OCD FACTS: OCD is a disorder that has a neurobiological basis. It equally affects men, women, and children of all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds. In the United States, about 1 in 40 adults and 1 in 100 children have OCD. And according to the World Health Organization, OCD is one of the top 20 causes of illness-related disability, worldwide, for individuals between 15 and 44 years of age.
A 16-year-old student from Bangalore, Kaajal Gupta, has developed an app called “Liberate: My OCD Fighter” to help people suffering from OCD manage their lives better and is raising awareness through crowdfunding. Funds raised would primarily be used for increasing the Cloud-based storage and to accommodate more users, and to support the upcoming activities of School Ambassador Program (which includes spreading awareness on OCD and our app in schools by setting up a Liberate chapter). The funds will also be used to support the cost to attend Mental Health Conferences, registration of Liberate in certain competitions where a registration fee is required, a small token stipend to members working full time on Liberate and finally for printing banners, flyers, etc.
I am doing this campaign along with 21 other students from different parts of the world. I would like to raise INR 10000 or more. Together as a team of 22, we would like to raise a total of INR 220000 with this campaign. If together, we raise in between INR 220000 and INR 320000, we would like to save INR 100000 to further support and expand our student ambassador program in the present and future to more schools and to ensure Liberate reaches as many people as it can. And in case if we raise more anything more than INR 320000, we would like to donate the same to The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF).
TESTIMONIALS
ABOUT ME & THIS CAMPAIGN
A 17-year-old from Bangalore, India. Her own struggles with OCD inspired her to create this app to help other people with OCD with the challenges faced when doing therapy. She has immense interest in exploring how computer science can be used to develop the field of mental health.
WHAT IS OCD?
OCD is characterized by obsessions and compulsions that take up at least an hour a day – but usually longer – and cause significant distress.
Movies and television programs sometimes feature characters who are supposed to have OCD. Unfortunately, films and TV shows often mistake or exaggerate OCD.
Obsessions are persistent, uncontrollable thoughts, impulses, or images that are intrusive, unwanted and disturbing. They cause anxiety or discomfort that significantly interferes with normal life. A person who doesn’t have OCD is able to filter out recurring thoughts about germs, for example. But people with OCD who are obsessed with germs can’t stop thinking about being contaminated and may even avoid going into public places. Individuals who have OCD feel compelled to perform repetitive actions called compulsions, or rituals, in an attempt to relieve the distress caused by the obsessions.
For example, a person with an obsessive fear of intruders may check and recheck door locks repeatedly to ensure that no one can get in. Compulsions are frequently overt – something we can see. However, they may also be carried out mentally, such as mental praying or counting. And although we can’t observe them, mental rituals can be every bit as debilitating as those we can see. (CREDIT: http://beyondocd.org/ocd-facts)
5 WARNING SIGNS OF OCD
THE FOUNDER SPEAKS
THE TEAM
We are a team of 30+ teenagers from around the world assembled to help make OCD resources more available and spread awareness on OCD and other stigmatized mental disorders.
HOW TO FUND THIS CAMPAIGN
Please support this campaign using a Credit/Debit card, Paytm, Net-banking, etc. Foreign funding is allowed too.
FUNDS UTILIZATION
SCREENSHOTS OF THE APP