going to see a therapist and working together my OCD disappeared, and I realized how much stronger I was than the voices inside my head, and that I wasn't going to let the thoughts boss me around ever again. For everyone that suffers with OCD, mild or severe, I know you have that strength inside you to defeat the voices in your head. Don't let them tell you what to do, and maybe you've heard that OCD is like a bully, it is. Stand up to it, don't do what it says, and it will leave you alone. You are an amazing person who can do anything they want to, and can tackle OCD. It might seem at times you feel like giving up, but it will get better, trust me. Just stay strong and conquer the coward known as OCD, let the better thoughts take over. Find what you like doing whether it be an activity or hanging out with friends, and don't let OCD get in the way. I missed out on so much from OCD, and I don't want that to happen to any other people. Control your own life, and don't let OCD control it. Do what makes you smile and not what OCD says, you can do it, I know you can. Oh and anyone who jokes about OCD, stop it, because it is a serious thing that shouldn't be joked about, it really affects people.

[@snowskimskate1461]

Darn it cut off part of my comment on the mobile version

[@CatSmithers]

SnowSkimSkate thank you for writing that comment

[@Owen2131_]

SnowSkimSkate thank you. I’m 17 and I’m dealing with the worst ocd ever. People (in my head visually) are always following me.

[@ebolian.8147]

@@Owen2131_ my mind says they hate people I love or my head twitches etc. Its so hard to explain

[@humanentity2214]

Good words, I've lost so many years to this menace.

[@tylerddh]

I'm 33 and have had ocd since the third grade. This is a great way to explain it.

[@cuteyjames]

Oh and this video made me cry because it feels so great to have someone explain it in such a simple way and that touches my heart that many people know what I am going through.

[@ebolian.8147]

It make me sad because I cant find what my symptoms

[@hanshotfirst1138]

I'm an adult, and this is about a fair description.

[@Robert-Corbett]

Probably the best OCD explanation I've ever heard.

[@emmakinzy1991]

i think he described it a really good way. OCD is like a bully it sucks but its important to remember that we are stronger than the thoughts. the thoughts only have the power we give them. and i know by experience that its easier said then done but it gets better. Those of us who suffer thru this are courageous and we have a strength in us that only we understand. Its day by day but in time the voice that tells us what to do gets smaller. i promise it does.

[@alishasiraj547]

I wish my child self knew all this... Would've saved a lot of anguish and distress! Only figuring it all out now, as an adult. Having access to this kind of material/explanation (which is totally on point) has been incredibly helpful, thank you so much.

[@LittleHampie89]

And the best way to fight a bully is to ignore him, just like how ignoring OCD's intrusive thoughts can make them go away.

[@chiranjeevbakshi8460]

The simplification in this video and the way you delivered it,it’s just🔥🔥🔥

[@glazinq]

My son was diagnosed OCD about a year ago. In retrospect I guess he showed some symptoms as a young child but nothing particularly alarming. But at 13 it was like he totally lost his mind. Now, after a year of trauma, medication, a 5 week stint in the children's psych ward and ongoing therapy we have seen some major improvements. But the OCD has made HIM a bully. If he does not get exactly what he wants when he wants it everyone around him better look out - violent backlash! I am exhausted!

[@CountNadir]

your never the only one. if there's anything strange about yourself there is always another person who has it. if another person has it, there's also another and another and another and another......

[@2px_]

this is such a simplistic yet brilliant way of describing it.

[@patsantos8866]

Ocd is like bully sometime need fight back dont let ocd put you down fight The bully

[@IronRooRoo]

Yeah, I feel you. I get pissed off when people say 'OCD moment' too. When I go to bed I have to lift my feet off the floor at the same time, then touch my left hand with my right, touch the corner of my desk, then look around at my alarm clock. And only if it is on an even number can I proceed to go to sleep. The bad thing is I know these routines are idiotic. I know bad stuff will not happen if I don't do them. But at the same time the OCD compells me. Peace out, good luck in your struggle.

[@andromache007]

I've had OCD eversince I was eight but I was diagnosed with it when I was fifteen. For those six years when I hadn't known that what I had was a disorder, I had thought that I'm evil because I could not explain why certain thoughts connected with violence appeared in my head and would not go no matter how hard I've tried to push them away. Having OCD is by no means funny and it's not just freaking out about having your hands clean (although I used to scrub mine till they were bleeding).

[@TeenOCD]

i hate it when people use OCD as a phrase for things like "i'm so ocd because i like to clean" they have no idea what its really like to clean for hours....

[@MonacleTuesdays]

@Katelovestheatre I'm fourteen and have OCD aswell. I analyse absolutely everything and at school i am conviced that everyone hates me and is talking behind my back or only pretending to be friends with me. I used to feel sad all of the time and used to cut myself, i've stopped that now but OCD still affects me greatly. Keep strong, i've heard that OCD is worse when you are younger and ceases a little when you are an adult. Keep talking to people with OCD, i find it helps. Best of luck.

[@welphereiam]

I have it too, I know exactly what you mean.

[@brentglittle]

@Greyhaeven If you disagree I think you misunderstand me. I didn't say it is unique in the sense that it can't be categorized. It is unique to the OCD person. If you don't have it, you can't know what it is like. You can tell someone you have the flu and they will know what you mean but not so with OCD. There is nothing to compare it to so the non OCD person will "get" it. I've had it for 50 years and fought it tooth and nail but it's always just as strong. We learn control but its still there

[@hallodaghi]

That's not only a good description for kids but for adults too!

[@scienceassassin123]

It's different. A bully doesn't follow you home to your bed and can't always be present.

[@NoHeart5]

yes it true ! if you keep listen to the things that say " keep doing these " it will never ends :((

[@marcomariacolombo]

@Katelovestheatre: I have a 19 years daughter with the same problem and I fully understand your feelings. Please don't be discouraged and sad, try to understand it's something you can win for sure, just go in that direction possibly with your parents/friends help :)

[@فارس-سينارست]

Shes 29 now wow :)

[@IronRooRoo]

And one more tip (that youtube's damn character limit wouldn't fit in one message), remove the things that trigger the routines. For example, I used to have to line my mobile phone and ventolin inhaler up perfectly parallel to each other. So I just started putting them in different locations around the house, so I couldn't even do that routine anymore. Again, pretty hard to do so without the OCD telling you something bad will happen, but just stay positive and tell it to piss off, lol.

[@Markiv1000]

@brentglittle Targetting the anxiety in general can have a dramatic effect on OCD. Gabapentin has now been considered to be the drug of choice for some OCD's and it's free of most side effects.

[@Marlynew]

You are absolutely right. People tried to help me, but they never understood why I couldn't just 'not do the ritual'. I don't blame them, cause I know that it's irrational. But still, it ca hurt so much sometimes that no-one understands..

[@welphereiam]

I have OCD and it is terrible. I try to tell myself to stop doing what my brain is telling me to, but it's like the "bully in my brain" completely takes over.

[@chelseaturk9763]

I might hav OCD and the way he puts it makes me positive that I do

[@S4R4G4RZ4]

I do laundry and dishes everyday, and if something prevents me from taking care of those chores, then it stresses me out, and I think about how I should be doing it. If I want to know something whether it is what someone is talking about or a present that someone is trying to suprise me with it will drive me crazy to the point of an extreme headache if I don't know what it is... If I have all my hands full and am in a hurry to go somewhere and I see something out of the corner of my eye that

[@brentglittle]

No, this is not the way it functions. No matter how often you tell the bully no, the bully comes back every time as strong as it was before as if it was the first time. Someone who has never had OCD can not understand the way it functions. It is unique to the OCD person. And there are no categories to compare it to outside of the OCD life.

[@Markiv1000]

@brentglittle Yes and OCD has many many variants. Some are pure thoughts with no physical actions and some are Pure O obsessions. Extreme Handwashing while common is not the only OCD variant.

[@SuperBooboomonkey]

Ocd is hard to deal with as a kid because if you know you tried to say no to the bully its still says yes then you get in trouble for it... Its really hard for me to deal with it

[@humanentity2214]

Well explained.

[@RAFAAJ2000]

I have been diagnosed with OCD and I hane none of these washing ritual symptoms. My only symptoms are intrusive & anxious thoughts that keep on going in circles inside my mind from the moment I wake up till I go to bed... It's like haveing your mind and thought processes hijacked and it is ruining my life.

[@andreakaynekaufman]

After living with a family member suffering from OCD and working with them through CBT I decided to write a novel that truthfully depicts the struggles of someone suffering from OCD. Too often the story is told wrong in the media, and the struggle is sugarcoated or made humorous. My novel was vetted by industry experts as being true to OCD. To learn more about it, check me out on KZbin or visit my website -- I'd love to hear if you identify with my characters.

[@Abercrombieand1Bitch]

OCD is... it's pretty much the reason I hate my life...

[@S4R4G4RZ4]

needs to be fixed, I will set everything down to fix that one thing, even if it is a hanger on the floor in the closet, something that is not a big deal, I will set everything down to hang that hanger up perfectly or it will bother me... Evrything has to be the way I put it or I will eventually change it. "fun" to me is having a day to myself where I can organize and fix everything. I feel like I need to be informed of everything, if there is something I am not clued in on, I feel like I am lost

[@A64Jellobut]

OCD is good at a certain point if it takes your life into an organized way or fashion it is a possitive way on life and carrer. Though more serious OCD otherwise negative OCD makes you do things with no reason. I have OCD dealed with it since 5th grade its bothering. TRUST ME I KNOW. But in my opinion I think its like a bully but heres a saying if you keep feeding it it will live but dont feed it and it will die. So my conclusion is to ignore the threats and try to think on why its not logical

[@Thekmamc]

I feel the same way.

[@AskZ12]

good analogy

[@loneloser2960]

LISTEN****i forced myself to to do a ritual and ocd went i told my self just because i blink a buch of times dosent mean somone will decide not to rob my house just because i blinked****

[@cuteyjames]

My OCD is staying away from cleaning products. My brother tortures me by sometimes spraying cleaning products at me and I cry for hours afterwards. Go for baths and keep spitting until I feel safe and that its not in my mouth or on my body anymore. Stuff like batteries I stay away from. If I drop my mobile I think the battery might be leaking. If I touch a mobile battery I wash my hands. If im cooking I wash everything AGAIN before I use it. My OCD is a nightmare. Effects me 24/7 non-stop.

[@IronRooRoo]

Well, I try to shut out the worst and most time consuming routines. Force myself not to do them, no matter what. It's hard, but do it for a few weeks and that troublesome routine will be forgotten. Just keep logical and remind yourself that they're rubbish. On top of that, I find being in public works. I don't know about you, but I only feel the need to do mine at home in private. So if you put yourself in a place where you're not compelled to do it, you get a more productive day that way too.

[@Hunterhunthunt2]

i dont have OCD that bad like washing hands i just like touch something and have to touch it again

[@S4R4G4RZ4]

I have a calendar in our kitchen hanging on the wall that has our work schedules and important things to be remembered written down... once the month is almost up and the calendar looks cluttered it drives me nuts, I want to get a new calendar and rewrite everything so it is not so cluttered and messy looking. Sometimes I will change the calendar to the next month early just so the calendar isnt being displayed so cluttered like. Whenever we have friends or family coming over I stress and would

[@Markiv1000]

@Hunterhunthunt2 OCD can have many variants ..you need to take some anti anxiety medication and that should most likely cure you . see a shrink and get help. you don't have to suffer.

[@Thekmamc]

Dude you can't say anything about OCD unless you have it, its a lot more compilcated then what you think.

[@brentglittle]

Question? How many of you can remember if your symptoms started shortly after you had amalgam fillings in your teeth or got vaccinated or otherwise were exposed to mercury in some way? I know mine started right after these things happened to me when I was about 8.

[@Cyclops4770]

Only we can make it complicated, the guy is right. He doesn't need to have it, he's got the point- the only outcome we get from it? How to combat it? Well live defying it and hate it till it disappears

[@S4R4G4RZ4]

almost rather them not come over at all until the bathrooms are cleaned and they have hand soap and a hand tall, and the house is vacuumed. I have two kids and I try not to stress about there being toys around the house, but I constantly clean and put the toys in a certain area only, and clean rooms often, and take clothes out of dressers and refold them and yadda yadda yadda... I often lay in bed for hours not being able to sleep even when I am exhausted Would what I do be considered OCD or no?

[@TeenOCD]

have you gotten help for it? I totally get what u mean...SO FRUSTRATING TO START AGAIN FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME

[@FarradMuseumofTruth]

same

[@IronRooRoo]

Yeah, and you make one mistake and you have to start all over again. I don't have it with cleaning, but I have rituals based around numbers and the way I move my body. If I fuck up, I have to repeat the routine all over again. And by fuck up I mean make a minor involuntary twitch, or touch something with my middle finger instead of my index finger. Fuck OCD is shit. I know (and I'm sure everyone else does too) that it's completely fucking pointless. But at the same time it's so compelling.

[@iamchubby123]

@tobyfep Word! I hate that everyone is like ooh you are lucky, you wont get sick blablabla and im like yeah right im not gonna get sick, i already am goddamnit! My mom even told me Oh its good havin OCD, that means you can clean the house... I hate that no one takes OCD serious, since its truly living hell!

[@IronRooRoo]

I did see a psychiatrist when I was like 10...but that's 15 years ago now, so not since then. What I do now is just force myself not to do the routine. I will worry about it for hours, but eventually after a few weeks I've forgotten all about that routine. It's hard but I suggest you just give it a try. Just keep the logical part of your mind in the forefront. Tell yourself constantly 'the bad stuff won't happen, it's rubbish'. If I just constantly tell myself to 'cut the crap', I do. Lol.

[@coolguy1534no]

i hate ocd.

[@jaggass]

i get all sorts of compulsions under stress dont feel right when doing them. its a fucking nightmare. they do go though.

[@Unterschiedliche]

@tobyfep Any idea if OCD would still torture us even if we were in a coma??

[@kittenbraden5001]

Exactly. People don't realize how much of a problem real O.C.D is. Do you have anyway to cope with your OCD? I'm just wondering if you know any certains ways to numb the anxiety? If you do, I would love to know.

[@S4R4G4RZ4]

I don't think that people are going to die if I don't count things... I don't wash my hands a bajillion times a day... But, If I go out to eat, I rearrange the table, clean up after myself and whoever is with me, If I stay in a hotel, I make the bed and clean up behind myself, I have to have my clothes in a certain order as well as my husbands things all in a certain order. If the pantry looks out of order, I will spend a good chunk of time reorganizing it.

[@TinessaWoW]

Not sure if this is OCD but I.. 1. Have to make sure volume on anything is either 5,10,15,20,25 etc.. 2. If I can't think of something I have to know who, or what it is by the end of the day 3. everything in my room needs to be close to me Is this OCD?

[@kunoichimistress]

@tobyfep Same here. It takes up so much of my time. >_

[@arkaq1]

Ffs I have like a ton of symptoms except the washing my hands constantly but sometimes that happens..but its fucking pissy because the ton of symptoms is at a ...idk medium rate,its at the point where it doesnt really get me that much pissed off..but at some point drives me insane...totally insane. Sometimes i like think of FUCKING ugly huge ass things behind me when im on my computer and I cant control these thoughts,making me like scream or even feel panicked...like..EXTREMELY PANICKED

[@S4R4G4RZ4]

Everyone thinks its funny or cool that I feel like i have to clean all the time... they think I am lucky that I do this but it keeps me from doing other things, like spending time with my boys. I have been called Ms. Perfect or gotten in arguments with friends or family because of my obsessiveness to want to clean and have everything a certain way. My coworkers get annoyed because anytime I can I will reprint weekly reports if someone else has written on them and rewrite them over and over again

[@kittenbraden5001]

It bothers me at work, when people joke about having what they consider to be "O.C.D" When it isn't even close. They think because they are perfectionists, or like to use hand sanatizer, that they have O.C.D... When you have to get dressed fifteen times a day, until it feels right, then you have O.C.D. When you drop a pen on the way home from your walk, and turn around after two blocks to get it, then you have O.C.D. When you hate your life because of it, then you have O.C.D.

[@brentglittle]

I'll ask this question again since no one answered. Do you recall if your OCD started soon after you had silver amalgam mercury fillings put in your teeth or had them removed or replaced or after getting a vaccination. Mercury is a powerful brain toxin and can cause serious damage to the nervous system.

[@donaldostrem4982]

I have 0CD thoughts for over 30 years. I have blasphemous thoughts about God and that, I don't do any bad things against the Holy Spirit. I want to be forgiven! Why does my brain goes 90 to 100 miles an hour thinking blasphemous thoughts against the Holy Spirit? My OCD brain says, "Hey, he hasn't done evil against the Holy Spirit"! Let's bombard him with thoughts until submission!" Let's trick him! I hate having this OCD junk, there's no cure, and keep me in your prayers. Thank you.

[@Dempseymauler777]

i hate ocd i cant go to the number 6, or 13 just cuz i think there bad-_- i gotta read something over and over and i gotta keep my volume on a even number kinda like tinessa's comment ocd fcking sucks ass ,people without ocd r the luckiest people in the world:/

[@JazzGagaLove]

AND BEFORE YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR POINT, USE A FUCKING DICTIONARY.

[@rebeccalikesmusic]

Ehhh I dont fully disagree but I feel like schizophrenia is the real bully in your mind...

[@Abercrombieand1Bitch]

I wouldn't be commenting right here on KZbin now if it weren't for God saving me

[@brunolyrastudio]

did anybody try CBD oil as part of the treatment?

[@organiclibra]

trollolololololololollololol lulululuuu