OCD Advice Needed

[JackC01]

Hi, i have not been professionally diagnosed with OCD but i personally believe i have been suffering with it for the past 2+ years as i spend 1-3 hours everyday either cleaning, sorting things out ( Symmetry and making things look 'just right' is one of my biggest obsessions) and also checking things such as locks, taps, windows, whether the fridge or freezer is open or not and also whether lights are off or not. I also spend quite alot of time a day receiving reassurance from my partner about these matters as i get awful intrusive thoughts about each one of them.

I would just like to ask peoples opinions on the matter if you believe i do have it or not and if you believe i do should i seek medical help? Ive started to want to seek medical help about it recently as it causes distress and alot of anxiety in my everyday life which is awful to have to deal with everyday.

Thank you for reading and your time

[Lizbett]

Hey JackC. If as you say that the whole thing is causing you personal distress, then yes, clearly there is a problem that needs to be addressed by a psychiatrist. Not a GP, but a psychiatrist. Best wishes.

[JackC01 in reply to Lizbett]

Thank you for the second opinion on matter, i will make sure to look into getting help very soon

[Calm_mama]

HI Jack,

There are fantastic workbooks and regular books available to help you heal from OCD. Treating the underlying anxiety is crucial, as OCD is anxiety based. Essentially you need to

1) Understand what's going on in your mind

2) Understand and accept the errors in thinking

3) Start practicing exposure and response prevention- ideally with the right help and support. A therapist who really knows their stuff with anxiety and OCD will help tremendously.

If you like, take a look at my profile for some excellent resources on recovering from Anxiety. Anxiety and OCD have tremendous overlap. In fact, some consider it all the same thing as there are obsessive components in almost all anxiety, and there is most certainly anxiety underlying OCD behavior.

I suggest you have your partner read as much as possible. The intuitive response from a loved one is to reassure. Who wouldn't want to reassure someone they love? It's natural. And it makes the OCD and underlying anxiety worse. It's paradoxical but it's true. A helpful response from a loved one is to not reassure- rather, to let the anxiety kick and scream in the sufferer and figure out on its own that there really is no true danger. You can read the top pinned post on the left from admin. It's geared towards parents of kids with anxiety but it's of course applicable. You can read more about reassurance in many OCD resources. OCD is considered highly treatable, as is anxiety. If you are motivated to do the work, I have no doubt you will be feeling better soon!

[JackC01 in reply to Calm_mama]

Thank you for this, it was very helpful, ill have a look into getting proper help very soon and also at the books and such

[CaptainCrunch in reply to Calm_mama]

What a great response.

I have OCD as well and was feeling the low grade anxiety haunting me just this morning. I just went on with my day but it was very uncomfortable. Is this what you are referring to, “letting the OCD kick and scream.” I generally use distraction and mindfulness when the OCD flares up. Some days have far more stressors so I have to keep on my toes and be highly aware of my thoughts and actions. On days like these distractions works best for getting through the day however I don’t feel I am completely getting the benefit of just sitting through a thought. Generally I just wake up with fear and dread before I even had a chance to think what could be causing it.

But I just thought I would ask should anyone be able to relate.

[Calm_mama in reply to CaptainCrunch]

HI Captain Crunch,

Yes - I'm suggesting that you let your anxiety kick and scream. do not engage in the compulsion (whatever it may be) even though your anxiety is begging you to follow through so it can feel that relief. Giving your anxiety that relief by engaging in the compulsion teaches your anxiety-

1) The thought that triggered the need for the compulsion was true

2) There really is danger in general and it's doing the right thing by staying "awake" and keeping you "safe" from incorrectly perceived dangers.

This leads to a very twitchy and overly active anxiety center in the brain- and it just makes mistake after mistake after mistake.... Of course the obsessive thoughts leading to the compulsion come from anxiety. The thoughts aren't rational. Anxiety is not rational. There's another part of the brain that is rational and logical, but it's very slow... Anxiety is fast and easily hijacks the rational part of the brain. Easy, easy to start believing anxiety is correct. Easy to buy all the nonsense it generates and follow through impulsively. Retraining yourself to ignore silly anxiety despite the discomfort and start working the rational part of the brain takes time, practice and so much patience. But absolutely doable!

[Tikirob]

Hello and sorry to hear about your issue. There is a difference between OCD and OCPD. The P stands for personality. I have severe OCD and am very disorganized. I dont mind about seeing if things are in order unless it has to do with my body. I do not have to do things in a certain order and I can eat my food mixed or eat desert first. I suggest reading up on obsessive compulsive disorder them on obsessuve compulsive personality disorder. Then go for a screenimg by a professional psychologist. As for treatment I recomend researching everything before spending money. Its good you took this step. You can get better.

[JackC01 in reply to Tikirob]

Hi, im pretty sure i do have OCD as i have done extensive research on the disorder for months and read alot aboht it, i will seek medical help soon, thank you

[Tikirob in reply to JackC01]

Great. Its a long road but its worth it.

[JackC01 in reply to Tikirob]

Thank you for the help