Ocd

[Lauren]

Anyone else have it?

I am diagnosed with it. Though it is no where near as bad as some. I dont really have the compulsive side of it such as constant hand washing etc. More the obsessive side where random things come into my head that if I dont touch a certain object, switch the lights on and of etc then something bad to someone close to me will happen.

I dont think its obvious to anyone. My husband has asked me a few times why im doing certain things, and the other week a frend at work asked me if I was crazy because I felt like I had to pour tea into the tea pot tin lol.

Untill the last few months it had been pretty much under full control thanks to an anti depressent butr that seems to of stopped working now and the thoughts are getting back through.

As I said its not a huge issue for me but it is frustrating, and im allways wondering what it would be like to have my own free will decide things for me and to not waste so much time on random rituals.

[LadyMacbeth]

I thought I was the only one in th world that used to think like that. I have these constant thoughts in my head that if I don't do something then something bad is going to happen to me. Like if I eat that last peice of cake then I am going to die. Things like that always run thrugh my head but I never brought it up in therapy though because I thought I was the only one that thought that way.

[Betsy]

Lorna,

maybe you need a med ajustment.

bets

[Lauren]

No lady its quiet possibly an ocd based thing you are experiencing. A type of anxiety. Please do mention it because a lot of people respond well to an anti depressent and/or cbt. It is thought to be a chemical brain ache thing rather than emotional.

Bets,

I have tried so many anti depressents with the hope of stopping it. But so far out of about 15 only the cipralex has had any effect on it, but that seems to be failing now as well.

I can live with it, but would rather not. Its just one more thing to make me feel different you know?

[lille_eskimit]

I do display certain signs of OCD and have told the psychiatrist about it...I have a fear of germs...not as bad as some people, but enough so that I often wonder if bacteria from the tap will migrate to my hands when I turn the water off after washing them, or the door knob will make my hands filthy again...I also have certain 'rituals' that I'm too embarrassed to talk about here... David just thinks it's one of those idiosyncrasies that everyone has, and that I shouldn't worry too much about them unless they affect my ability to function.

[cady4evr]

:wub: I have OCD with agoraphobia. it hell lol. im soo housebound because of it. they say its an emotional issue rather than a chemical imbalance. cause when u have ocd and u do those rituals to calm the ocd down and the anxiety and it gives u relief to know that u checkd it a hundred ort so times or for hours like i do at then end im ok until i have to do it the next day. they like to say its a calming mechanism nothing like depression. my ocd contains checking thing over n over, repeating the step perfectly a number of times and if someone or something messes up th ritual i have to start all over. its very meticulous disease to me. i have do it perfectly the number of times it want me to do it, if i dont do it to my mind satisfaction i wont be able to rest until i do it to my mind satisfaction. like for example my car. id have to make sure that the car is in park, the emergency brake is on, the car is off, the courtesy light is off, the head lights go off, the courtesy lights go off again, then i have to check the coutesy lights 5 more times. i have to do it in that exact order, i have to say the step out loud, like perhaps" step number one" then do it thne say step number one has been completed good job you may continue. and so on 5 times. then i able to get out the car. i have to open all doors and slam them shut to make sure that the doors are closed. then i have to check the doors ( 4 doors- 8 times/ one step i check all the doors twice in each step so that fourty times. if i step on a crack, car comes by, i hear a dog bark, or anything that messes up my concentration, i have to repeat it all over until i do the whole thing correctly lol and that jus my car lmao. so far my ocd is medication resistant. so i wish u all the luck tamping that thing down . but your not the only one i can assure u on that although in your part of the world as me it sure seems like it. paxil did good tamping down the anxiety, but it did nothing for my ocd. but if u wanna talk n learn more bout it i will be happy to fill u in bout it take care sweetie :wub:

[Paula]

i want to ask someone about OCD

i am really obsessive over loads of things

i cant stand mess

only when i throw anything away, i have to tear or cut it up into small pieces before i put things in the bin

sometimes i just get to a point when i cant stand things being around so much i just throw things out without thinking and regret it later

its a compulsive thing that takes over me

sometimes i wake up on my day off and HAVE to clean the whole house until i am too exhausted to move

i am ALWAYS tidying up, even at work

when i go to my sisters (at her uni) she has so much STUFF

i cant stay there for too long

everyone just thinks im a perfectionist, neat freak

i think i might have a problem

wish i actually had some kind of psych or counsellor :(

[lille_eskimit]

When I go on holiday, I make a long list of what I'm taking with me (everything, right down to rubber bands I use to tie my hair!), and make sure that stays in my handbag at all times...Eg. Gypsy flowery skirt, white chiffon top, white sandals, 2x pink knickers, 1x black g-string, face scrub, lilac nail polish etc etc it goes on and on...I even make sure I write down how many pairs of underwear (and what type) I'm bringing, so I don't leave anything behind...I keep getting paranoid that I'll forget things, so I'll keep counting my stuff over and over again, and going through my checklist, and end up losing sleep over it. :o

[cady4evr]

i want to ask someone about OCD

i am really obsessive over loads of things

i cant stand mess

only when i throw anything away, i have to tear or cut it up into small pieces before i put things in the bin

sometimes i just get to a point when i cant stand things being around so much i just throw things out without thinking and regret it later

its a compulsive thing that takes over me

sometimes i wake up on my day off and HAVE to clean the whole house until i am too exhausted to move

i am ALWAYS tidying up, even at work

when i go to my sisters (at her uni) she has so much STUFF

i cant stay there for too long

everyone just thinks im a perfectionist, neat freak

i think i might have a problem

wish i actually had some kind of psych or counsellor 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey pinky... question for you... i know u have the compulsion to do these things but do u feel the anxeity that if u dont do them that someting will happen to u or someone or soemthing that u love,,, from what ive read and having ocd, it a good possibility that u may, you should go see pdoc cause it will get worse if u do have it.. and it will move on to more things and even stupider things like it has doen for me. thr trick is to find the right med lol. there was one med called Luvox but its being discontinued and it was for OCD, and according to research it was fast working, but that to research and noone account for it.

I know what u mean about tearing things up into itty bitty pieces before you can throw it away. i cant even throw the garbage away in the trash inside the house for fear that something i threw away would catch the garbage can on fire then burn down the house. i realize that myactions and fear are stupid and not a reality, i realize that but i cannot stop it and i cannot stop the anxiety and the attacks that comes with it. my ocd is checking, repeating thing, doing them in complete order, hoarding cause ima fraid to throw things out basically every ocd except for germs.

here are some common obsessive thoughts:

Fear of dirt or germs or over concern about body smells/secretions or the proper functioning of the body

Overconcern with order, neatness, and exactness

Fear of thinking bad thoughts or doing something embarrassing

Constantly thinking of certain sounds, words, or numbers or a preoccupation with counting or checking

Constant need for approval or the need to apologize

Fear that something terrible will happen or fear of harming yourself or someone else

In order for OCD to be accurately diagnosed, the following criteria must be met:3

You experience recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are intrusive and cause anxiety or distress.

The thoughts are not just excessive worries about daily life problems.

You try to ignore or suppress the worries with other thoughts, behaviors, or actions aimed at reducing the anxiety or distress.

You know the thoughts are coming from within your own mind.

The obsessive-compulsive behaviors must last at least 1 hour per day and significantly interfere with your daily routine.

You must know your behavior or thoughts are not rational or are excessive.

The obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviors are not due to medications or another medical condition

There is no cure for OCD, OCD is a learned behaviour. so meds wont be enough for it your gonna have to get into psychotherapy gabble crap lol. the meds will relieve you of the anxiety.... anxiety/fear is what causes it. and ocd reinforces the anxiety to become stronger n stronger. demanding more and more. that why i think if u fear that u have it get it checkd out. xanax works well with anxiety. the anxiety is the killer of ocd. get it check out. because if u dont. it will get worse, it will move onto other things and for me it created agoraphobia. take care of youself sweetie goodluck :)