Did you know, nearly 1 out of 100 people in the United States today suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? Perhaps the even more alarming statistic, however, is that nearly 50% of these cases are considered serious in nature. Considering that severe OCD is often debilitating and that there’s expanding public visibility on the topic, it is only right that people come forward to be open about their experiences and do their best to support the many that are dealing with this particularly painful and confusing disorder.
That’s precisely what Entrepreneur and emerging philanthropist Thomas Herd has decided to do. The 37 year old digital marketing executive from ad agency T1 Advertising initially came out about his own symmetry and hygiene focused OCD implosion in 2019 and has since become more and more of an advocate in the field.
Through his non profit Preemptive Pathways, Herd has begun a support network- hosted on Facebook– dedicated to helping individuals currently suffering from one of many OCD subtypes.
In particular the growing group aims to:
- Foster connection and solidarity among members experiencing OCD.
- Provide a support network, offering members a compassionate and understanding community.
- Share meaningful content, including personal stories, coping strategies, and encouragement for one another to inspire hope, build resilience, and share solutions that have helped members (or Herd himself at times).
The group has begun to provide educational info, solutions, and expert tools across a range of OCD subtypes, starting with Checking and Contamination OCD in order to provide relevant tips and concepts to sufferers based on their individual symptoms and triggers.
Herd himself finds this work particularly meaningful, given how much the OCD medical community has helped him in his development, and plans to spend an increasing amount of time and energy dedicated to lessing the burden, improving the sense of self worth, and elevating the quality of life for the so many of us affected today.
