Kelsey Simpson was just six when she had her first intrusive thought – and it stuck with her for years.
“I didn’t tell a single person until I was 16 the thoughts I was having, scared I would be locked up,” she said.
Kelsey feared she would hurt others, her pets, herself. The harmful thoughts confined her to her home, robbing her of her teenage years.
“I didn’t graduate with friends, I didn’t go to prom, I didn’t get driver’s license, I didn’t go to parties.”
After several misdiagnoses, Kelsey learned she had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It affects 20,000 children and youth in British Columbia, and 56,000 people in the province overall. Those with OCD spend an average of 10 hours daily engaging in symptoms, and it is ranked among the 10 most disabling medical illnesses by the World Health Organization.
“I was worried about harming people,” said Kelsey, now 19 years old.
The BC Children’s Hospital Provincial OCD Program was founded in 2011 to provide specialized outpatient assessment and treatment for OCD-affected youth and their families.
They referred Kelsey to CAMP OCD: a 4 week program, the only one of its kind in Canada, where participants face their fears through gradual repeated exposure.
Organizers say being around others with OCD also helps participants overcome their isolation.
Doctors say OCD is one of the most misunderstood mental health conditions – which is part of the reason parents must attend camp as well.
“It was not correct, but we were obviously doing what we thought was best,” said Doug.
At camp, they encouraged her to sit in the driver’s seat, and turn the engine on.
Now Kelsey has her license, her first job, and the confidence to keep challenging her thoughts.
“Before I went to the camp, I never knew anyone with OCD. It was so nice to be with people who understood it and had it,” she says.
“I want to challenge the thoughts now, I don’t want to let them take over my life.”
Global BC will be airing BC Children’s Hospital Miracle Weekend this weekend. Click here for more details.
– With files from Tanya Beja
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