26-05-2025
Bailey never wanted to talk about her OCD, but now she is to help others
It's a simple message Bailey MacDonald is spreading - "you are not alone".
The 18-year-old, who has been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, has started a podcast detailing her journey with the mental illness with the aim of helping others who may be struggling.
OCD is characterised by persistent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that often lead to repetitive behaviours (compulsions) aimed at managing distress caused by those thoughts.
Ms MacDonald said many people failed to recognise the signs of the disorder.
"The media really portrays it in movies that OCD is like a cleanliness quirk when that's not the case," she said.
"It's something that's so stressful and you've got the compulsions, the intrusive thoughts, like it's not just being perfect.
"I don't like saying what the theme of my intrusive thoughts were, as it's personal to me, but some examples of OCD themes are paedophilia, harm, contamination, sexual orientation and magical thinking, with there also being more."
She said the simplistic sanitisation of the mental illness hurt people like her.
"You feel all the pain you've gone through is just being undermined," Bailey said.
"People kind of joke about it and you hear your friends or even teachers and just people in society saying, 'oh yeah, I'm sorry, I'm OCD because I like to be organised'.
"You wouldn't say that if you know what I've experienced and lived through."
Bailey said it took years for her to understand her condition.
"I felt alone with the disorder because I felt like no one understood, and for so long I didn't know that I had OCD," she said.
Bailey said she kept her struggle to herself for a long time, even keeping it a secret from members of her family, only telling her mother, Adele.
Together, the pair worked to understand Bailey's situation and get her the help she needed.
Even after receiving treatment, Bailey said she kept private about her diagnosis.
It wasn't until an English tutor read a speech Bailey wrote on her story and encouraged her to present it, that she saw the effect sharing her experience had.
"[After I presented] two girls came up to me and said 'thank you so much for that because we've got OCD and the way they're teaching it at the moment is just so poor and simplistic'," Bailey said.
"I was like I could do something now because if those girls were helped, I can also help other people.
"As I'm getting older, I'm realising it's not something to be ashamed of, physical health is so openly talked about, and we need to bridge the gap with mental health too."
Bailey's podcast, Just a girl and OCD, already has more than 200 listeners and was prompted by one of her idols, Penny Moodie, from The Imperfects podcast.
Bailey said she had received an outpouring of support since the release of her first episode.
"It's kind of amazing because the fact that I didn't want anyone to know probably made it harder on myself for getting support, but after saying what I'm saying, so many people have reached out and said how proud they are of me," she said.
"I've gotten feedback from anonymous people since Penny Moodie put a post out saying 'thank you so much, I'm trying to understand my child's OCD' or 'my child needs someone to resonate with, you know, like a similar age'."
She said while she was young she hoped her age would help break through to her peers who may relate to her story.
"So many people that are young suffer mentally, I feel like it resonates with them that there are other young people suffering too," she said.
"I remember [my mother] used to say 'there's always light at the end of the tunnel' and I thought that was not the case. But it definitely does get better - you are not alone."
It's a simple message Bailey MacDonald is spreading - "you are not alone".
The 18-year-old, who has been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, has started a podcast detailing her journey with the mental illness with the aim of helping others who may be struggling.
OCD is characterised by persistent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that often lead to repetitive behaviours (compulsions) aimed at managing distress caused by those thoughts.
Ms MacDonald said many people failed to recognise the signs of the disorder.
"The media really portrays it in movies that OCD is like a cleanliness quirk when that's not the case," she said.
"It's something that's so stressful and you've got the compulsions, the intrusive thoughts, like it's not just being perfect.
"I don't like saying what the theme of my intrusive thoughts were, as it's personal to me, but some examples of OCD themes are paedophilia, harm, contamination, sexual orientation and magical thinking, with there also being more."
She said the simplistic sanitisation of the mental illness hurt people like her.
"You feel all the pain you've gone through is just being undermined," Bailey said.
"People kind of joke about it and you hear your friends or even teachers and just people in society saying, 'oh yeah, I'm sorry, I'm OCD because I like to be organised'.
"You wouldn't say that if you know what I've experienced and lived through."
Bailey said it took years for her to understand her condition.
"I felt alone with the disorder because I felt like no one understood, and for so long I didn't know that I had OCD," she said.
Bailey said she kept her struggle to herself for a long time, even keeping it a secret from members of her family, only telling her mother, Adele.
Together, the pair worked to understand Bailey's situation and get her the help she needed.
Even after receiving treatment, Bailey said she kept private about her diagnosis.
It wasn't until an English tutor read a speech Bailey wrote on her story and encouraged her to present it, that she saw the effect sharing her experience had.
"[After I presented] two girls came up to me and said 'thank you so much for that because we've got OCD and the way they're teaching it at the moment is just so poor and simplistic'," Bailey said.
"I was like I could do something now because if those girls were helped, I can also help other people.
"As I'm getting older, I'm realising it's not something to be ashamed of, physical health is so openly talked about, and we need to bridge the gap with mental health too."
Bailey's podcast, Just a girl and OCD, already has more than 200 listeners and was prompted by one of her idols, Penny Moodie, from The Imperfects podcast.
Bailey said she had received an outpouring of support since the release of her first episode.
"It's kind of amazing because the fact that I didn't want anyone to know probably made it harder on myself for getting support, but after saying what I'm saying, so many people have reached out and said how proud they are of me," she said.
"I've gotten feedback from anonymous people since Penny Moodie put a post out saying 'thank you so much, I'm trying to understand my child's OCD' or 'my child needs someone to resonate with, you know, like a similar age'."
She said while she was young she hoped her age would help break through to her peers who may relate to her story.
"So many people that are young suffer mentally, I feel like it resonates with them that there are other young people suffering too," she said.
"I remember [my mother] used to say 'there's always light at the end of the tunnel' and I thought that was not the case. But it definitely does get better - you are not alone."
It's a simple message Bailey MacDonald is spreading - "you are not alone".
The 18-year-old, who has been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, has started a podcast detailing her journey with the mental illness with the aim of helping others who may be struggling.
OCD is characterised by persistent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that often lead to repetitive behaviours (compulsions) aimed at managing distress caused by those thoughts.
Ms MacDonald said many people failed to recognise the signs of the disorder.
"The media really portrays it in movies that OCD is like a cleanliness quirk when that's not the case," she said.
"It's something that's so stressful and you've got the compulsions, the intrusive thoughts, like it's not just being perfect.
"I don't like saying what the theme of my intrusive thoughts were, as it's personal to me, but some examples of OCD themes are paedophilia, harm, contamination, sexual orientation and magical thinking, with there also being more."
She said the simplistic sanitisation of the mental illness hurt people like her.
"You feel all the pain you've gone through is just being undermined," Bailey said.
"People kind of joke about it and you hear your friends or even teachers and just people in society saying, 'oh yeah, I'm sorry, I'm OCD because I like to be organised'.
"You wouldn't say that if you know what I've experienced and lived through."
Bailey said it took years for her to understand her condition.
"I felt alone with the disorder because I felt like no one understood, and for so long I didn't know that I had OCD," she said.
Bailey said she kept her struggle to herself for a long time, even keeping it a secret from members of her family, only telling her mother, Adele.
Together, the pair worked to understand Bailey's situation and get her the help she needed.
Even after receiving treatment, Bailey said she kept private about her diagnosis.
It wasn't until an English tutor read a speech Bailey wrote on her story and encouraged her to present it, that she saw the effect sharing her experience had.
"[After I presented] two girls came up to me and said 'thank you so much for that because we've got OCD and the way they're teaching it at the moment is just so poor and simplistic'," Bailey said.
"I was like I could do something now because if those girls were helped, I can also help other people.
"As I'm getting older, I'm realising it's not something to be ashamed of, physical health is so openly talked about, and we need to bridge the gap with mental health too."
Bailey's podcast, Just a girl and OCD, already has more than 200 listeners and was prompted by one of her idols, Penny Moodie, from The Imperfects podcast.
Bailey said she had received an outpouring of support since the release of her first episode.
"It's kind of amazing because the fact that I didn't want anyone to know probably made it harder on myself for getting support, but after saying what I'm saying, so many people have reached out and said how proud they are of me," she said.
"I've gotten feedback from anonymous people since Penny Moodie put a post out saying 'thank you so much, I'm trying to understand my child's OCD' or 'my child needs someone to resonate with, you know, like a similar age'."
She said while she was young she hoped her age would help break through to her peers who may relate to her story.
"So many people that are young suffer mentally, I feel like it resonates with them that there are other young people suffering too," she said.
"I remember [my mother] used to say 'there's always light at the end of the tunnel' and I thought that was not the case. But it definitely does get better - you are not alone."
It's a simple message Bailey MacDonald is spreading - "you are not alone".
The 18-year-old, who has been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, has started a podcast detailing her journey with the mental illness with the aim of helping others who may be struggling.
OCD is characterised by persistent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that often lead to repetitive behaviours (compulsions) aimed at managing distress caused by those thoughts.
Ms MacDonald said many people failed to recognise the signs of the disorder.
"The media really portrays it in movies that OCD is like a cleanliness quirk when that's not the case," she said.
"It's something that's so stressful and you've got the compulsions, the intrusive thoughts, like it's not just being perfect.
"I don't like saying what the theme of my intrusive thoughts were, as it's personal to me, but some examples of OCD themes are paedophilia, harm, contamination, sexual orientation and magical thinking, with there also being more."
She said the simplistic sanitisation of the mental illness hurt people like her.
"You feel all the pain you've gone through is just being undermined," Bailey said.
"People kind of joke about it and you hear your friends or even teachers and just people in society saying, 'oh yeah, I'm sorry, I'm OCD because I like to be organised'.
"You wouldn't say that if you know what I've experienced and lived through."
Bailey said it took years for her to understand her condition.
"I felt alone with the disorder because I felt like no one understood, and for so long I didn't know that I had OCD," she said.
Bailey said she kept her struggle to herself for a long time, even keeping it a secret from members of her family, only telling her mother, Adele.
Together, the pair worked to understand Bailey's situation and get her the help she needed.
Even after receiving treatment, Bailey said she kept private about her diagnosis.
It wasn't until an English tutor read a speech Bailey wrote on her story and encouraged her to present it, that she saw the effect sharing her experience had.
"[After I presented] two girls came up to me and said 'thank you so much for that because we've got OCD and the way they're teaching it at the moment is just so poor and simplistic'," Bailey said.
"I was like I could do something now because if those girls were helped, I can also help other people.
"As I'm getting older, I'm realising it's not something to be ashamed of, physical health is so openly talked about, and we need to bridge the gap with mental health too."
Bailey's podcast, Just a girl and OCD, already has more than 200 listeners and was prompted by one of her idols, Penny Moodie, from The Imperfects podcast.
Bailey said she had received an outpouring of support since the release of her first episode.
"It's kind of amazing because the fact that I didn't want anyone to know probably made it harder on myself for getting support, but after saying what I'm saying, so many people have reached out and said how proud they are of me," she said.
"I've gotten feedback from anonymous people since Penny Moodie put a post out saying 'thank you so much, I'm trying to understand my child's OCD' or 'my child needs someone to resonate with, you know, like a similar age'."
She said while she was young she hoped her age would help break through to her peers who may relate to her story.
"So many people that are young suffer mentally, I feel like it resonates with them that there are other young people suffering too," she said.
"I remember [my mother] used to say 'there's always light at the end of the tunnel' and I thought that was not the case. But it definitely does get better - you are not alone."
