The old saying goes, “If three people say you're drunk, you should lie down,” meaning that if enough people tell you the same thing, you might want to listen. The people around you may serve a more valuable purpose than you know. If important people in your life are telling you that they're worried about you or that your behavior alarms them in some way, you might want to give their words some weight. It may be time to seek help.

You probably know that, in today's world, there's no stigma attached to therapy, medication, or other treatments, and that everyone needs help at some time or another. Life is hard. Life with OCD can be especially so.

If you need a little (or more than a little) help, there is nothing wrong with getting it. In fact, you could be letting yourself in for many problems if you don't. As you probably know from having read this far, OCD grows. Without treatment, it generally gets worse. As with most disorders, the quicker you catch it and arrest it, the quicker you can get it to retreat, and the better your chances of success at conquering it. If friends, family, and others close to you are making the suggestion that you do something about your symptoms, it's probably time to listen. (Oh, and chances are that, with treatment, you'll end up feeling much better and far less anxious than you would otherwise. And that will improve not only your life in general, but also your interpersonal relationships in particular.)

Your OC anxieties may get in the way. You might find that you're fearful, for any number of reasons, about getting treatment. That's okay. You can give it a try. If you make a decision to visit a therapist even once, that's one more time than none at all.