Why I Support the OCD at School Project
'I wonder how different my life would have been if someone had spotted my OCD while I was still a teenager?'
'Looking back, I spent a huge amount of time just worrying'
'If only someone had come into my school and talked to my teachers about OCD.'
Photo credit: woodleywonderwork
The OCD at School project works with children and adolescents, and those around them such as teachers and parents, to make sure that young people with OCD get the support they need. A greater understanding of OCD and how to manage it is key. One OCD at School supporter tells us his story.
“It’s been a long time since I was at school. I left secondary school (and went to university) in the early 1990s. Looking back, I can see that I was probably suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) from quite an early age. But my OCD was never diagnosed while I was at school. I wonder how different my life would have been if someone had spotted it while I was still a teenager?
“I’d never even heard of “OCD” until I was in my twenties. By then, this very common disorder had taken over my life. But it was taking root while I was at secondary school – and probably even earlier.
“When I was a school, I was always afraid of being seen as “different”. Anyone who seemed different tended to get picked on, bullied or teased. So I didn’t tell anyone about any of the things that I was worrying about. And I worried about a lot of things. I would often find myself drifting off in the classroom. Drifting off into a daydream, getting completely lost in my thoughts.
“I would spend a lot of time worrying about things that might happen in the future. I would spend a lot of time worrying about things that I might have done in the past. Looking back, I spent a huge amount of time just worrying.
“If anyone had sat me down and talked to me about “anxiety disorders”, and explained to me what “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder” was, I probably would have realized quite quickly that that was what I was suffering from. (I didn’t realize that I was “suffering” from anything. I just thought that I was a big worrier – and that the world was a dangerous and scary place.)
“But nobody ever talked to me about OCD – and nobody ever suspected (or suggested) that I might be suffering from an anxiety disorder. So I went through the whole of my primary and secondary school years, suffering in silence, with no idea that I was suffering from a very common mental health condition that affects more than one million people in the UK alone.
“How much of a difference would it have made to my life if someone had spotted my OCD, and explained it to me? I’ll never know. But what I do know is that OCD Action, through its OCD at School project, is in a great position to help a huge number of children who are suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder right now.
“OCD Action is sending OCD at School volunteers into schools (in the London region) to talk to teachers and Special Educational Needs staff about OCD. By helping school staff to learn more about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, those volunteers are making it easier for teachers and staff to spot the signs of OCD in their classrooms and their schools – and they’re teaching them about the help that’s available to anyone that’s affected by OCD.
“If only someone had come into my school and talked to my teachers about OCD. Maybe then, one of my teachers would have spotted the signs that I was suffering from an illness that would go on to cause a huge amount of distress in my life.
“Until it gets spotted – or until the sufferer asks for help – the child, teenager or adult with OCD might be suffering in silence. (In my case, the “silent” suffering went on for many years, until I finally got the help that I needed.)
“If you’ve had a similar experience – if you, your child, or someone close to you suffered in silence for several years before getting any help with their OCD – then you might like to get involved with the OCD at School project. Because, for many of us, OCD begins at school.”
Whether you’re a young person, a teacher / education professional, or a parent, you might like to find out more about the OCD at School project. It’s currently focused on schools in the London area. If you’d like to get involved, then get in touch to find about some of the ways that you might be able help.
