When I see my friends and loved ones post jokes about OCD, there are many things I want to say. I want to tell them how OCD is not just about cleanliness; that it manifests in many different ways. I want them to know that OCD can destroy people, make them withdraw from the world and can even lead to depression and suicide. It lead me to attempt suicide, then to hospitalization and therapy. It makes sufferers feel incompatible with happiness and makes families feel helpless. So when myself and others like me see people we thought understood us, loved us, and accepted us make jokes about our struggle, I want to tell them how offensive it is.
But I never do, because clearly I just don’t know how to take a joke.
