Living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is extremely difficult. Being a college student is no walk in the park either. Navigating life as a college student with OCD can feel impossible sometimes!
Entering college is a nerve-wracking experience for most students, and that nervous feeling is often amplified in students with OCD. The college experience fortunately or unfortunately provides a wide variety of potential OCD triggers. Those with contamination OCD may obsess over having to share a small dorm room with a roommate. Individuals with perfectionism symptoms may spend hours doing and redoing assignments until they feel “just right.” People who struggle with scrupulosity OCD may obsess about the morals behind common campus activities, like drinking and cursing. Combined with being in a new environment without one’s childhood support system nearby, college has the potential to greatly exacerbate OCD symptoms.
As OCD often onsets during young adulthood, sometimes students develop OCD during their college years. The stereotypes surrounding OCD and the stigma around seeking help may keep these students from getting the support they need. As many of you know, if someone with OCD goes without the appropriate diagnosis or treatment, they may easily spiral out of control.
The most important thing for us college students with OCD is the appropriate support. This can look different for each student. For example, I have been fortunate enough to have begun OCD treatment in high school. This allowed me to learn to manage my symptoms before my launch into college. Thankfully I am able to see the same therapist in college too, over video chat, as I have in no way been immune to the challenges of college with OCD. Support may also look like joining an OCD support group on or near campus, receiving accommodations, reading informational books about OCD, or searching for a local OCD therapist.
Sometimes support can also be taking off a semester or two to focus on treatment. This is often a very difficult decision to make, as society pushes us to finish college in four years or less. However, I think anyone who chooses to take time off for treatment is incredibly strong for recognizing that they need help. Also, college will hopefully be a lot easier to navigate after taking time off for treatment!
If you’re a college student living with OCD, you are definitely not alone. It is estimated that 1 in 100 adults lives with OCD, so in your large lecture hall, it’s more than likely that at least one other person has OCD too. Maybe it’s even your professor! We people with OCD, despite the struggles we face, can be extremely successful.
References
International OCD Foundation. (2021). What is OCD? iocdf.org. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/
Maya Tadross
Author
