OCD-Midwest

OCD-Midwest An Official Affiliate of the International OCD Foundation covering Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois. Non-profit 501 (c)(3)

LINK IN OUR BIO TO REGISTER!!As a proud affiliate of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), OCD Midwest is excited to...
06/16/2026

LINK IN OUR BIO TO REGISTER!!

As a proud affiliate of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), OCD Midwest is excited to share that several of our board members will be attending the 2026 OCD Conference in Seattle! 💙

📅 July 9–12, 2026
📍 Hyatt Regency Seattle & Virtual (Hybrid Event)

Whether you’re living with OCD, supporting a loved one, or working as a clinician, OCD Con is truly one of the most meaningful weekends of the year.

For those with lived experience, the conference offers something that can be hard to find elsewhere: the opportunity to connect with people who truly understand. It’s a place to learn from leading experts, hear powerful stories of recovery, discover new treatment approaches, and be reminded that you are never alone in your journey.

For clinicians, OCD Con provides unparalleled opportunities for education and professional growth. From evidence-based treatment workshops and research presentations to networking with experts and fellow providers, it’s an incredible chance to deepen your knowledge and better serve the OCD and related disorders community.

Most importantly, OCD Con is about community. It’s about advocacy, hope, and bringing together individuals, families, advocates, researchers, and professionals who are passionate about improving the lives of those impacted by OCD and related disorders.

Whether you attend in person in beautiful Seattle or join virtually from home, we encourage you to experience all that this incredible event has to offer. We can’t wait to connect, learn, and celebrate alongside our community!

✨ We hope to see you there!

✨ Follow OCD Midwest for updates on upcoming OCD Midwest events and to learn more about OCD!

✨ Link in our bio for our other social pages, OCD Midwest OCD walks information, and our website!

Disclaimer: Social Media is not therapy. This page should be used for educational purposes only. If you are in crisis call your local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency center.

It’s so important that children and adolescents with OCD see themselves represented in the advocacy world. OCD doesn’t j...
06/13/2026

It’s so important that children and adolescents with OCD see themselves represented in the advocacy world. OCD doesn’t just affect adults, and young people deserve to know that their voices, experiences, and creativity matter too. 💚

We’re incredibly lucky to have artwork from Vincent (age 12) from Indiana helping represent some of our Midwest kids and their lived experiences with OCD. Art has a unique way of expressing what can be difficult to put into words, and Vincent’s creativity reminds us that children and adolescents are powerful advocates, storytellers, and members of our community.

Representation matters. When kids see other kids speaking up, creating, and sharing their experiences, it helps reduce shame, foster connection, and reminds them that they’re not alone.

Want to see even more incredible creations from young artists and advocates? Be sure to stop by the Create Corner at the IOCDF Annual OCD Conference 2026 in Seattle this year! We can’t wait to celebrate the talent, courage, and voices of our community—of all ages. 🎨🖍️✨

✨ Follow OCD Midwest for updates on upcoming OCD Midwest events and to learn more about OCD!

✨ Link in our bio for our other social pages, OCD Midwest OCD walks information, and our website!

Disclaimer: Social Media is not therapy. This page should be used for educational purposes only. If you are in crisis call your local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency center.

One of the cruelest tricks OCD plays is convincing you that everyone else deserves recovery except you.That your thought...
06/06/2026

One of the cruelest tricks OCD plays is convincing you that everyone else deserves recovery except you.

That your thoughts are somehow worse. That your OCD is different.

That if people really knew what was going on in your mind, they would agree that you don’t deserve peace.

Meanwhile, you can usually look at someone else with OCD and immediately see their suffering, their humanity, and their worth.
OCD loves double standards.

It tells you that intrusive thoughts are just intrusive thoughts for everyone else—but evidence of who you are for you.

It tells you that everyone else gets to move forward, but you need to keep analyzing, confessing, checking, ruminating, and punishing yourself just a little longer.

Recovery isn’t something you earn by proving you’re a good person. Recovery is something you allow yourself to pursue because you are a person.

You do not need to solve every doubt.

You do not need certainty.

You do not need to convince yourself you’re worthy.

You already are.

No matter what theme OCD attaches itself to, no matter how convincing the fear feels, and no matter how long you’ve struggled, you deserve the same chance at recovery as everyone else.

And yes—that includes you. 💚

✨ Follow OCD Midwest for updates on upcoming OCD Midwest events and to learn more about OCD!

✨ Link in our bio for our other social pages, OCD Midwest OCD walks information, and our website!

Disclaimer: Social Media is not therapy. This page should be used for educational purposes only. If you are in crisis call your local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency center.

The International OCD Foundation’s Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) for Treating OCD in Communities of Color i...
06/05/2026

The International OCD Foundation’s Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) for Treating OCD in Communities of Color is coming to Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, September 25–27!

This specialized training is designed to equip clinicians with the skills to effectively treat OCD and related disorders while emphasizing culturally informed care and the unique experiences of communities of color. Representation matters, and so does access to evidence-based treatment.

We’re especially excited to share that OCD Midwest is sponsoring one of the scholarships for this training! 🎉 If you’re a clinician of color interested in expanding your OCD treatment expertise, this is an incredible opportunity to learn, connect, and grow alongside other professionals dedicated to serving diverse communities.

✨ Three days of intensive OCD training
✨ Focus on culturally responsive clinical care
✨ Learn evidence-based ERP treatment strategies
✨ Connect with fellow clinicians of color from across the country

📍 Detroit, Michigan
📅 September 25–27

🎓 Interested in applying for the scholarship? Visit the link in our bio for more information and application details!

✨ Follow OCD Midwest for updates on upcoming OCD Midwest events and to learn more about OCD!

✨ Link in our bio for our other social pages, OCD Midwest OCD walks information, and our website!

Disclaimer: Social Media is not therapy. This page should be used for educational purposes only. If you are in crisis call your local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency center.

06/05/2026

ERP is hard.
Not because you’re doing it wrong.
Not because you’re weak.
But because OCD asks you to face the exact things your brain is screaming to escape.

ERP means resisting the compulsions that once felt necessary for survival. It means allowing uncertainty, discomfort, guilt, anxiety, urges, sensations, and “what ifs” to exist without trying to solve them. And honestly? That can feel terrifying at first.

But little by little, something changes.

You stop measuring safety by certainty.
You stop needing answers for every intrusive thought.
You stop organizing your entire life around fear.

And eventually, the things that once felt impossible become moments you move through instead of emergencies you must solve.

ERP is not about “liking” uncertainty.
It’s about learning you can handle it.

It’s hard work. Exhausting work sometimes. But it’s also the work that gives people their lives back.

The goal was never to become fearless.
The goal was to stop letting fear make every decision for you.

Share in the comments ways ERP has helped you!!

✨ Follow OCD Midwest for updates on upcoming OCD Midwest events and to learn more about OCD!

✨ Link in our bio for our other social pages, OCD Midwest OCD walks information, and our website!

Disclaimer: Social Media is not therapy. This page should be used for educational purposes only. If you are in crisis call your local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency center.

05/16/2026

OCD is one of the most misunderstood mental health conditions because so many people still think it’s just about being “clean,” “organized,” or liking things a certain way.

But OCD is not a personality trait.

OCD is a disorder driven by intrusive thoughts, distressing doubts, and compulsions. It can show up as fears about harming someone, relationships, sexuality, religion, contamination, health, morality, losing control, making mistakes, and so much more.

Many people with OCD don’t look “organized” at all.

Some struggle silently with:
• Replaying conversations for hours
• Seeking reassurance
• Mentally reviewing memories
• Avoiding people or places
• Constant checking
• Hiding disturbing intrusive thoughts out of shame

And some compulsions happen entirely in the mind—meaning nobody else can see the battle happening.

When we reduce OCD to “being neat,” we miss the reality of what people with OCD actually live with.

Awareness matters because people deserve understanding, not stereotypes. 💚

✨ Follow OCD Midwest for updates on upcoming OCD Midwest events and to learn more about OCD!

✨ Link in our bio for our other social pages, OCD Midwest OCD walks information, and our website!

Disclaimer: Social Media is not therapy. This page should be used for educational purposes only. If you are in crisis call your local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency center.

With Mother’s Day approaching, I want to talk about something many mothers struggle with silently: prenatal and postpart...
05/09/2026

With Mother’s Day approaching, I want to talk about something many mothers struggle with silently: prenatal and postpartum OCD. 🤍

So many parents experience terrifying intrusive thoughts during pregnancy or after giving birth and immediately assume it means something about who they are. But OCD thrives on doubt, fear, and misinterpretation — especially around the things we love most.

These thoughts are ego-dystonic, unwanted, and deeply distressing. The presence of a scary thought does NOT define your character, intentions, or ability to be a loving parent.

Unfortunately, shame keeps many mothers silent. And many never realize this is a treatable form of OCD.

This Mother’s Day, let’s make room for more honesty, more education, and more compassion for the moms fighting battles nobody else can see. 🤍

Mothers with OCD. You are strong. You are brave. You are inspiring. You are NOT YOUR OCD.

✨ Follow OCD Midwest for updates on upcoming OCD Midwest events and to learn more about OCD!

✨ Link in our bio for our other social pages, OCD Midwest OCD walks information, and our website!

Disclaimer: Social Media is not therapy. This page should be used for educational purposes only. If you are in crisis call your local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency center.

Not all therapy helps OCD.Some of it accidentally reinforces it.If your therapist is:→ constantly reassuring you→ analyz...
05/02/2026

Not all therapy helps OCD.
Some of it accidentally reinforces it.

If your therapist is:
→ constantly reassuring you
→ analyzing every thought
→ avoiding discomfort

…that’s not OCD treatment.

Good OCD therapy is structured, uncomfortable at times, and focused on changing your relationship with doubt—not solving it.

You’re not looking for someone to “talk it out” with.
You’re looking for someone who knows how to break the cycle.

✨ Follow OCD Midwest for updates on upcoming OCD Midwest events and to learn more about OCD!

✨ Link in our bio for our other social pages, OCD Midwest OCD walks information, and our website!

Disclaimer: Social Media is not therapy. This page should be used for educational purposes only. If you are in crisis call your local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency center.

04/25/2026

Now I’m worried if I should have shown up!😆

Tell me in the comments if you’ve dealt with ocd trying to convince you that you don’t have OCD!

✨ Follow OCD Midwest for updates on upcoming OCD Midwest events and to learn more about OCD!

✨ Link in our bio for our other social pages, OCD Midwest OCD walks information, and our website!

Disclaimer: Social Media is not therapy. This page should be used for educational purposes only. If you are in crisis call your local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency center.

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