#this-is-mental-illness

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Life with OCD

Text from my mom: “very rough morning. at 6 am texting me that hes livid because i threw away a half empty can of peas. was outside going thru garbage. asked me to drive him to store."

This is life with OCD.

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Found in his room. Lately, he only eats bread,  yams, and carrots. We’re not sure why.

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These water bottles are used both for drinking and for washing off after his hours-long shower.

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The holiday season has been hard on our brother. His OCD is damaging not only to him, but to our house and all of us that have to live with him.

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In honor of #nationalmentalhealthday: On Friday, our brother’s psychiatrist told my mom that she had to accept that “This is the best it might get for him.” On Saturday, she found this baggie hidden underneath the TV stand in our house - all of the meds that he was purportedly taking. On Sunday, his psychiatrist said, “You’re very, very lucky. I was wrong. This is not the best it might get for him.”

There is a movement out there to encourage mental health patients to *take back their lives* and stop taking lifesaving psychiatric medications. We support everyone’s right to self-determination, and understand that a solely psychopharmacological approach to treatment may be detrimental to a patient’s recovery. But to advocate that people stop taking their medications in the name of self-determination is dangerous, irresponsible, and wrong. 

On this #nationalmentalhealthday,  let’s pledge to support all mental health patients and ensure that each and every person gets the mental health services that they need to live full and productive lives.

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It’s been a long time, and a lot of heartache, distress, and therapist’s appointments. Here’s the latest: our brother is still suffering greatly from his OCD symptoms. He spent thousands of dollars (stolen from our parents) on new underwear, pillows, blankets (he currently has FIVE of the same blanket that he washes daily), tooth polisher, and cigarettes. He has broken the washing machine three times in the last month. We’re looking into inpatient places now, but he threatens to kill himself if he has to be locked up anywhere. This picture is from last week, and is his collection of half-finished sports drinks. If even one bottle is moved, he gets exceptionally agitated and panic-stricken. 

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OCD treatment works within minutes – on mice

Although obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is sometimes treatable with medication, it typically takes weeks or even months before there's any noticeable difference. If new research being conducted at Duke University is anything to go by, however, a much faster-acting treatment may be on its way.