Emails & Facebook Help OCD Sufferers

I remember when I was first diagnosed with OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, all I could pretty much do inside my home was walk to and from the kitchen and the bathroom and also to the couch to lay down and watch television.

OCD prevented me from having a social life.

I couldn't let anyone in my home and socializing outside of my home was very difficult for me.

One of the reasons it was hard for me to socialize outside of my home was that I was afraid to be touched. We all know how common it is for someone to want to shake our hand when we are first introduced. For an OCD sufferer who has a fear of contamination that simple gesture can be very difficult and cause additional problems.

I was also afraid to leave my home alone which made my going out days extremely limited and rare.

Most socializing happens in small places - such as someone's home, a restaurant, or a club. For an OCD sufferer such as myself, that confinement can feel very trapping and the close interaction with others can be very difficult.

OCD sufferers such as myself spend most of their time trying to make life easier for themselves by finding ways to avoid putting ourselves in painful situations.

I was first diagnosed with having OCD in 1997 and I first started using a computer in 2001.

For the first five years after first being diagnosed with OCD I lived an extremely anti-social lifestyle. That in itself can cause depression. It was an extremely difficult time for me because before my OCD became incapacitating, I always had a lot of friends and spent a lot of time with them.

Finally five years after first being diagnosed with OCD, my daughter encouraged me to start using the computer and step-by-step she taught me how. She left me written directions to use it on my own while she was at school and at work.

I can't express enough how this opened up a whole new life for me after feeling so trapped and inhibited with OCD.

For the most part it enabled be to interact with people again, which was almost impossible any other way.

At first setting up an email account was the way I interacted with people.

It was wonderful. I was able to talk to people again in the comfort of my own home. No more uncomfortable positions to be put in as an OCD sufferer, as I socialized. I emailed someone they emailed me back. Conversations could be short and long and went on day after day. Emails allowed me to connect with friends and relatives who lived in the same state and who lived in different states. We also exchanged pictures and forwards.

I started to feel so much better as I enjoyed talking to family and friends again and it also took my mind off of my OCD suffering. Every day I used to look forward to coming on the computer to correspond with others.

Emails became my link to the outside world, as I suffered with OCD inside of my home.

In 2004 the social network, Facebook started. At first it was for students and young people. I can't remember when older people started using Facebook, but I eventually did about 2 years ago.

By using Facebook, my interaction with people has increased tremendously from the amount of people I only interacted with through emails. Facebook has connected me with some of my old classmates. I have also re-connected with friends and relatives I lost contact with over the years. Every so often I'll find someone I used to know and we'll become Facebook friends.

Facebook allows much more personal interactions than emails on a daily basis.

People, including myself, post much more pictures on Facebook that would be inconvenient to attach in emails. We hear of new babies in families and see pictures right after birth.

On Facebook we enjoy games together and share quotes - both life-learning and funny. We share joys and sorrows. It's a quick way to express empathy, or say congratulations.

On our Facebook homepage it lists our 'friends' birthdays for the day, so it is very easy to wish someone a happy birthday, when otherwise we wouldn't have the opportunity to do so.

On Facebook we can have long conversations and quick conversations. We can even interact with the friends and relatives of our friends.

With Facebook the connections and interactions are endless.

As of today I have over 200 Facebook friends. I didn't even know I knew over 200 people.

Having OCD, it would be very difficult and maybe impossible for me to interact with over 200 people in person - even if just a group at a time.

We all need to socialize with others as we go on with our daily lives.

Socialization brings us joy and laughter. It helps us take our minds off of ourselves and our challenges.

As I continue to suffer with OCD and fight my OCD battles, I am extremely grateful that with emails and Facebook I can at least experience the joy of socialization.