On episode 26 of A Chat with Uma, I dedicate a full episode to OCD awareness, in honor of OCD Awareness Week 2023. I provide a full primer on OCD 101 - all about what OCD is NOT, and what it IS. I share my full OCD story of onset, symptoms, misdiagnosis, delayed treatment, incorrect treatment, and what evidence-based treatment has looked like. I speak at length about my non-linear path within treatment, normalizing the coexistence of both suffering and recovery at once. I dismantle misconceptions and bust pervasive myths about what OCD is considered to be by popular culture, and discuss the repercussions of misinformation around OCD. Above all, I provide empowerment, validation, and hope around the OCD experience through speaking openly and honestly about all facets of living with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Topics Discussed (+ timestamps):

(00:00:00 ) Intro, overview, why I am recording this episode today

(00:13:04 ) UPCOMING EVENT: Made of Millions OCD Socratic Seminar: BIPOC Representation in the OCD Space

• Mon. 10/9, 8 ET


• Livestream on @MadeOfMillions TikTok + replay on IG

(00:14:21 ) UPCOMING EVENT: ⁠IOCDF⁠ Live Stream Panel - Diversity Starts With UsTues. 9/26, 7 ET

• Thurs. 10/12, 7pm ET


• Link to attend

(00:15:13 ) UPCOMING EVENT: IOCDF Advocate Instagram Live

• Sat. 10/14, 12pm ET


• Attend: @IOCDF Instagram Live

(00:15:55 ) UPCOMING EVENT: OCD Gamechangers: Live Advocate Virtual Event

• Sat. 10/14, 7:30 pm ET


• Attend: OCD Gamechangers YouTube or Facebook Live

(00:17:04 ) UPCOMING EVENT + ANNOUNCEMENT: Online OCD Conference - KEYNOTE ADDRESS!

• Sat. 10/21, 6pm ET


• ⁠Register here⁠

(00:18:16 ) ANNOUNCEMENT: Joining OCD Wisconsin's Board of Directors

(00:20:25 ) What OCD is NOT:

• A choice


• An adjective


• A quirk


• Ego-syntonic (it's ego-DYStonic)


• Nobody "is a little OCD" or "has a little OCD"


• Why misrepresentation of OCD leads to misdiagnosis & mistreatment

(00:38:18 ) What OCD actually IS:

• DSM-5 definition of "obsessions"


• DSM-5 definition of "compulsions"


• OCD themes & subtypes


• Taboo obsessional themes within OCD


• Mental compulsions & rituals


• The shame of OCD


• Why rationality, logic, & reason do not permeate the "OCD brain"


• How OCD is fully ego-DYStonic


• The doubting disease


• Anxiety vs. OCD

(00:54:22 ) My FULL OCD story

• What OCD looked like for me in childhood


• How it fully took over by adolescence


• How I hit rock bottom in early adulthood and lost all functionality


• How I finally received a diagnosis at 22


• 13 years of no diagnosis or treatment


• 22 years of misdiagnosis


• 12 years of incorrect treatment


• 25 years without proper intervention


• Finding evidence-based treatment at 25


• Contextual episodes:

1. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠01. My Full Story: 0 to 26⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


2. 02-04. My Mental Health Journey: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Part 1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Part 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Part 3⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

(01:33:24 ) What evidence-based treatment & recovery has looked like for me

• My experience of comorbid OCD & PTSD

(01:45:02 ) Reconciling the time lost to misdiagnosis & lack of treatment

• How OCD led me to join a religious cult at 14


• Grief and loss

(01:55:04 ) Rapid-fire final OCD myth busting:

• OCD is NOT an anxiety disorder (& is not treated as such)


• OCD is NOT "just" a form of anxiety (disgust, guilt, shame, just-rightness, etc.)


• OCD is NOT a form of trauma


• OCD is NOT a form of PTSD (& is not treated as such)


• OCD is also a neurodevelopment disorder

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