OCD MEDICAL HELP

Many people reading this know Jesse has been fighting OCD and Anxiety for a few years now. He hit rock bottom, lost his job and even became home bound. There is no cure for OCD and he will be continually fighting this for the rest of his life. However, it is possible to learn coping skills in order to try to live some sort of productive life, but it cannot be learned with just going to therapy once a week. For maximum benefit it should be done in an inpatient setting surrounded by trained counselors who work with a patient on a daily basis. Jesse went to a specialty residential treatment facility 2 years ago for help. Unfortunately, it was not enough. He was inpatient for 60 days. He was supposed to stay longer, but the insurance company decided he was done. The next step was outpatient, where he stayed off site but went to the facility daily. It gave him the opportunity to live on his own practicing what he learned. It was during this time that the insurance company made another decision. While he was making great strides, he was made to leave early because the insurance company said so. Not the Psychiatrist, not the Psychologist, not the Therapist, not the Residential Counselor. The person who decided he was well enough to leave treatment was someone at the insurance company. (imagine starting chemo for cancer and after just a few treatments the insurance company sees the tumor shrinking and decides to cut you off. You are not exactly well)

It is common that once someone leaves an OCD treatment facility, after a while they get 'stuck'. Without some sort of after care support system, they cannot advance. It is hard to maintain what you learned without more consistent help and You can become stagnant. Unfortunately, that is where Jesse is. He needs more intensive treatment than once a week with a therapist. There are not many facilities that specialize in OCD, especially in Oklahoma. It has been 2 years since he was sent home from Wisconsin. He made progress, he was certainly better than when he first started treatment, but he is not moving forward. He desperately wants to make more progress and learn more about how to make this illness manageable enough to live a productive life.

There is hope. His new insurance has agreed to pay for him to go to another facility BUT they will only pay for outpatient. This means he must find his own means of housing, food, etc while he is there.

We can't say for sure how long he will be there, but average seems to be 6 weeks (depending on insurance)

Anything you can give to help reach our goal will be greatly appreciated.

I know this is not a deadly disease like cancer, but for those who live trapped in a mental illness on a daily basis, it can feel like a death sentence. As his mother I can attest to the toll it takes on family. On a daily basis, I watch my son slowly crawl inside himself and pull away from society. Good days are good and bad days are just dark. He has so much potential and is a fighter.

If you can not donate that is ok, we understand. But there is still something you can do; CREATE AWARENESS. Having a mental illness is not always what the media presents.

Not everyone suffering is harmful. In fact, people with OCD are pretty safe to be around because they are always checking that things are ok. Many are more of a threat to themselves then they ever would be to someone else due to the intense depression and isolation. Those who live with a mental illness tend to suffer in silence. Fear of being judged, viewed as being weak and even laughed at. Worse, they fear they will bring those they love down with them. They block everyone and everything out of their life fearing no one will understand. So if you know someone who has seemed to pull away from you, don't judge. They may be struggling and spend enough time judging themselves.

Again, thank your for reading and we appreciate any kind of help you can give.

OCD is not what most people think. Please research and you will learn it is not just being neat and tidy or having quirks. It is a life altering illness that can take away hours of your daily life. Eventually making it to where you are afraid to do anything. Jesse was there once, he can not go back there! He wants his life back. If you have any questions about OCD or treatment please reach out to us for more information.

Thank you.