“I don’t remember getting ‘it’, but I don’t remember living without it,” Senior Danielle Dunn said.

Ever since she can recall, Dunn has exhibited characteristics of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, (OCD).

OCD is a mental illness that causes people to think of a certain thing, and if they can not take care of this thing, it bothers them to more of an extent than it would bother a person without the disorder.

Dunn is a prime example of how OCD can control your life. She has a fear of dirty things touching her and carries hand sanitizer everywhere with her to prevent being dirty.

“I always kind of knew I had it,” Dunn said.

“But recently the doctor told me I need to see a psychiatrist to get diagnosed.”

Though her doctor told Dunn she should see a therapist, Dunn has yet to visit.

“The doctor wants to put me on pills but I don’t think they can help,” Dunn explained. “It’s not a hormone imbalance to me.”

According to health.yahoo.com, people with OCD may lack a brain chemical called serotonin, which controls a person’s mood, sleep-cycle and pain perception.

Dunn fears that if she were to be medicated, she would be dirty and not care about being clean all the time anymore, a common fear of people with OCD.

Dunn refuses to touch dirty things and has actually had a breakdown due to unclean things touching her, a common symptom of OCD.

Having OCD not only affects her family life but her school work as well.

“I can’t use a pencil because I know I’ll erase my work. I’ll sit there and erase the same spot for a half an hour.”

It can even be difficult for Dunn to stay focused at work when things are unorganized. “If I’m at work and have to organize things it takes a lot longer because they have to be perfect,” Dunn said.

Dunn said kids don’t usually make jokes about OCD but they do tease her to get a reaction sometimes.

On occasion people have intentionally got Dunn dirty and caused her to hyperventilate.

“Some people like to put their feet up to my face to see how bad I’ll freak,” Dunn said. “My friends definitely get to make fun of me a lot more, and sometimes it bothers me.”

Dunn does believe there is a perk to being a perfectionist and wanting everything to be clean. “I’m clean all the time and I’m never dirty,” Dunn said. “People think they’re clean when they’re actually dirty, but I know I’m clean.”