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Eileen

In a group meeting in Sligo, a community of about 20,000 in northwestern Ireland, we met several people who talked frankly about the challenges they face. This is one of Ireland’s few self-help anxiety support groups outside the capital of Dublin. Everybody in the group has his or her own unique form of OCD. One of them is Eileen Morrison.

“I can talk openly to people here and they don’t laugh at me about it. I could never talk openly before; I held it all inside. “This was, it was my, you know . . .” Eileen, faltered, looking for the right words.

“Fear of being judged,” said Will Savage, another group member. “Of being judged, yeah,” Eileen agreed. “It is a great relief to get it out, here. A few years ago, there was nothing like this.”

Describing the crux of the issue, Will continued, “I suppose I thought initially, coming here, that the main issues were checking and contamination issues, washing hands—but the dragon, if you like, the main ogre or problem, is the intrusive thoughts.”

Eileen is a retired hairdresser. Her predominant obsessions center around the fear of doing harm to others. Her compulsions take the form of praying repeatedly, washing her hands, and counting. While this behavior appears illogical, Eileen believes they are crucial to keeping her loved ones safe.