Understand Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: No Such Thing as Normal by Sonia Gray, episode 10

Poppy Armiger is a guest for Sonia Gray’s podcast No Such Thing as Normal.

At least one in five New Zealanders is classed as neurodivergent, a label that covers conditions such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia - yet society insists everyone should be “normal”. No Such Thing as Normal, a 10-part NZ Herald podcast with broadcaster Sonia Gray, explores how we can do better.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is often thought of as an aversion to germs and excessive hand washing, but for 17-year-old Poppy Armiger it’s much more than that. “I have a voice in my head that tells me to do something”, she says. “And if I don’t do it, something might happen to me or something might happen to my mum”.

Poppy is a guest in episode 10 of Sonia Gray’s podcast No Such Thing as Normal. She bravely tells Gray about the obsessive thoughts that often take over her life. “When I was younger the thoughts were quite violent, and that was scary”, she says. “But now, a lot of it has to do with counting. I have had seven things in my lunchbox since Year 8, and I have certain things I have to do in the right order, the right amount of times. If I don’t get the exact right ‘feeling’ I have to go back and do them again.”

When her OCD is particularly bad, Poppy can’t look at an object without touching it: “Even at school I have to touch the rails and the corners of the desks, the voice in my head tells me I have to do it, or something bad will happen.”

Poppy’s mother Helena says her daughter’s OCD first emerged when she was just 8 years old, following several big changes in her life.

“I’d had a new baby, we’d moved into a new house, and she was having problems in school,” she says. “All that combined just crushed her … she became dominated by the rules in her head.”

Poppy also has dyslexia, which is an added burden for someone with OCD. “Teachers often comment ‘you need to work on your grammar, you need to work on your spelling’”, she says. “I put so much time into my schoolwork so that I don’t get those comments … but they always come”.

Sonia Gray, host of the podcast No Such Thing As Normal. Photo / Michael Craig

Data from 2019 shows 5631 New Zealanders were recorded as having sought treatment for OCD in Aotearoa. But research from overseas indicates the number of those with the condition in New Zealand could be as high as 80,000.

The treatment plan for OCD needs to be specific and individualised, but those seeking help in the public health system are unlikely to find someone with expertise in OCD.

Marion Maw from Fixate, an online OCD community, led a recent parliamentary petition to get improved services.

“We’re asking that health professionals be trained to look for the condition, and that staff in mental health services get specialist training in treatment of OCD,” she says.

“People are often offered generic mental health therapy which doesn’t help recovery and can even make the issues worse.”

Poppy struggled to find the right help in the public system and says the general lack of understanding around OCD meant she kept it hidden for years. But now she’s keen to share her story.

“Not many people know about OCD and I really want to help them understand it. It makes me feel like I’m actually doing my bit in this world …gi ving people knowledge about something which doesn’t frequently get talked about. I’m not ashamed of it anymore, it’s just who I am.”

No Such Thing As Normal was made with the support of NZ On Air.

No Such Thing as Normal is a NZ Herald podcast. You can listen to it on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.