Anonymous wrote:I'm not saying this girl does have OCD, but OP is grossly misinformed about what it is. My husband has OCD. He obsessed about certain things, to the point that he become paralyzed by his thoughts and fears. None of this has anything to do with cleanliness (he's a slob) or hand-washing or anything of that sort.
When I was finishing college in the mid-90s I realized I was suffering from depression and asked for help. My parents didn't take me seriously, nor did the primary care doctor I went to see. I sought out help on my own and have learned to manage it - sometimes with meds, sometimes without. My parents eventually came to understand that I truly did have an illness, but it took some time.
I think there's a fear of stigma in the Jewish community that leads parents to pooh-pooh their children's pleas for help in these situations. I know that's what happened in my family. OP, don't make the same mistake my parents did.
I could have written your post, PP! My husband has OCD and his mother's pretended he's 'oh-so-fine' his entire life. It was me, when we first started dating, who pointed out his red hands which he used to wash to the point of bleeding. He's also was - and still is, to some degree - a slob. And it took him going to the doctor at the good old age of 29, getting officially diagnosed and put on fluvox to actually get better. Ten years later his OCD is still there, but its symptoms are manageable now.
I also am at a loss what the deal is in the Jewish community with psychiatric illnesses. Ugh.