“It was like my own mind was torturing me. From the moment I woke up, violent, graphic thoughts and images just kept popping up in my head. I was only 9 when it started. I didn’t dare tell a soul. I was terrified. Of myself. Of what I might do. I hid it all the time. People around me just thought ‘oh, he’s a bit of a perfectionist’. Eventually I was diagnosed at 26, after 17 years. When my therapist first said, “they’re just thoughts, they’re not really you” I wept. I can laugh at the compulsions now and just push them away. But I’m still figuring the best ways to manage it, OCD’s different for everyone.”