Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
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"I Have a Tough Time Being with Myself."

"When I was growing up in the 1960s, my symptoms didn't have a name. So, in my case, they were called 'Howie.'" The famous mental-health advocate shares his story of living with OCD, ADHD, and anxiety.

4 Comments: "I Have a Tough Time Being with Myself."

  1. I’m 48 and thought I was just too far gone for even antidepressants to work. Really, I thought it was hopeless.
    On the suggestion of a friend I spent 4 hours and a lot of money on testing and am learning that all these years…decades…it wasn’t just depression and unstable nutsy with a great sense of humor.
    Waiting for the rest of the results but it appears I have significant OCD and ADD.
    Makes me wonder how different my life would have been if my parents had accepted the ADD diagnosis 40 years ago and done something about it.

  3. Aww Howie,
    Thanks for sharing. I was also diagnosed as an adult-age 57- but have had these problems all my life as well. It has affected my employment many times, sadly sitting down with my kids too, especially since I always had to work full time as a single parent of 5. I also have some OCD issues and can be either the life of the party or a totally socially awkward mess. I have been doing a lot of research since my diagnosis and this ADDitude site is a wealth of information. Hang in there, isn’t it wonderful to know that we are not alone in this?

    Wishing you all the best,
    Brenda

  4. Thanks for sharing, Howie. My ADD is a bit unpredictable, making me largely unpredictable. That works in certain areas of life, but it drives my wife crazy. One part of it that aggravates me to no end: making progress on good coping skills; having things come up, like emergencies, schedule changes, etc, diverting my focus; then finding myself a week (or a month!) down the road completely off in left field, off-track, and having to start all over again. Can anyone relate?

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