At least one in five New Zealanders is classed as neurodivergent, a label that covers conditions such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia - yet society insists everyone should be “normal”. No Such Thing as Normal, a 10-part NZ Herald podcast with broadcaster Sonia Gray, explores how we can do better.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is often thought of as an aversion to germs and excessive hand washing, but for 17-year-old Poppy Armiger it’s much more than that. “I have a voice in my head that tells me to do something”, she says. “And if I don’t do it, something might happen to me or something might happen to my mum”.
Poppy is a guest in episode 10 of Sonia Gray’s podcast No Such Thing as Normal. She bravely tells Gray about the obsessive thoughts that often take over her life. “When I was younger the thoughts were quite violent, and that was scary”, she says. “But now, a lot of it has to do with counting. I have had seven things in my lunchbox since Year 8, and I have certain things I have to do in the right order, the right amount of times. If I don’t get the exact right ‘feeling’ I have to go back and do them again.”
When her OCD is particularly bad, Poppy can’t look at an object without touching it: “Even at school I have to touch the rails and the corners of the desks, the voice in my head tells me I have to do it, or something bad will happen.”
