‘I feel like I have my life again’: Canadian woman describes her freedom from a life controlled by OCD – CTV
June 23, 2024
For those with obsessive-compulsive disorder, life is filled with rituals. Rima Youssef’s began when she was six years old and had to pick up any piece of paper or wrapper she saw on the street – if she didn’t, she feared something awful might happen.
Early counselling helped, but by 19, she says thoughts were back at a higher intensity. She had trouble touching door handles, and even her meals.
“If I touch this food, my family will get sick, and they might die or something will happen to them and that it’s going to be my fault,” she thought.
Showers, she says, took hours. At one point, she turned to disinfectant wipes used to clean counters and appliances to clean her face of imaginary mucus and viruses.
“It didn’t matter how often or how long I washed my hands, it wasn’t good enough….there was a point in time where I’ve probably spent any time I was awake, taking part in some kind of compulsion” She told CTV News.
