I need some advice from fellow ocd sufferers!

[foof1]

Should I let it be known that I have it. My family knows and my closest friend knows but should I let other people know.

And to people who don't have it, would you make fun of someone for having ocd. PLEASE BE HONEST!

[Jesse]

I do not have OCD, and I would not make fun of someone for having it as I have a couple of friends with OCD.

[byee]

My advice to anyone who's wanting to share something (anything) that's very personal and very revealing and very meaningful, and something they might be very sensitive about, is to ask yourself, be very clear with yourself, what the goal is. What exactly is it you're hoping to get, and then, what are the chances of you getting it by sharing it with that particular person.

Very often, people have this real need to share with others (which is understandable), but they don't take into account the reaction of the receipient (which can be unfortunate). Think carefully not just about your hopes, but their probable reaction, and plan accordingly.

[thesphinx]

No I wouldn't make fun of someone we OCD, you don't have to tell anyone if you don't feel comfortable.
If they are good friends they will accept it.

[foof1]

well it kind of hard to hide something that is such a huge part of your life.

[Triceratops]

I have OCD so I would never laugh at someone else for having it. It's not as if we actually CHOOSE to have it is it? So people have no right to laugh at others who have OCD.

But personally, if your family and close friends already know about your OCD then that's enough because they're the ones will support you. Having OCD isn't something you might tell the whole world about. Not everyone needs to know about it. But if you want to tell people about it then that's fine :) For example, whenever OCD comes up in a conversation I usually mention that I've got it, to be honest I'm not ashamed of having it at all.
But in the end, it's your choice :) If someone laughs at you, ignore them. You should pity them because they're that stupid and low to make fun of a condition that may drive people through hell! Just tell them to f*** off!

Good luck :) xoxo

[Avalikia]

I don't have OCD, but I have another mental disorder (Asperger's Syndrome) so it would be rather hypocritical of me to make fun of someone with OCD, wouldn't it? I'd think you'd be surprised by the sheer number of people who have or know someone who has OCD or something close enough and would therefore immeadiately be very supportive if you told them.

However, whether or not you want to tell more than your family and closest friends depends on how you feel about your OCD. If you're struggling with things like poor self-esteem, embarassment, etc., then the last thing you need is for an unsensitive or uncaring person to find out about it. On the other hand, if you're completely comfortable with yourself there's no reason not to tell anyone who happens to be around when it comes up - either in conversation or if your symptoms are showing. If someone reacted badly to finding out you have OCD, how well could you handle it?

[JoshDude]

Anybody who would make fun of somebody with OCD has problems themselves.
If you feel comfortable with telling people about it, then why not? If you feel that telling people that you have OCD will end badly, perhaps you shouldn't tell people.

[Sapphire]

Ultimately, this is up to you. Do you want loads of people to know that you have a mental illness? It can have beneficial effects on people's attitudes to you (being more tolerant of some of your behaviours, for example) but it can have negative effects on their attitudes too. Young people can be particularly cruel. Before you decide to tell people, you should think really long and hard about this.

I don't share diagnoses with friends. I got a lot of stick from people at school because I was depressed so nowadays I keep my labels pretty much just to myself. Obviously there are exceptions to this, like when I need someone to confide in about it or related problems but I choose these people carefully.

I don't think the labels we are given matter when it comes to friendships and other social situations. What matters is that we have good friends, a good support system for when things go tits up and that we are working on overcoming or managing our difficulties.