When I was in my late 20s I started to think about having a family – but it uncovered some real doubts in me about how I would cope. All of a sudden, I was making dinner and holding a knife, and I started thinking, 'What if I hurt my husband with this right now? What if I went out on the streets and started hurting randoms?'

I literally stopped sleeping because I was so worried about the safety of others around me. It spiraled into violent and sexual thoughts, which terrified me. Within six weeks, I no longer wanted to live, so I called the mental health crisis team and found myself in respite care.

In respite, I saw a psychologist who told me I had OCD and was experiencing 'intrusive thoughts'. My type of OCD is often nicknamed Pure O, because you have the obsessions, but you don't have the routines. My obsession was that I was a dangerous person – often called 'Harm OCD' – and my compulsions were to avoid things, look for evidence and seek reassurance.

The most helpful thing for me has been 'exposure therapy'. By exposing myself a little bit more at a time, I've slowly been able to begin enjoying life again. OCD is debilitating, but I a hundred percent know that you can recover.