New to the group- question

[GG2024E]

Hi there, I am wondering what everyone's most effective treatment was for OCD? My symptoms are mental thoughts and then seeking reassurance. I am wondering also if anyone has ever tried to treat OCD with any other all natural supplements/vitamins and not prescription meds through a doctor? What would you recommend if so? Thanks!

[Itmewithanxiety]

Hi! I recently was told that I have obsessive/intrusive thoughts by a therapist I’m working with. I’ve been seeing him for about 9 weeks now and we’ve tried a few things. His most recent recommendation was to come up with a figure/animal/person or something to personify the intrusive thoughts and consolidate them to one place. Basically, it’s a technique to trick the brain. He said it helps some people to have this “thing” to assign the thoughts to and manage them as one. Hopefully that makes sense and I understood it correctly. It’s worth a try, I’ll let you know how it works for me ☺️ I highly suggest therapy if it is an option available to you. I also have what I call “anxiety projects” to keep myself busy to prevent my mind straying away. I do diamond painting, trying word searches, and my therapist recommended phone/video games that require thinking and concentration.

[LiveOutLove_22]

Hey I've been struggling with OCD for 9 years so I understand the struggle and challenge OCD presents itself. For years I had tried to just keep going on with life without seeking or taking medication. Just this year I've realized I have to take medication along with starting ERP(Expose Response Prevention Therapy) starting this year. Everyone is going to tell you what works best for them, but I believe for me personally taking medication with the combination of therapy I have seen vast improvements in my OCD only after 2 months. But at the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you. I struggle with mental thoughts and asking for reassurance. I find that distraction works best for me so trying to have things to do throughout the day or a checklist of things to get done help me, the busier I am the less I'm focused on the relentless intrusive thoughts that unfortunately come with OCD. As far as reassurance. My therapist has told me to think of it as are you asking for reassurance to a question or a concern or is it information seeking. I struggle with Contamination OCD so a lot of questions I might ask family or friends around me. But typically its due to a medical question and they are not medical professionals. So them reassuring that I'm going to be ok doesn't really make sense. If I am asking for reassurance my therapist has told me I need to stop and sit with the uncertanity that OCD doesn't for like us to do but that's life. Anyways I think its just knowing what your OCD is lactching onto and what are your fears and triggers on a given day or week. But I totally understand what your dealing with and going through. Anyways I hope this helps, welcome to the community, I wish you the best of luck on your journey.

[JacksonAce in reply to LiveOutLove_22]

Which medications have you found most helpful for you and what dose?

[deValentin]

I practice exposure and response prevention (ERP), the gold standard treatment for OCD, and a generally healthy lifestyle (adequate sleep/exercises + balanced diet), and I have a reasonable control of my ruminations and reassurance-seeking needs. In my opinion, natural supplements/vitamins may not be necessary if you can get enough from a balanced diet.

With ERP, you generate triggering circumstances so you can expose yourself to them and refrain from engaging in compulsions. It creates some anxiety first, but, with habituation, anxiety subsides. Personally, I don’t feel the need to artificially create exposure because there are enough triggering circumstances appearing on their own.

I also find metacognitive therapy (MCT) useful. It invites you to reflect upon your thinking. Doing so helped me realize that, while in the throes of OCD, I was desperately seeking the elimination of all doubts. That was a mistake because doubt is always possible. Instead, I tried to identify and hang on to what I was certain. For instance, I was certain I didn’t want OCD to change me into a person I didn’t want to become or to make me neglect my familial and professional responsibilities. Hanging on to some certainties enabled me to dismiss irrational uncertainties that typically fuel compulsions.

As for medication, some people feel the need for them, at least in the short-term. It was not my case.