Get to Know OCD

Episode: OCD Through the Generations: What’s Changed (and What Hasn’t)

Host: Dr. Patrick McGrath / NOCD
Guests: Brenna Posey & Tracy Ibrahim
Date: September 14, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Brenna Posey (NOCD team member and advocate with lived OCD experience) and Tracy Ibrahim (NOCD therapist and Chief Compliance Officer with 44 years of personal OCD experience) have a candid, intergenerational conversation about the evolution of awareness, treatment, and stigma surrounding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). They reflect on personal stories, highlight changes (and constants) in diagnosis, care access, and the impact of social media, and offer hope and advice for those navigating OCD today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. OCD Awareness Across the Generations

• Tracy’s Experience (Gen X):
  • Growing up, OCD was barely discussed outside stereotypes (germophobia, tidiness) and was mostly tossed around as an adjective, not as a mental health issue.
  • “Nobody's thinking or talking about it at all. It might be used as an adjective, like, 'I'm so OCD because my backpack looks organized.'” (Tracy, 03:16)
  • Even with a mother who was a therapist, mental health — and specifically OCD — wasn’t discussed at home.
  • Mental health was stigmatized, and public dialogue focused instead on things like dental hygiene or abstinence (05:02–06:02).
• Brenna’s Experience (Millennial/Gen Z):
  • Grew up with more conversation about mental health, felt supported at home, and going to therapy was normalized—but OCD remained misunderstood as primarily “cleanliness.”
  • Initial therapists failed to diagnose her taboo, intrusive thoughts as OCD, even as late as 2010-2012.
  • “Still, at that point, people thought of OCD as being clean … my therapist couldn't say what I was struggling with was OCD.” (Brenna, 10:00)

Notable Moment

“If you were struggling mentally, you kind of probably felt unsafe to talk about that almost, and you just didn't know what people would say about you.”
— Brenna, 06:02

2. Access to Care and Diagnosis

• Tracy’s Journey:
  • Experienced OCD from age 4 or 5 but didn’t get a proper diagnosis or treatment (ERP) until age 30—despite frequent interactions with hundreds of mental health professionals.
  • Most providers missed OCD entirely, interpreting symptoms as depression, ignoring contamination concerns and intrusive thoughts.
  • “Hundreds of people missed the OCD—clear as day … if I could go back, I’d stand next to them and say, 'ask if I want to do it, ask if it distresses me.'” (Tracy, 13:55)
• Brenna’s Journey:
  • About 8-10 years between first notable symptoms and proper diagnosis, but eventually found the right care more quickly through increased awareness and resources.
  • “I found NOCD actually through social media ... And someone was able to be like: okay, you have OCD.” (Brenna, 15:10)

Notable Moment

“Even in becoming a therapist and learning about OCD, they did not train... most therapists are not getting proper OCD training.”
— Tracy, 14:20

3. The Role of Shame and Taboo Themes

• Both guests discuss the particularly isolating impact of taboo OCD themes and the deep shame, confusion, and fear involved.
• Tracy emphasizes the harm of years spent being misdiagnosed, sequestered in psychiatric hospitals, and treated as a danger due to misunderstood intrusive thoughts.
• Learning to use humor and community as recovery tools:
  • “I can make it funny ... it goes against my values.” (Tracy, 19:16)
  • “At first, I thought: How can you use humor? But now? I can’t imagine not using it.” (Brenna, 18:52)

Notable Moment

“I'm not laughing about the actual thing. I'm laughing about the OCD version.”
— Tracy, 19:26

4. The Impact of Social Media

• Game-Changer for Help and Awareness:
  • Brenna found ERP treatment and NOCD via a social media post: “If that post wasn’t a thing, I don’t know where I’d be right now.” (Brenna, 21:17)
• Drawbacks — Misinformation:
  • Tracy warns of “quack” cures and misinformation, which can lead to harm—quick-fix promises, non-evidence-based ‘solutions,’ and predatory workshops.
  • “People are losing a lot of money, time, a lot of mental health, because they're following these things.” (Tracy, 26:11)

Notable Moment

“You know, oh, come to my expensive weekend workshop where you will be done by Sunday—your OCD will be gone. And people believe it, because sometimes these are therapists ... It's sad.”
— Tracy, 25:55

5. Advice for the Next Generation

• Both participants agree on the need for better, ethically vetted resources, more consistency in therapist training, and filtering of online information for accuracy.
• Technology has increased both support and compulsive reassurance-seeking (e.g., ChatGPT, Google).
  • “The more things that come up through technology, the more ways people with OCD compulse with it ... ChatGPT is not a trained professional!” (Tracy, 29:51, 30:07)

Notable Moment

“It's so enticing to use because it'll just spit out an answer, and OCD wants an answer ... but we don't know sometimes that is exactly what is harming us.”
— Brenna, 30:16

6. Messages of Hope and Practical Advice

For those newly diagnosed with OCD:

• Tracy:
  • “You do not create your OCD content. You're not responsible for it. There's nothing to be ashamed, embarrassed, or anything else about it. Go get help from people who know what they're talking about because they're going to help you normalize what's happening to you.” (Tracy, 31:32)
• Brenna:
  • “No matter how long you've been stuck for and no matter the severity, there is hope for symptom management ... to live the full and beautiful life that you want despite having this OCD.” (Brenna, 31:58)

Notable Quotes

“Exposure Response Prevention therapy's been around for over 60 years ... and it's been considered the gold standard treatment because it does give you your life back.”
— Tracy, 32:58

“You're not alone. You are never alone.”
— Tracy, 34:27

“OCD is a journey but you're stronger than it.”
— Brenna, 34:24

Timestamps for Key Topics

• OCD Awareness in Previous Generations: 02:53–06:00
• Isolation, Stigma & Lack of Diagnosis: 06:00–15:00
• The Challenge of Proper Diagnosis: 13:49–15:38
• Humor as Coping & Taboo Themes: 17:07–19:41
• Role of Social Media (Hope and Harm): 19:42–26:24
• Advice for Hope and Recovery: 31:13–34:27

Final Takeaways

• OCD has always existed, but understanding, diagnosis, and treatment have evolved dramatically.
• Awareness and resources are better than ever, yet misinformation and inconsistent clinical training remain real risks.
• Social media offers unprecedented opportunities for education and access—but must be navigated with caution.
• The best advice: Find evidence-based support, target shame, and remember—you are not alone, there is hope, and a fulfilling life is possible with OCD.