Ben
Ben
You have to be persistent
For years, Ben, his family, and his doctors knew something was wrong—they just didn’t know what it was.
Ben had to complete rituals—touching certain things in sequence, not walking over cracks—and these rituals made it difficult for him to complete his schoolwork, play sports, even go to sleep.
Ben also struggled with bulimia, and it wasn’t easy for him to find an approach to treatment that was right for him.
At first, people thought I had ADD, but it wasn’t that.
I talked to lots of counselors and doctors, and around the time I was 13, we figured out that it was OCD. It was hard not knowing what it was.
Despite the many setbacks he faced as he worked though the health care system, Ben was persistent. He was determined to get the proper diagnosis and find the best approach to treat his conditions.
It was frustrating. I had teachers and counselors I could go to, and I went to therapist after therapist, but it took a while until I felt comfortable.
Ultimately, Ben says that he was able to find a treatment that helped him get his obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and bulimia under control.
Now, he is working with a doctor he trusts, living on his own, and enjoying painting, a creative outlet that helps him take his energy away from the things that are bothering him.
Ben credits his family and his doctors for helping him get on the right track, but he believes that it was his powerful will to get better that made all the difference.
You have to get treatment. There is no other option, and you have to have someone at the beginning to get you started. Then it’s up to you.
You have to follow the treatment every day—have a regimen—or else you’re going to go offtrack, and it’s not going to work. You have to be persistent.
