Why I Love the IOCDF’s Annual OCD Conference

By Teagan Miller

Hi 🙂 My name is Teagan Miller and I am a 20 (almost 21) year old OCD advocate.

I have lived with OCD my entire life. I often wonder what it would be like to live in a society that understood and had compassion for those living with OCD. What a dream … to feel understood, cared for, and fit in with the majority of your peers. Imagine a life like that, pure bliss.

A lot of us OCD sufferers are familiar with a life with a mask on, desperately trying to combat OCD symptoms while also combating random strangers' false assumptions about you.

Let's be honest, not very many people are aware of the comprehensive range of symptoms OCD can be responsible for. Meaning, OCD can be INTENSE. It can also be life-threatening. And I know almost everyone living with OCD would agree that this disorder can take over one's life and cause serious symptoms that can lead to an overall diminished quality of life. Who would want that?!

One vital part of recovery and life beyond OCD is community. From a personal standpoint, having access to the OCD community via the IOCDFs webpage, Instagram advocates, and OCD advocate YouTubers has been an incredible source of comfort, validation, friendship, and has been able to bring me a true peace — knowing I am not alone. 

The IOCDF holds an in-person conference at a new location each year. This conference is PACKED FULL with information, tools to get better, and community fun. This is a safe place where that blissful dream I was talking about actually becomes reality. AND this conference is not only for people living with OCD and related disorders, but also for people in your support system, including family members and professional mental health workers, plus researchers, educators, and students.

Anyone is welcome, the more the merrier — as spreading awareness of *actual* OCD is truly life saving. The impact this three-day conference can have on someone’s recovery is just indescribable. 

For me personally, getting to connect with other people who have similar experiences just makes me feel like I’ll really be okay.

As someone who lives with some of the more “taboo” OCD themes, it's been difficult for me to open up and share my story. But after going to my first Annual OCD Conference in Denver, CO in 2022, I haven't looked back since.

Everyone I interacted with met me with love, understanding, and support. It was something I had never experienced on that level before. Even with being hospitalized at a mental health facility, I was still misunderstood and heard “I'm so OCD” jokes.

After this conference, I realized that other people sharing their stories is what has helped me so much: The connection and the understanding. So from then on I’ve taken to Instagram to advocate as loudly as possible for people with OCD. You can follow me at @obsessively.tea.

Join me at the 29th Annual OCD Conference in Orlando, Florida from July 25–28. I can't wait to see you there!

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Teagan Miller is a 20-year-old mental health advocate who is learning to navigate this world while living with a brain that isn't always trustworthy. Growing up, Teagan fought her invisible OCD symptoms on her own until she got diagnosed at 11 years old. After starting proper treatment at 17 years old, Teagan began advocating. She is now using knowledge to her advantage to help others who may be suffering by raising awareness on Instagram: @obsessively.tea.