'OCD made me think I was a monster'

'OCD made me think I was a monster'6 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleEleanor LawsonWest MidlandsBBCThe women say awareness about OCD is vital - because some people do not know they are suffering from itWarning: This article discusses distressing themes Every day, mother-of-three Sarah imagines her perfectly healthy young children are going to die in a car crash or fall fatally ill. Distressing images thunder into her head uninvited, whirling around and around until she feels like she is drowning in them. "I get severely depressed because no one wants to think of their children dying," she says, of the intrusive thoughts that routinely shatter the joys of family life."It's something [most people] won't think of. Whereas I think it every single day because my brain won't let me think of anything else."The 34-year-old, from Redditch, Worcestershire, is one of around 750,000 people in the UK who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD. It is ranked by the World Health Organisation as one of the top 10 most debilitating illnesses and can form such a grip on an individual that it controls their entire life.The overwhelming public perception of OCD is that it is an obsession with cleaning, tidying and symmetry, a fastidiousness seen in characters like Monica Geller from Friends.But the reality is far more complex, with sufferers experiencing obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviour they have no control over.Obsessive, intrusive thoughts can paralyse sufferers with anxiety, fear, disgust or shame - and many will not realise the images they are experiencing in their head are due to OCD.Sarah WilsonSarah said she was now seeking help to enjoy life and regular activitiesCompulsions are the repetitive acts that can be mental or physical that the individual feels compelled to do to temporarily relieve the stress of obsessions.This is partly why Sarah decided to homeschool her children - by knowing she could se...