Question

[Dempsey1919]

I know your not supposed to ask reassurance with ocd but if I read something I put it in my head that what I read is telling me something else, like letting ocd control me instead of me controlling ocd. I worry if I let ocd control me it will make me do or think sick fantasies. I read dint say ocd won't ever beat me is bad, but I like to think positive,it's called positive thinking. I dint like the thought of ocd controlling me,I like to think I control ocd and its up to me what I do or don't do not ocd controlling me. I hate this illness. If you have a physical illness for life you get treated for it for life same should be for mental illness it's a life long mental illness so you should be treated in therapy for life ten sessions is not for life and its not going to change your ocd mind which you had all your life. There's not enough help.

[Rougefleur]

Hello Dempsey1919,

The thing about OCD is that it seems to always try to convince you to do the opposite of what is good for you. Hence the OCD, and not you, maintain control of your actions. This can have many manifestations, including what you reference as believing the opposite of the recommendations to help overcome OC you are reading. Try to tell yourself that these are tricks to get you to go along with the OCD triggers and to keep them going. The goal is to ignore these negative messages as much as possible. I know how hard that can be at times, but try to dismiss those thoughts when they enter your mind and tell yourself you are doing it to prove that nothing terrible will happen to you if you do. If you do this repeatedly, you will soon realize that OCD messages are lies and nothing bad will occur if you dismiss them.

I have suffered with this condition for a very long time, since childhood, and while cognitive behavioral therapy has helped me greatly, I have come to accept that it is a struggle that will not just go away. You have to work at minimizing the effects of it on your daily life. So I agree that there should be many more mental health services and programs available at a limited expense to sufferers from this condition, Until this is widely recognized, we can continue to share our experiences on forums like this one and reach out for what help there is in support groups and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in our area. Hang in there--it can get better.

Rougefleur