The paradoxical 'me'

Philosophers have long pondered upon the question of "Who am I?" from centuries. Is it the mind, the body, the mind + body, the neural networks, the set of memories, the soul, the cosmos?? This post is NOT about answering that question. In fact, I feel that question is not a question with a definite answer and surely not a question worth pursuing. However, its worth examining one strange phenomenon associated with 'me' without trying to exactly define the 'me' in the first place. 

Let's say a person is inflicted with a mental illness such as OCD. He/she struggles a lot with it for many years. However, with continuous efforts, that person is able to manage OCD better without resorting to medication. What is one of possible narratives (according to me, most probable also) given by that person?

"OCD has affected me a lot over the years but with continuous efforts, I have learnt to manage the condition better"

Let us analyze this sentence closely. It appears from the statement that 'OCD' and 'I' are two different entities and surely not in good terms with each other. OCD affected the 'I' and the 'I' fought back. OCD is the villain and 'I' is the victim. Is this narrative foolproof? I don't think so. In fact, OCD and I stand on the same platform but we spin this convenient narrative to feel good about ourselves (because the 'I' fought back with grit and determination). So my explanation as to why one has to view OCD and 'I' on the same platform goes as follows.

What is OCD? - A condition of the mind which is a resultant of the sum total of neural networks and external experiences. 

What is 'I'? - A condition of the mind which is a resultant of the sum total of neural networks and external experiences. 

So when the 'I' fights OCD, its the OCD inflicted mind fighting the OCD inflicted mind. Therefore, where is the difference? I think we have a predisposition to associate the positive aspects of our mind to our identity called 'I' whereas externalize other negative aspects of the mind such as OCD. This convenient (but false) dichotomy helps us to preserve a good self image which as we all know is very essential for survival.

P.S - Long back, I was listening to an interview of Shashi Tharoor about his book 'The Paradoxical Prime Minister'. A strong leftist interviewer asked Mr. Tharoor - Shouldn't the title have been 'The Hypocritical Prime Minister'? I haven't read the book and so I am not sure what is an appropriate title. However, I guess, "The hypocritical 'me'" seems to be a better fit as a title for this post than "The paradoxical 'me'" ;-)