Diagnoses are really important, but they're also a privilege. In areas where funding is low or psychiatric demand is high, it can be really challenging to get a diagnosis. I was told unofficially that I had OCD in 2018 and repeatedly since, but nearly three years on, I still haven't been seen by a psychiatrist and consequently haven't received a formal diagnosis. I find that really challenging and feel like a fraud for sharing my story. But I shouldn't, and nor should you.

I have OCD, I've been treated for OCD, I struggle with it every day and whether or not I have a certificate to declare that, it doesn't detract from my struggles. I experienced all of the emotions that I've seen from other people's diagnosis stories, even though mine was never formal.

I want a diagnosis, as for me, I think understanding what I'm dealing with really helps, but not having seen a psychiatrist doesn't make my struggle any less valid.

If you, like so many children and teenagers with OCD, are denied the opportunity for a diagnosis, please don't think of yourself as a fraud. Diagnosis or no diagnosis, you can still recover. We can do this together.