When she was growing up, if Sienna Scully walked past walls, she would have to touch them — otherwise, she believed her mum would die.
At the time, her mum was fit and healthy, but Sienna's obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) made her believe if she didn't carry out certain "rituals", her worst fear would come true.
"From the very, very beginning of my memories, I just had this irrational fear — I'm going to lose my mum," Ms Scully said.
"As I walked past the walls, I had to touch them, otherwise my mum would die.
"For me, it was a do-or-die situation."
OCD is characterised by unwanted, intrusive thoughts, and many who suffer from the disorder spend an extreme amount of time engaging in repetitive behaviour as a way of trying to get rid of the negative feelings.
When she was younger, Ms Scully fought hard to shake OCD and hide compulsions from friends and family.
"I was in such pain. I was suffering so badly," she said.
"At that age, it was climbing a tree ... I had to stop fifty times on the way to the tree. I had to climb up the tree and climb back down the tree or climb up again and tap that certain branch.
"I couldn't just enjoy childhood."
Just as she started to seek help, her mum died, and Ms Scully's OCD spiralled.
"I was in a complete vacuum of grief. I was in a very dark, depressed place, and OCD thrives in that environment."
"Now that I couldn't save my mum ... I had to have a positive memory in my mind without any intrusive thoughts — which OCD is characterised by — so it's impossible."
Why you should stop saying, 'I'm so OCD'
Now 25 years old, Ms Scully can manage her condition and is the best she has ever been.
She wants people to stop throwing around the term OCD to describe neat and organised behaviour or suggesting that having the condition is a positive trait.
"It can be a bit hurtful," Ms Scully said.
"You know as an OCD sufferer that they're not truly understanding what OCD is."
Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed 3.1 per cent of Australians suffer from OCD.
Perth-based psychologist Melissa Mulcahy said OCD was a "debilitating" condition, but misconceptions about what the disorder was often led to people not seeking treatment until later in life.
"On average, people wait 14 years before they're able to seek help," Dr Mulcahy said.
"It's a real shame that people aren't aware that they're suffering from OCD because of these kinds of jokes and the way OCD is put flippantly in terms of, 'I'm so OCD.'
"It's kind of associated with perfectionism and having an obsessive personality or being really invested in something. That's really not what OCD is, and it can delay people getting the help and support they need."
