\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n \tRelated story \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tWhy Katherine LaNasa Was ‘Stunned’ Walking on Set at ‘The Pitt’ After Breast Cancer Treatment\t\t<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n \t \n\tWhile it may not fit the public stereotype of the disorder, the International OCD Foundation<\/a> recognizes this behavior as a mental compulsion. People may use repetitive prayers or thoughts as a way to counteract their extreme anxiety and, in their mind, prevent terrible things from happening.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s really an unusual form of OCD<\/a>,\u201d Smith shared with People<\/em><\/a> while discussing her new memoir, I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie<\/em><\/a>. \u201cIt all revolved around loved ones and prayer and sacrifice and manifesting. It just eased my anxiety and my nerves on the people I love so much, and I didn\u2019t want to lose them.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWhen the stress caused her to miss a period, her mother took her to get bloodwork. The doctor looked at the results, blamed her hormones, and told her she \u201cmight have trouble having a child.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBack then, this was probably (and unfortunately) commonplace. But today, there\u2019s evidence<\/a> that normal hormonal fluctuations routinely cause obsessive-compulsive symptoms to flare up or worsen in the days leading up to a period.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOn a purely human level, it felt cruel to tell an anxious, grieving adolescent girl that she could be infertile,\u201d Smith wrote. \u201cHe was the doctor, so I believed him, and my anxiety doubled instantly.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSmith didn\u2019t get any real answers until she took a psychology class in college. She read a description of OCD and instantly recognized her own childhood habits.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s not fun being diagnosed (or self-diagnosing) with a psychiatric disorder, but at the same time I felt relieved,\u201d Smith wrote. \u201cThere was a name for it, and I wasn\u2019t alone<\/a>!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe doctor\u2019s early infertility warning ultimately proved false, and she went on to have two children, Gaston and Spencer-Margaret, whom she admits she has arranged her \u201cwhole life around\u201d them.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cNothing was more important \u2014 today, too,\u201d she says. \u201cI mean, they\u2019re everything. They can make or break your day. If they\u2019re not happy, it affects me. You never stop worrying about your kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Katherine](\"https:\/\/www.sheknows.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-sheknows-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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\n<\/section>\n<\/p>\n\n\t\tA Devastating Misdiagnosis\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tPutting a Name to the Symptoms\t<\/h2>\n