Georgie Hanafin: Living with OCD, ADHD and intrusive thoughts

2025-12-09

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For years, Georgie Hanafin thought she was just a bad person. She struggled at school, couldn't maintain friendships, overthought every conversation.At 34, she realised she had OCD and ADHD. Getting help became its own nightmare. Emergency departments dismissed her. Crisis lines let her down. The system wouldn't listen.In October 2022, desperate and burnt out, Georgie did something drastic - she orchestrated her way into Hillmorton Hospital by unmasking publicly online.These days,...

For years, Georgie Hanafin thought she was just a bad person. She struggled at school, couldn't maintain friendships, overthought every conversation.

At 34, she realised she had OCD and ADHD. Getting help became its own nightmare. Emergency departments dismissed her. Crisis lines let her down. The system wouldn't listen.

In October 2022, desperate and burnt out, Georgie did something drastic - she orchestrated her way into Hillmorton Hospital by unmasking publicly online.

These days, she's a producer at Radio New Zealand, helping people tell their stories. This is her story - raw, honest, and powerful.

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If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

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