In episode 174 of The Just Checking In Podcast, we checked in with Zachary James.
Zach is a mental health advocate for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) awareness.
Zach was diagnosed with OCD when he was 19 years old. His OCD manifested in how it affected his romantic relationships as a gay man and a short-lived period of paedophile OCD.
In this episode we discuss how and why those two forms of OCD affected his mental health, how he addressed them and got control of them. Thankfully, he now considers himself recovered.
We also discuss the impact of Covid-19 on his mental health which ironically was largely positive for him and the legacy of the AIDS crisis on the mental health and physical health of gay men from the 1980s.
We finish by discussing Zach’s mental health advocacy journey, societal attitudes towards gay men and the stigmas and taboos within the dating scene for gay men and the mental health impact they can have.
As always, #itsokaytovent
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TRIGGER WARNING: This podcast contains a brief discussion about suicide and suicidality, which some listeners may find distressing or upsetting, so please listen with caution.
