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OCD? obsessive compulsive disorder?

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Posted 1/24/2011 10:40 PM (GMT 0)
I looked for a chat that had this title, but i didnt see it. I have suffered for 26 years with anxiety, but i also have ocd, and was wondering if anyone elese out there suffers from the same thing.  the silliest things will ruin my mood for the whole day, somtimes week/month.   like, i stress over how many times a freind will email me and if i email them more, that must mean they dont like me. or if they stop talking to me, i always wonder .. what did i do??.. i know most of the time ive done nothing, becuase i cant think of anything, normally when you do somthing wrong you know it... but, i stress and obsess about it all day long.. like today, its consuming me. i dont know how to shut it off, or if their are things i can do to stop the repitition thinking... help if you have this also!

thank you, Babette

Posted 1/24/2011 11:07 PM (GMT 0)
right there with you. my brain is very obsessive. while i do worry about social situations, i find my brain is more obsessive over ideas and words. for example, when i was younger i had the word "papua new guinea" stuck in my head for over a week. it would repeat over and over again and i'd feel like i had to say it out loud, so i would (either under my breath or when i was alone). there are so many more things but none of it is really important, just wanted to let you know that i know where you're coming from.

as for stopping the repetitive thinking, i'm still trying to figure that one out myself!
Posted 1/24/2011 11:37 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for sharing with me Lululiya! Gosh, its so horrible, i wish i could just rationalize with myself, but that only lasts about 10 minutes... then i get consumed agian. Im going to see about going to the book store or asking my therapyst tomarow about it. I will share with you if i get any helpful information.
Posted 1/25/2011 4:25 AM (GMT 0)
Hi babette, yes definately talk to your therapist about this. OCD is an anxiety disorder that usually involves repetive thoughts and actions by an individual in an attempt to stay 'safe' therefore 'reducing anxiety'

It oftern involves counting, touching, checking, washing, obsessive thoughts of a religious nature ect... It is treatable and often goes along with other types of anxiety.

Your concerns sound a bit different than the typical OCD patterns. They sound more like insecurity struggles, but ask your therapist, as I am not qualified to dx!

I am glad that you can bring this up at your next session, and that you are getting help. No matter what, you can start to work on this and feel better, and that's good news!

Take care and let us know how you are doing soon:)
Scaredy Cat
Posted 1/25/2011 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Babeete

Good to meet you. I can relate to your post as I have ocd and have lots of rituals which I follow every day this are things which have developed over the years as a result of me not being able to deal with my anxiety so I became very obsessive about things. When i do these obsessions it lessened my anxiety so to me was a good way of dealing with things.

When went through therapy (CBT) I realized that all I was doing was making things worse by doing these repetitive behaviors and it has been very hard to stop doing them but I am working on it on a daily basis. I was put onto escitalopram 10mg which really did help with my ocd. I would go and talk things through with your doctor and I hope things improve for you soon.

Hibee
Posted 1/26/2011 12:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Babette,

For 20 years I had OCD and it consumed my life. The usual things like counting, washing my hands over 100 times a day,
checking and rechecking, constant cleaning due to fear of germs... the list goes on. I barely left my house for many many years because I was too anxious and panicky (and the thought of not getting my chores / rituals done really freaked me out!)'
It was when I realised that I was making visitors uncomfortable by still cleaning while they were at my house that I
thought I should get help. My PD prescribed Zoloft and I attended a group each week for others with Agoraphobia (anxiety and panic and OCD) I still like a very tidy and clean house but by no means am I obsessive anymore. (I even have a plaque in my kitchen that says "I clean house every other day, today is not the other day!" It seems to give me permission to not be so hard on myself.
I used to think people didn't like me because ??? idk, there seemed like no logical reason, but I think I was closing myself off from everyone due to the OCD. The Zoloft has given me my life back and I still take it to this day. (I call them 'my "I don't give a darn" pills ) lol
I totally understand where you are coming from and I'm so glad that you are seeing a therapist. Life is much too short to ignore any issues. I also had desensitization therapy which took a while but really helped.
I still count, I still have my funny little ways, but I am confident now that people like me for who I am. And actually, I like myself now too!

Best wishes,
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