Living with OCD

[PureOGirl]

Is there anyone here that having hard time to concentrate due to sticky intrusive images? What you guys do? I stammer a lot during my presentation because of it. I also have repetitive voices in head

[runaway12]

Hi PureOGirl, yes i also have that issue!

its pretty hard to concentrate with that

[PureOGirl in reply to runaway12]

How you deal with that?

[runaway12 in reply to PureOGirl]

well i still haven't been able to totally overcome that, however i listen to my favorite songs that can bring bit of peace into my mind

[PureOGirl in reply to runaway12]

Do you take any meds or undergo psychotherapy?

[runaway12 in reply to PureOGirl]

i am on fluoxetine since i have being going for Mental Health clinic for OCD!

Also yes i did went for counseling, but those guys didn't seem to help me since there were not Specialist for Mental disorders!

However, yes i did feel a bit better after coming out from counseling sessions a couple of time.

[PureOGirl]

Can I know what is RP?

[PureOGirl]

I'm so sorry you've been through this. Actually we have similar predicament. I also got brain freeze during presentation and impromptu speech, also have voice repeats what I'm talking.

[ChristianWolff]

Hello PureOGirl,

Over the years and with excellent psychiatric care I have learned to analyze the thought/compulsion. Does it help or hurt? If it is hurtful I ignore it until I can get my mind on something else. If it is helpful I ponder a bit more to see if it is something that I can do or accomplish, if so I go ahead. It also helps to have a short attention span having my mind easily jumping from one thought to another, scatter brained? Perhaps, but a reasonably peaceful one.

I have always been plagued with critical echoes inside my head, mocking, cynical echoes from siblings, critical echose from parents especially father. While not completely gone they have lessened over time with therapy.

Sleep is the single most critical component, and for that I take my only psyche med. Ambein. Without sufficient restful sleep I am a mess.

My life is no walk in the park, but is has been worse.

[PureOGirl in reply to ChristianWolff]

Thank you for sharing! Are the voices in head that we have, considered as psychosis?

[ChristianWolff in reply to PureOGirl]

It never occurred to me that that's what they might be.

[BookwormMo in reply to PureOGirl]

My 2 cents (FWIW) According to my daughter's psychiatric nurse practitioner, these obsessions sometimes cross the line into psychosis. I have seen this happen to my daughter. But it's my impression that this is not the norm with OCD. Basically, you know the voices aren't "real"; therefore it's not psychosis.

[PureOGirl in reply to BookwormMo]

Thanks !

[HELLNOCD in reply to PureOGirl]

Yep, because you’re aware of “the voices” it’s not psychosis and voices can be very common... I too suffer with them, but with medicine and some solid ERP it is possibly to live with them well... mine personally, I call “murder-porn” that is a channel that plays constantly, and through my ERP I have learned not to try and change the channel nor to try and turn it down, but by exposing my self to it and not doing compulsions to diminish the noise and accept it... that is what makes it go away. It’s the opposite of what you think, but by agreeing and leaning (however terrifying) is absolutely essential. With time and effort, it works wonders!

[dibidah]

Absolutely! It's so hard to focus in school, I get the most violent and disturbing intrusive thoughts.

[PureOGirl in reply to dibidah]

I feel you...

[HELLNOCD]

So medicine is important to help manage the distress and allow you to better focus on life as well as tackle the OCD. Also, combined with a great therapist that specializes in ERP is so important, and don’t get discouraged because it can take a lot of time, unfortunately, to find the right fit. Happy to answer any questions you might have as I have severe OCD and have been able to get my life back due to the treatment I went through.