At a Glance
- Rhiannon, 29, has avoided certain words since second grade due to OCD
- Common condiments like “mayo” and “ketchup” trigger physical reactions including jaw tightness and sweating
- Her viral TikTok showing her saying trigger words has over 580,000 views
- Why it matters: Shows how OCD can manifest in unexpected ways and helps others feel less alone
Rhiannon’s second-grade teacher never knew why the 8-year-old had an accident rather than ask to use the bathroom. Two decades later, she finally understands the obsessive-compulsive disorder driving her fear of certain words.
Living With Word Aversions
Since childhood, Rhiannon has maintained a growing list of words she cannot write, read, hear or say without physical distress. What began with bathroom-related terms expanded to include seemingly innocent words-particularly condiments and grandparent names.
“Currently, it’s impossible for me to say the names of condiments: mayo, ketchup, mustard,” she explains. Even typing these words creates discomfort, while hearing “mayonnaise” makes her twitch and experience jaw tightness.
Her workarounds include:
- Asking for “the red sauce you eat with fries”
- Having friends answer questions using “the M word”
- Pretending to forget words entirely
Breaking Her Silence Online
In 2022, Rhiannon received her official OCD diagnosis, finally putting a name to symptoms that had controlled her life for 20 years. Rather than hiding her condition, she recently posted a TikTok video confronting her fears by recording herself saying her most dreaded words.
The video’s 580,000+ views brought unexpected insights. Viewers noticed most trigger words share a short “a” sound, which Rhiannon had never realized. She prefers long vowels and can say the same words comfortably in Japanese.
Rhiannon tells News Of Los Angeles:
> “I hope that all of the attention this video has gotten helps show that OCD isn’t always what people expect; it can be complex, irrational, frustrating, but sometimes genuinely funny and weird.”
Managing Symptoms Long-Term
Unlike typical OCD portrayals, Rhiannon’s aversions focus on sound rather than meaning. She’s successfully avoided trigger words for years without feeling pressured to eliminate her aversions entirely.
Her therapy approach prioritizes symptoms affecting:
- Mental health
- Relationships
- Daily functioning
She uses humor to navigate triggers and was surprised by the overwhelmingly supportive response online, with few negative comments despite mental health stigma on social media.
Key Takeaways
- OCD can manifest as intense aversions to specific word sounds rather than typical contamination fears
- Rhiannon’s TikTok video helped her discover patterns in her triggers she’d never noticed
- She’s chosen to manage rather than eliminate her word aversions, focusing on quality of life
- Her story highlights how OCD symptoms can be complex, irrational, yet sometimes humorous
By sharing her experience, Rhiannon hopes others recognizing similar patterns will feel encouraged to explore whether OCD might play a role in their lives.
