Despite being a serious mental condition, obsessive compulsive disorder is often completely misunderstood.
Your flatmates might call you OCD because you don't like leaving piles of dirty dishes in the sink, or because you like to fold your washing as soon as it comes out the dryer. But it's important to remember that for those who live with it, OCD can have seriously debilitating effects.
One woman appeared on This Morning to speak out about her devastating experiences with obsessive compulsive disorder, which saw her washing her hair up to 72 times a day.
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Credit: ITV/This Morning
For 23-year-old Serin Rayer Davies, her extreme OCD left her thinking everything was contaminated by germs and, in attempts to get clean, she would wash and re-wash piles of clothes up to 15 times.
She was on This Morning to talk to Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford about living with the condition ahead of tonight's Channel 5 show My Extreme OCD Life.
Credit: ITV/This Morning
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While aged just seven, Serin began to experience symptoms. She said: "I would take ages to come out of the house when we were leaving for school, because I would have to go in and out of the doorway.
"If I didn't do that, I thought my parents would die."
She managed to overcome this with some help from her dad, Deny, who appeared on the show with her. But aged 18 it returned.
"It's triggered by stress," Serin said.
Credit: ITV/This Morning
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"Some people have a pre-disposition for anxiety, and when something awful or stressful happens, it comes out as a way of coping."
Her dad said: "It's very often we look at the poor person who is the victim of this, but the family is treading on eggshells. From a relationship point of view, it puts huge pressures on. It's a living hell, actually."
Thankfully, Serin has been through therapy, and is turning her life around. She used her time on the show to urge others who may be living with OCD to reach out and get help.
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If you think you need help with obsessive compulsive disorder, you can make an appointment to see your GP, or speak to one of these amazing charities:
MIND: 0300 123 3393.
CALM: Outside London 0808 802 5858, inside London 0800 58 58 58.
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Topics: Mental Health