'Obsessive Compulsive Disorder made me fearful of everything'
- Published
"I stopped going out because of the fear of being contaminated by the air," explains 23-year-old Richard.
He was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) when he was 15.
During the past eight years, Richard Taylor says his condition has stopped him from doing certain things.
"I stopped going out with friends. I stopped enjoying life. The OCD kept me from being the person who I was," he tells Newsbeat.
"I was a confident, sociable person.
"[The OCD] caused me to withdraw into myself and become fearful of pretty much everything."
Richard says he can only find "despair" with his condition and is frustrated when people say they are "a little bit OCD".
He believes a lot of people who say they suffer with OCD are exaggerating.
That frustrates him and he says they're perfectionists.
"People use the term with such flippancy that it has become a throw away term now."
Richard has taken part in OCD: A Monster in my Mind - a BBC Horizon documentary which will air on BBC Two.
It's estimated around 750,000 people are affected with the condition.
The NHS says people with OCD are often reluctant to ask for help because they feel ashamed or embarrassed.
Richard says he gets upset every day.
"I can remember how I used to be before it got to this stage. It's hard accepting it," he says.
"At 23, I shouldn't be virtually housebound with not a lot for the future.
"I should be finishing university, starting out in a career, travelling the world, socialising with friends and drinking.
"But I can't do any of those things because of OCD."
Richard describes his condition as "crippling", "debilitating" and "draining".
He's been with his girlfriend for two and a half years and says he doesn't know how she copes with his condition.
"She's a trooper. I'm so lucky to have the support network I've got."
One of the biggest frustrations Richard has is that people think he just washes his hands a lot.
There are simple things he can't do like handle coins or go to the shop for bread and milk.
"Everything is planned to the last minute detail - how I shower, how I prepare food.
"It's a daily struggle."
Can you be cured of OCD?
The NHS says many people will eventually be cured of OCD or develop ways of living with it.
The main treatments are:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - a therapy which encourages you to face the fear and let the obsessive thoughts occur without "putting them right" or "neutralising" them with compulsions
Medication - this can help reduce symptoms by altering the balance of chemicals in the brain
It's important to remember it can take several months before a treatment has a noticeable effect.
If you need help on mental health issues you can visit BBC Advice.
You can see more of Richard's story, OCD: A Monster in my Mind, on BBC Two at 20:00 BST on Wednesday.
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