My name is Harvey and I am new here. But, I am 75 years old and have had OCD since I was 14 years old. Have struggled with intrusive thoughts all my life but now learned to just ignore them. I also take Zoloft (Sertraline) that helps. I have been to counseling in the past and attended OCD support groups. Am not in either now since I can manage my symptoms well.
Am certainly willing to help anybody else and look forward to do so.
Thanks,
I’m brand new here and glad to hear this message. Im currently going through my own ERP therapy and it’s effects are incredible... it’s tough but totally worth it.
I'm glad you are having some success. I've had OCD all my life and just can't seem to get through ERP. I hate this demon in my brain.
So wonderful to hear of your success and hard work at managing your ocd! How do u ignore the thoughts? I just go in circles and sometimes I don’t know if my thoughts are real or not, meaning they are what I truly feel!
I have the same issue, I never know if my thoughts are OCD or not
Omg I’m sorry that you deal with that too, its so confusing and makes things harder! I’m glad I’m not alone though! What do u do when you have that going on in your head?
That's a good question, I don't really know how I deal with it. Sometimes I try to tell myself it isn't real, I try to prove myself that it isn't, I talk to my mom and my therapists about it. What do you do?
Similarly I have days where I can fight with myself and tell myself that they are just ocd and other days I too need help from my husband or therapist!
Hi Harvey,
How was support for your parents at the time?
For me my parents don't ever understand the suffering i went through OCD!
Hi Runaway- My parents never knew I had it as it was unknown at that time. I just suffered all those years like my dad who I inherited it from. He had a hand washing compulsion, we had no clue as to why. It was until I got out of college in 1967 that I found relief as I got into counseling. But, at that time, counseling was not very effective since it was so new a treatment. We are fortunate now in our day to be experiencing many advancements in the field of treatment.
I do know this, if one fights the thoughts, they become much worse because if you fear them here they come. To accept these thoughts as not being you but realizing that it is your OCD, then it loses its hold on you. Medication does help also and to get into support groups is a blessing as you realize that you are not a bad person, but with an illness that you can only manage. Just remember that the thoughts are not you!! God bless you.!!
Hi Harvey, thank you so much for your post, I personally can learn a lot from someone who has had to deal with this disorder all his life. I am currently taking ISRS and works quite well. I am also trying to educate myself in CBT/ERP/mindfulness/ compassion since there are not therapist expecialized in OCD where I leave. Any advice from your experience? How long have you had taken meds? Any long term side effects? My OCD is related to health anxiety so you can understand my worries about meds. Thanks for sharing your experience!!!
Thanks Harvey. I am 62 and my OCD deals with worrying about declining health and death. I do not know why I worry as I am active and have lead a full life.
I have grandkids and hope to see them grow up. I have tried every avenue known to man but the OCD still persists.
Harvey, this is incredible! My name is Richard and I am 25 years old and I've lived with severe OCD my whole life. I call the things I would do, habits, you know like a bad habit. At one point in my life, I felt like I didn't know who I was anymore because my habits just took everything over. But as of right now I can confidently say I've beaten my OCD. Not that it doesn't affect me anymore but it doesn't affect me living my life and doing whatever I want to do. And that feeling is incredible. At 25 I feel like I've lived 3 lifetimes filled with OCD. I always kept my OCD a secret and when you do that you close yourself off from people and the world and I'm just starting to free myself and my whole world is opening up. I just wanted to say that for someone to be 75 and lived with OCD their whole life, you sir are my hero. I've decided to try to help as many people as I can with OCD and learning disabilities because I've also lived with a severe non verbal learning disability my whole life. I'd love to have a great conversation with you Harvey about how you have succeeded in your life. Anyone else who sees this message can reach out to me here, but I'm also on facebook. My name is Richard Conover and I live in Boston!
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