Amongst these were unwanted sexual thoughts about children<\/a>, becoming so pervasive that she quit her job at a swimming pool caf\u00e9 after believing she was a danger to kids, switching to retail.<\/p>\n In the end however she discovered that she had a rare form of OCD<\/a> known as P-OCD, short for Paedophile-themed Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.<\/p>\n Explaining the rare health<\/a> condition, Molly said: “It\u2019s not being a paedophile – it\u2019s that these thoughts exist and your brain latches onto them.<\/p>\n \u201cOCD is all about uncertainty. It tells you, \u2018What if?\u2019 and you can\u2019t prove it wrong.” She was diagnosed in August of 2025 after seeing a TikTok about P-OCD which made her realised that was what she had been battling.<\/p>\n Molly came forward about her condition earlier this year and has spoken sweetly about the \u20181000s\u2019 of messages she received from people who\u2019d been silently battling the same condition she had. She said: “The response has been overwhelming. People say they\u2019ve been crying, that they\u2019ve felt like this for years and never told anyone.<\/p>\n “Parents have reached out saying they have obsessions about harming their children. Some people said they ended up in psychiatric wards or tried to take their own lives.”<\/p>\n Discussing one of the big dangers around the condition, she added: “People don\u2019t talk about it, and that makes it worse.<\/p>\n \u201cSome messages are from people in their 50s who have been silently suffering their whole lives. It shows how common and hidden it is.”<\/p>\n Molly claimed she felt trapped for years in \u2018dark spirals of shame\u2019, adding: \u201cYou think you\u2019re a monster, that you don\u2019t deserve to exist.<\/p>\n \u201cThe shame is in how you see yourself. Even years later, that feeling can linger.”<\/p>\n “The aftermath of recovery is awful, the shame is still there, just quieter. You have to deal with ongoing feelings.”<\/p>\n The 22-year-old said that the turning point for her was \u2018externalising\u2019 the thoughts and talking about it, saying: \u201cFor years I avoided talking about it, but once I did, it felt like the air cleared.\u201d<\/p>\n Whilst Molly mostly focused on the 1,000s of messages of people thanking her for speaking out, this hasn\u2019t been the sole reaction.<\/p>\n She said that she had received numerous abusive messages, adding: “I\u2019ve been called a \u2018nonce\u2019 and told to die. I had to delete Facebook, and my mum helps manage messages.<\/p>\n “If people understood traditional OCD, they\u2019d see the same patterns in other forms. Reactions can push sufferers further into themselves, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s dangerous.<\/p>\n “Intrusive thoughts can appear suddenly and feel vivid, I could be thinking about breakfast and suddenly imagine being stabbed. OCD sticks – it\u2019s a brain pattern.”<\/p>\n “The scariest part is how many people might not be here anymore because of this. I remember thinking I\u2019d be 50 and never escape these thoughts, or I would be dead.<\/p>\n “Always talk to someone, once you understand what it is, you realise it\u2019s not you. It\u2019s OCD.”<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don\u2019t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123 or contact Harmless by visiting their website https:\/\/harmless.org.uk<\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Molly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/aHR0cHM6Ly9ldS1pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmNvbS92My9hc3NldHMvYmx0Y2Q3NGFjYzFkMGE5OWYzYS9ibHRlZDUxNTNm.webp\"\/)
Molly came forward about her condition earlier this year (SWNS)<\/p>\n![\"Her](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/aHR0cHM6Ly9ldS1pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmNvbS92My9hc3NldHMvYmx0Y2Q3NGFjYzFkMGE5OWYzYS9ibHQyZjYxMWM1.webp\"\/)
Her condition put her in a dark place for years (SWNS)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/aHR0cHM6Ly9ldS1pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmNvbS92My9hc3NldHMvYmx0Y2Q3NGFjYzFkMGE5OWYzYS9ibHRhMWMxOGMx.webp\"\/)
The 22-year-old, who works in Digital PR in Manchester, switched jobs when she was younger because of her condition (SWNS)<\/p>\n