[vampyre love]

i know this is really random but i think i have OCD ( im 13) but when im older i want to be a physchologist, a doctor, a surgon or a singer do you think the first three would be possible i do because wen i swich a light 1 i have to do it 10 times every time and every thing is in the right order and if its out of place i rearange them again and agian?

this was first brought to my Attention by me m8s i didn't even realize i was doing this at first and i haven't and probably wont cofront my perants about.
(sorry about spellings i have dyslexia i checked most things)

[Neurosurfer]

Yes, I certainly believe it's possible that you can be any of those three (or four for that matter) things. With faith and work, I think anything's possible. However, you may consider telling your parents at some point so you can get the tools you need to overcome potential obstacles.

[Lauru]

When I was little they told me, "You can be and do anything you want, as long as you try hard enough and work at it." Well, I am here to say that it has taken me decades to realize that I, along with everyone else, has limitations.

Not everybody can be everything. There are limitations. My bipolar and OCD make it impossible for me to hold down a full time job for more than a year. I had lofty dreams of being a psychologist and helping people. I tried my damnedest and made it to my BA. It took me 8 years and many psychiatric hospitalizations. But I cannot go any farther than that, the toll on me is too high. My health must come first.

You will find that most people with a serious mental illness or two, often have to be on disability and work part time. I hope beyond hope that you can attain your dreams. Just don't put your mental health last ok? Because if you do, it will come back and bite you in the ***.

[Perna]

I think you have to go in the direction of your dreams, that it is too soon to know much about what you may or may not want to do or become and how easy/hard you will find it to do.

I would tell your parents about your suspecting you have OCD and see if they will take you to a doctor to check out your symptoms/treatment possibilities. It is possible that treatment will help you a whole lot and make working toward your dreams/goals easier.

[eskielover]

I was also one of those who in school was told that I could be anything that I wanted to be......ah ha, the limitations showed up & I wasn't even dealing with mental health issues before I was 40.

Things like my mind couldn't wrap itself around some of the chemistry things in high school, & calculus was something I just got through so I could accomplish my minor in Computer Science. I initially chose to be a music major with my flute.....but there again...even with practicing 8 hours a day....I didn't have the internal talent it took for it to just flow out of me.

Basically we can do anything we want within the limitations of our mental & physical capacities.....you will learn as you get older what you are good at & those are the things that you will follow & your goals will come from what you find you are good at.

Some people know they are good at things when they are as young as you are....others, it takes years of searching. It's good it works this way otherwise so many people would end up in the glamorous sounding jobs or the ones with the high paying income who weren't capable of performing.

Take time & just be aware of what you are really interested in & what you are good at as you go through school.

I also would suggest that you get help with the things that can be obstacles such as the OCD, or the dyslexia. I am sure your parents would be glad to get all the help possible so that you will be more able to succeed in school & in a career.

BTW, I went from getting an AA in music to getting a BS in Accounting Information Systems/Computer Science & a 15 year career as an aerospace firmware design engineer......never would have ever dreamed that would have been my career when I was growing up. Sometimes things just fall in place because we find the things we are good at & we are interested in along the way. I also had the difficulty in that I had to forge my own way through college as none of my family had ever gone to college or been a professional of any kind. It's true, we can be anything we are capable of being which we find out with age & with the classes we take & the grades we get.....which is why it's important to be able to take control of those things that can get in our way of success.

Best wishes on your future

[jexa]

vampyre,

I have OCD and one day I will be a psychologist. I know my dream will happen because I know myself -- when it comes to sink or swim, I always swim. My OCD seems to fill up my idle time, and sometimes it screws up my relationships, but I've worked SO HARD and it's NEVER cost me a good grade or kept me from succeeding, even though it can be exhausting at times. I am lucky that my monster was not bigger than me. I know I will succeed because I passed the tests on the way -- I got my BA, and a good GPA -- I supported myself financially the whole way through. I fought!

Will your OCD keep you from succeeding? That depends. Do you get good grades? Does your OCD interfere with your daily functioning? Can you stop flipping the lights if you really need to? Can you beat your monster when push comes to shove?

[Lauru]

Vampyre,

I am sorry if my original post seemed harsh, or seemed as if I thought you couldn't be what you want to be. The truth is that some people can and some people can't on various reasons. Some people without a mental illness cannot reach their goals and some people with a mental illness can reach their goals.

It all depends on the nature of your illness, the treatment your receive, how you take care of yourself, what your priorities are and a whole host of other things. So I guess the answer to your question is, It depends.

Plus I must admit, I am a little bitter right now based on my own inability to attain my goals. I hate that I can't reach my dream and be healthy at the same time. I have tried for 20 years and it just hasn't worked for me. And it bums me out. So please accept my apology for being harsh and taking out my feelings about my own stuff onto you.