By Simon Yeoman-Taylor
In 2008 I was diagnosed with cancer which I used medication and my Buddhist practise to overcome.
What happened as a result of that was 5 years of battling a mental illness called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
As OCD is such a complex disorder I feel I need to explain a bit about it so you understand how hard it was. OCD is a very severe and crippling chronic illness that is often much misunderstood in popular culture. It is also very common, affecting around 1 in 50 people. It can manifest in an infinite number of ways and each case will be specific to each individual. The basis of the disorder is fear and anxiety that manifest in thoughts and worries that something bad might happen (obsessions) if you don’t do a particular thing (compulsions). For example you may think that you might get ill if you don’t was your hands exactly 3 times before dinner. OCD is a mental disorder but it behaves like a virus in that it can keep changing and adapting to trick you. It is as also as clever as you are and wants to stay alive. What the individual is worried about will be what is most valuable to them, such as family members or their health.
What happened as a result of that was 5 years of battling a mental illness called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
As OCD is such a complex disorder I feel I need to explain a bit about it so you understand how hard it was. OCD is a very severe and crippling chronic illness that is often much misunderstood in popular culture. It is also very common, affecting around 1 in 50 people. It can manifest in an infinite number of ways and each case will be specific to each individual. The basis of the disorder is fear and anxiety that manifest in thoughts and worries that something bad might happen (obsessions) if you don’t do a particular thing (compulsions). For example you may think that you might get ill if you don’t was your hands exactly 3 times before dinner. OCD is a mental disorder but it behaves like a virus in that it can keep changing and adapting to trick you. It is as also as clever as you are and wants to stay alive. What the individual is worried about will be what is most valuable to them, such as family members or their health.
