Fundraising can be intimidating. This is especially true for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), a disorder that is so often misunderstood by the general population. Some people may even ask you, “Why raise money to support a cause for people with OCD? Aren’t they just eccentric neat freaks?”
In fact, OCD is actually a debilitating psychological disorder. People suffering from this disorder want to live normal lives, but they are often trapped and tormented by their own thoughts. People with OCD often believe they are the only ones who have irrational, obsessive thoughts, and therefore may feel ashamed and afraid to tell others or to seek help. If you or someone you know is affected by OCD, you know the truth of this.
Did you also know…
- 1 in 100 adults are estimated to have OCD. To learn more and gain perspective on this statistic, read this guest post by Morgan Rondinelli.
- There are as many children in the US with OCD as there are children with diabetes. To learn more, visit our OCD in Kids website.
- OCD can emerge at any time from preschool to adulthood, but most commonly appears between ages 10-12 or in late teens/early adulthood. Click here to learn about out our new programming specifically for these age groups within the Annual OCD Conference.
- It takes, on average, between 14 to 17 years between onset of OCD symptoms and access to effective treatment.
- OCD-related conditions include hoarding disorder (HD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) as well as hair-pulling disorder (trichotillomania) and skin-picking disorder (dermatillomania). To learn more about related disorders, click here.
- About 70% of patients with OCD will benefit from either cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or medication. However, obstacles to getting effective treatment for OCD include:
- Hiding symptoms due to embarrassment and stigma.
- Lack of proper training in health professionals.
- Difficulty finding local therapists who can effectively treat OCD.
If more people knew these facts, would they be more willing to help support the OCD and related disorders community? Would you be willing to partner with us to help spread the word about what OCD really is? With your help we can increase access to resources, support, and treatment for everyone affected by OCD and related disorders.
Even if you’ve never raised money before, we hope that you will consider joining the 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk, and that these facts can help you to educate your community about what OCD is, and why we are joining together to spread awareness about OCD and related disorders. We encourage you to share these facts with family members, friends, and colleagues via social media, email, and video, letting them know why you’re walking to raise funds and awareness. The more that we are able to inform others, the farther we can go!
We thank you for supporting this important cause and we look forward to coming together in June to raise awareness and end the stigma associated with OCD!
I suffer alot from worry and ocd. I want to help others with the same disorder. I hope I can soon raise funds for people with obesessive complusive disorder. I recently raised funds for National Alliance for Mental Illness. It is gratifying to know I am helping others. I hope to work and save more money to help others. The resources for people who suffer can be a sometimes trying thing to deal with. I hope to raise more awareness for sufferers and more treatment.