define oneself

A Disorder: a Definition or an Opportunity? (#36)

(Dedicated to all those who have ever been diagnosed with a mental disorder)

One question that I’m often asked is when did I first realize that I had OCD? Interestingly, from an early age, I had been achingly aware that I handled my fears differently from my peers. Unknowingly, I had been working on components of my anxiety disorder ever since then- awareness grows as a person grows.  Understanding the depth and complexities took over a decade but it was in college that I was professionally diagnosed.