Looking back, I’m surprised I never realized I had OCD. It’s clear that our conception and understanding of the disorder, even within the medical field, isn’t as complex and nuanced as the disorder itself. Hodges notes that “OCD education and information about evidence-based practices is not taught to the extent it should be in Masters and doctorate programs. Most therapists will tell you that the maximum amount of time spent on OCD is just a couple of hours, and rarely are the violent, sexual, religious intrusive thoughts discussed,” she says. “The reality is that the percentage of people who have ‘Pure’ OCD is much larger than those that have the mainstream-known ‘contamination’ OCD, so we need so much more education and advocacy to reach these individuals and let them know there is help.”