My family are very supportive with my OCD, but it has affected our relationship. For example, the incessant checking with my mum must be exhausting for her, even though she doesn't show it.

I love my sister so much and I would like her to feel that she can tell me everything, but OCD has changed our sibling relationship. I don't mean to say that this has a bad effect as we get on very well, but I would like us to talk about normal sister things and for her to confide in me without OCD getting in the way.

Having OCD for my teenage years has had a massive effect on relationships with people at school. I am very lucky to have some close friends at school who really understand and stick by me no matter what. But that doesn't mean that OCD hasn't affected other school relationships...

The worries that are invariably dominating my thoughts at school can sometimes be so overwhelming that I stay silent, looking uncomfortable and unapproachable. This is not the sort of person that I want to be. I would like to think that I am quite friendly and talkative, and I think OCD has taken that away from me.

OCD has also affected my relationship with myself. I'm a lot more self-conscious than I used to be and I have lost a lot of confidence. What I would really like to do is change my relationship with OCD. Sometimes I think that if I didn't have OCD anymore, it would change the sort of person I am, so I worry about getting rid of it. However, if I see it more as a bully, it is much easier to fight it. This is a slightly random analogy, but OCD has been described to me as a parrot, constantly nagging me with unhelpful thoughts. Imagine each time you ignore an intrusive thought, you pull a feather out of that parrot and each time you don't perform a compulsion, you deprive the parrot of food. Eventually that parrot will waste away (sorry parrot lovers!), and the OCD will become a small and insignificant part of your life.

I challenge you to start making life hell for that bully in your head.