A MAN who battles the urge to bathe in Prime energy drinks and pee himself has opened up about his lifelong struggle.
Since childhood, John Junior has dealt with a mental health condition which consumed and “ruined” his entire life.
Jam PressJohn Junior (pictured) was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder after suffering from intrusive thoughts[/caption]
Jam PressThe 34-year-olds OCD convinced him to using kitchen tongs to eat sandwiches[/caption]
Jam PressJohn met his girlfriend Elle (pictured), 24, in October 2022[/caption]
“I get intrusive thoughts that are very unwanted and debilitating at times,” John, now aged 34, explained.
At just five, the Mancunian recalls being unable to fight the urge to empty his bladder and often found himself wetting the bed or his trousers while at school.
Soon, John’s mental health took a toll after bullies started to pick on him, with cruel classmates calling referring to him as “p***y pants”.
More recently, the script consultant has been fighting the urge to bathe in viral Prime energy drinks, which have been flying off the shelves since they launched in January 2022.
“It would cost a fortune if I did that, so I’m trying to keep these thoughts at bay,” he said.
Intrusive thoughts are something that virtually everyone experiences at some point in their life, according to the NHS.
They are the distressing, senseless, unwanted thoughts, images or urges that suddenly pop into your mind.
Although the majority of people’s experience of the condition is fleeting, sometimes such thoughts are associated with serious mental health issues.
In John’s case, his thoughts were a sign of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), for which he received a diagnosis in March 2023.
OCD is a mental health condition which causes unwanted thoughts and compulsive behaviours.
John’s thoughts would often make him do seemingly obscure things in fear that something bad would happen if he didn’t.
“For example, I would think to myself that if I don’t eat a sandwich a certain way or eat crisps with a spoon, I will die,” he said,
“If I don’t use a pair of kitchen tongs to eat, then something bad will happen – it’s ruined my life,” John added.
As he felt too ashamed to reach out for help as a teenager, his bladder issues continued after he finished school.
Eventually, this went on to consume every aspect of his life, where he quit his job in a petrol station and would make excuses to go home while out with friends due to his “embarrassing” accidents.
He said: “I was so depressed and struggling with a range of mental health issues.”
Since his OCD diagnosis, John has also been diagnosed with an overactive bladder. This is where a person regularly gets a sudden and compelling need or desire to pass urine.
He believed his conditions would consume his entire life, felt hopeless and feared the future – until he met his girlfriend, Elle, aged 23, in October 2022.
The script consultant said: “I never spoke about my intrusive thoughts, the OCD, or wetting the bed with anyone so deeply and openly as I do with Elle.
“She gives me the confidence to open up and is there to support me.”
Now, he’s working on his own health, alongside becoming a mental health campaigner and writing mental health storylines for TV and radio shows.
“If you don’t speak up about how you’re feeling, then you won’t get the help you need and that can cause so many issues,” John said.
“I hope to raise awareness for people to have an understanding of mental health issues and help people feel less alone,” he added.
What are the symptoms of OCD?
OCD affects different people in different ways, but usually appears as a particular pattern of behaviours.
These include four main steps:
Obsession – where an unwanted, intrusive thought or urge repeatedly enters a person’s mind.
Anxiety – the unwanted obsession then provokes a feeling of intense anxiety or distress.
Compulsion – as a result of feeling anxious, a person will carry out repetitive behaviours or mental acts that they feel driven to perform to better the situation.
Temporary relief – the compulsion will offer temporarily relief to the OCD sufferer’s anxiety – but the obsession soon returns, causing the cycle to begin again.
While it is possible to just have obsessive thoughts or just have compulsions, most sufferers will contend with both.
SOURCE: MIND