Lisburn teen calls for more understanding of obsessive compulsive disorder

A Lisburn teenager has called for more support and understanding for those dealing with obsessive compulsive disorder as she highlights the tough realities of living with the condition.

Megan Green, who is 19 but turns 20 on April 29, has been struggling with her mental health since she was 12 when she started to have issues with anxiety which soon developed into severe OCD which began to control nearly every aspect of her life.

It started with her obsessively opening and banging doors and cupboards around her house and creating strict rules for herself when washing her hands, but over the years progressed to the point where she is spending £80 a week on wipes as she has to clean down every surface that she touches.

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However, while Megan is able to manage this compulsive behaviour, her OCD has also had a devastating impact on her mental health as she started self-harming and making attempts on her own life as the condition became too hard on her.

Speaking to Belfast Live, Megan said that she does not believe that there is enough understanding among health professionals and the public regarding the impact OCD can have on someone and that it has taken years for her to work with someone who has been able to recognise what she has been going through.

Megan said: "Over the past six years I have been through so much due to my OCD that I find it very difficult to see any light at the end of the tunnel for me as it controls so much of my life.

"It has had such a hold over my life that it led me to become very depressed to the point where I was self-harming and have tried to take my own life on multiple occasions and if it wasn't for my mum, I don't know if I would be here today.

"I think that many people don't understand just how difficult it is living with OCD and how it can affect you mentally. It causes me to develop obsessive thoughts about so many different aspects of my life and it is not just something that makes you want to clean things or tidy up and can be very dangerous at times.

"I have ended up in mental health wards because of my condition, where I was attacked by other patients, which has made me very wary about going back to hospital and I have found it very difficult to get the right support that I need, although now I have a fantastic CPN who is finally able to understand what I am going through."

Megan said that due to her OCD she has struggled maintaining relationships with others, but those that she has been able to keep she treasures with all of her heart and said that the biggest joys that she gets in life is through helping others.

She continued: "I know that people have turned their backs on me in the past because I can be a bit too much for them and it has been very painful to go through, but that is why I am determined to keep those in my life that I love as close to me as possible.

"My mum, dad, brother and grandparents are my whole world and even though I have put them through so much and they worry deeply about me, they are always there for me, encouraging me to keep going and doing all they can to support me.

"That is why I tell people that if you have people that are good for you in life, hold them close and treasure them."

Megan has called on the health service to provide more support for those who are living with OCD in Northern Ireland, saying that treatments here do not compare to what is available in other parts of the UK and believes that it is time for change.

She said: "There does not seem to be any sort of dedicated treatment for severe OCD in Northern Ireland and I have been told that I would need to go to England if I am going to get the therapy that I need, but the thought of being away from my family is just too much for me.

"I wish we had the same sort of support here in Northern Ireland and a greater awareness of what the condition is like because I don't think people take you seriously when you tell them that you have OCD.

"Until then I want to do all that I can to raise awareness about the condition so that I am able to help others in the same position as me and hopefully someday we will be able to get past it."

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