OCD stands for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, which is a type of mental illness that causes a repition of unwanted thoughts. To get rid of these repeated thoughts one would do the same tasks over and over again till it is gone. OCD is not a rare illness but one that is seen in many people. OCD is an illness that can take over one's life, hurt relationships, and limit ones ability to work and go to school. One of the most common symptoms in OCD is anxiety. An example can be when one forgots to do a task they start to feel tense and anxious that you left something undone. Other symptoms include obsessions and compulsions. An obsession are thoughts that one has over and over again. They get in the way of the normal thoughts. These worries can include sexual or violent assualts, even infections. Compulsions on the other hand are the behaviors that you repeat over and over again. Some examples include washing one hands, counting or even checking something over and over again. These obsessions and compulsions can usually last a long time. Counseling and medicine are two ways in which OCD can be treated. Antidepressants are the number one pills to take when one is diagnosed with OCD. OCD is a major part of my life ever since I ways a little girl. I remember every morning before I went to bed I had to check my homework a hundred times to make sure my mom signed it. This was because I was always scared that I would go to school and get in trouble for not having my homework signed. When I wore tennis shoes to school it would take me forever to get my socks right so that when I would put my feet into my shoes they wouldn't feel funny. My obsessions also included fears. I hated being away from my mom because I was always scared that something bad might happen to her. This made it really hard to go to school and spend times with my friends. Also when my dad travelled for business I would fear that my dad would die in an airplane accident. Spending the night was also very difficult. When my obsessions got really bad I would start to get an anxiety attack. What would happen is I would start to breath really fast, I would start to shake and not be able to stop moving. This anxiety attacks are awful. Now as I grew older my obsessions got better and better. To get where I am today I have had cousneling and I take lexpro everyday once a day.

Sara Jane