Diagnosis: A Clear Map

Last night, as I scrolled through Facebook, a friend of mine revealed she was looking for remote work. Having recently been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, she is hoping for a way to make money without having to leave home while she works through next steps. 

As someone who wasn't accurately diagnosed with OCD until my 30s, I was filled with so many mixed emotions upon reading her post. I was glad that she had that clarity, and I immediately wanted to reach out and help her (I also work remotely and it is game changing in so many ways).

For me, receiving an OCD diagnosis after years of battling anxiety and depression meant I would have a more accurate map to managing symptoms of intrusive thoughts, safety behaviors, and avoidance. Correlated with the panic that often comes along for the ride, the knowledge was empowering for me. I'm hoping my friend feels a sense of that as well. 

As a rebel, I don't like to be categorized too much. I feel that putting labels and boxes on our challenges can sometimes create limiting beliefs that keep us from transforming, growing, and believing in possibility. We shouldn't be confined to what defines the labels of our identities. 

But I also believe there is value in understanding why common behaviors, symptoms, and emotions are collected together in a label. For one, it can be really validating for someone struggling who doesn't understand why. There is also differences in what kinds of treatments and therapies work for different mental health diagnosis and this is imperative for healing.

For me personally, I wanted to do the work without meds, which meant I had to really be willing to  go deep into cognitive behavior therapy and exposure & response prevention work to experience changes and  have any sense of relief. These therapies focus on understanding how our thoughts work, reframing them, and exposing people to the things that can trigger obsessions or panic in a safe environment. Without a more accurate diagnosis, I may not have gone down this path. I may not be where I am today.

I still do this work, though less so now as things are going pretty well. As with everything in life there are cycles of expansion and contraction. Some days are harder than others, some years are clouded with symptoms while others have been clear and wellness has come with ease. 

So I hope my friend can feel some relief with her new diagnosis, I hope that she gains a sense of power over what comes next for her. I hope she knows that there are ways to live a full and beautiful life in spite of this new label, and I hope she knows she is brave, every day.