Hello everyone! I'm chloe, im 19 years old and wondering if I'm suffering with OCD? My current job is working in the community helping the elderly in their own homes, I have noticed that once I have finished a call, I can spend 10 minutes trying the door handle to see if I've locked the door, I also have a list of things I check more than once before leaving the house to ensure the safety of my client, I've tried to reduce the number of times I check things but I find this extremely difficult. I also suffer with intrusive thoughts, which seem to worsen the more I think about them, do you think I should seek help from my gp or isn't it severe enough? thanks in advance!
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am I struggling with OCD?
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Chloe2512
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Hi Chloe, it's a good first step you've taken but I think that yes, it's a good idea to speak to your GP and maybe ask for a referral to a specialist. It's nothing to be alarmed about at the moment but it'd be better to get the correct advice now rather than later...
Intrusive thoughts are common with OCD and checking/counting rituals are also a big part of it. If your job entails doing a lot of checking things (I care for my Mum, who has dementia and I have to keep turning lights/cooker/heating off) then it'll start to cause stress which then begins a vicious circle - stress usually makes it even worse!
Just remember that this is a VERY common issue and is better understood than when I got first diagnosed many years ago.
Good luck and take care 
thank you so so much! Just a little reassurance to know that I'm not crazy, gives me the motivation to get better, I'm going to book in with my gp and go from there! It's awful at the minute, always feel panicky😔 Sorry to hear about your mum, but I'm sure she's well looked after!! Also sorry to hear that your a sufferer of ocd too, it's awful😔Xx
That's ok Chloe. I started having OCD symptoms when I was just 13 due to bullying & stress related to my parent's divorce and unemployment. Treatment (especially in my case, medication) has come on a lot since then.
Anxiety is always present with OCD, it usually pre-dates it, then becomes worse as the patient is aware something is wrong but can't do anything about it (except keep trying more obsessive rituals)! New drugs are very good at managing anxiety, but you need to find one that suits you - some have nasty side-effects!
Thanks for saying that about Mum - tbh we've never been close and I don't have a partner so there is no-one to talk to about my condition, or to care about me really.
If you have a good family and/or friend support network, use it! That is, tell them about it and educate them on the issue.
Well I've had medication before amitriptyline, but I was constantly tired and down, so I came off it & since I've just tried to manage on my own, but it is interfering with work and my life so I need to do something about it!
Sorry to hear that you don't have anybody to talk to, I'm very lucky and have my fiancé, he's a godsend, especially when I'm really low with it all, I hate my ocd as I just feel strange re-checking things all the time, but my intrusive thoughts really do get the better of me, they are disturbing, I find them really hard to handle😔 You can always talk to me & let out how you feel, I know you don't know me, but I'm always here! Xx
Thank you Chloe but I suspect I'm beyond hope LOL.
Just come across a book you might be interested in though, it's called "Because we are bad: OCD and a girl lost in thought". Good reviews on amazon.co.uk. Worth checking out?
Link to the book I mentioned: amazon.co.uk/Because-We-Are...
Hi. Think it might be good to talk to a gp. OCD, disturbing, is likely more common than you realise. I have had it for over 50 years, on and off. Just remember that the intrusive thoughts are not yours.Do you want these thoughts? No of course not. It is part of this difficult illness. I have gone for years with out OCD, then have bounced back into it. OK, check that lock, just once, take on board it is locked and move on.
Go to your gp.
All the best Graham
My boyfriend has struggled for a long time with severe OCD because he didn't try and get help before it affected litterally every part of his life from morning to evening. Even if you don't think it's that bad definitely see someone because I am working with him on his right now and it's so hard to undo if it gets more severe. I had to have him hospitalized because he would go out driving and not be able to make the correct amount of left turns to get home and he would panic and call me saying he was going to wreck his car if I didn't come get him. Anyway don't let it get out of hand, make sure you get help even if you think it is minor right now because that is how his started out.
I don't mean to scare you in any way he has lots of issues that have led to where he is, but I would hate to see anyone be where he is.
I wish you all the best of luck and if you need anything at all I'm always happy to help!
Good luck,
Catherine
Hello catherine, I'm sorry to hear that your boyfriend is having such a hard time with it, but well done for sticking by him, people like yourself are a godsend to people with ocd, my fiancé is the same, I don't know what I'd do without him!!
thank you for the warning of how severe it can get, I know I've got to get some help now before it worsens! I hope your boyfriends ocd eases, I can relate to how hard it is living your daily life with this illness😔Xx
It sounds very much like OCD to me but a check with your GP should lead to a referral. OCD has a habit of getting people where they are most vulnerable, so if you are concerned about checking something important, like someone else's door, it goes for it! I first got OCD at 21. It's good that you have support from a partner. That is important. But get professional help as well. I am on sertraline, which doesn't cause me drowziness but different meds affect people in different ways.
Hello Chloe,
I really hope you at least find out what is happening.
The same is happening with me but I am in the middle, not knowing what to do. Unlike you I don't to tell anyone because I am very self-conscious and I feel like a freak. Sometimes I feel like the only one.
Thanks,
Zairella
I struggle every single day and feel like a freak so I completely understand where your coming from, I have to talk to my partner or I'd crack up, I'm still scared to go to my gp though because I don't want them to think I'm being silly, it's such a horrible, invisible illness! If you want to talk to somebody, I'm here, I won't judge because I'm going through the same x
It seems you have ocd. I also have ocd and i can't stand it when people say "stop checking the doors" or "i locked the diors no need to check." I can't help it. But i learned to deal with the words they say and the names they call me. So don't pay attention if people say something to you.
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