This week we interviewed "Lily", a 61 year old female who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder along with panic attacks. Her fears stem from early childhood when she was brutally beaten by her mother and threatened with more of the same if she told anyone. She still bears physical and mental scars to this day. The anxiety created from these attacks have left her fearful of relationships of any type and unable to function as a normal person. She is afraid to leave her apartment for fear someone may enter and harm her pets in the process. This unwarranted fear and constant state of anxiety has alienated her from society and created a loneliness and a feeling that no one else understands her situation or cares. Her trips to the grocery store take hours as her OCD kicks in and she is compelled to check dates and packaging on every item purchased.
Her inablility to work due to the mental state brought on by these fears, have placed her in the poverty range financially and she is concerned what might happen if she becomes ill and unable to care for herself and her pets. She trusts no one and will not allow herself to be happy; and occasionally contemplates suicide as the only way out of her situation.
"Lily" needs to know there are others in the same situation with similar fears and phobias and that she is not alone or unique in her behavior.
"Lily" is a real person. Her personal information, as well as her interview answers have been withheld by request.
