My daughter has contamination OCD and hoarding (anxiety, depression).
I would like to know why she thinks she can't throw an empty drinks carton in a public bin incase they (who ever they are) will track her down and find her.
She insists in taking it home and adding it to her hoard of empty soap bottles.
I can't persuade her other wise. Believe me I've tried.
Any advise would be great.
I have hoarding, too, though by no means so extreme. It can easily get to the point where you keep completely useless things to the point where you can't move around your living space. I've managed to learn to chuck things out as I go along, and have had and continue to have a clear out.
There's no easy solution to this, as the person has to acknowledge it's a problem and actually wants things to be different. Imagining a clean, clear house is a good incentive, but it can be slow work.
Is she getting help for this as well as the contamination OCD?
I notice that you mention DNA in the heading. It's thought that there is a genetic component in OCD, though how much isn't really understood, and other factors are involved as well. I remember that you mentioned another daughter with an eating disorder, and that is often related to OCD. But it's not something you should worry about or blame yourself for. It's a complex matter, and genetics or not OCD is still treatable.
Thank you for your reply x
I feel my daughter is only telling her counsellor a small amount of what's going on. I don't think she has mentioned any of this to them. They have said they want her to do a psychological assessment on her last week but have not mentioned it this week. So I don't really know what to do. Any ideas ? X
Thanks in advance
hi,have you contacted the crisis team,i have been very ill with ocd recently and your daughter sounds worse than me,meds are helping me alot does she not want to help herself.She really needs help.
Thanks for your reply. She speaks to a counsellor via skype once a week. She refuses tablets and any help from the GP. She is adamant nobody can help her as she's too far gone and won't listen to anyone. I have only explained the very tip of the iceberg on here. I've been trying to reason with her to get help but no no avail. I just keep trying but it does cause arguments so I try not to go on about it too much.
I'm not sure what to suggest, but if you can get in touch with her counsellor and let them know just how extreme her behaviour is then perhaps they will act on it. I'm not sure about the professional ethics situation here. There may be bans on even listening to family members without the patient's say-so. Has she got a proper mental health team from the NHS? I think that you said the counsellor is private. Some private practitioners are not properly qualified, and I don't know if your daughter's is. A proper NHS community mental health team would be better.
Psychological assessments, using a variety of questionnaires, are routine in therapy and your daughter should be having them regularly anyway. They involve OCD tests, depression tests and hoarding tests. They are used to monitor severity of the disorder and progress in combating it. They are included in the appendices to Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder so you can do them yourself at home.
Also do get in touch with your GP on your own behalf. This is affecting your mental and physical health as well, and if you force them to take your health seriously then maybe they will be impelled to help your daughter more. x x x
Hi, she has no mental health team and one has mot been suggested to us.
I have spoken to my GP about how depressed I feel and they have increased my amitriptyline to the maximum does to see of that helps me cope. Her counsellor is Also a phsycriact as well. I'm very concerned that she's lying to them and nothing is moving forward. I am tired of thinking things are getting better when they're not.
I don't want her to know I'm going behind her back but I don't want things to get any worse than they are now. If that's possible x
I would try phoning the crisis team on her behalf,Your daughter is very ill.
Where do I find the number for the mental health team?
mind.org.uk/information-sup...
This might be helpfull,your local area should have one,tell your daughter that meds could help takeaway the anxiety,its scary taking them but does she really want to continue living the way she is.You really should be seeing your daughter with an eating disorder,if its anorexia its very dangerous, my daughter has had it,you cant keep giving in to ocds demands it will get worse.
Tell your daughteR i had terrible anxiety a few months ago with ocd,I am taking lyrica and clomipramine and i feel alot better.Your daughter cant want to live the way she is living,its not fair on anyone .
rethink.org/diagnosis-treat... heres another website that might be helpfull 
I would love to be able to share your thoughts with her but she has real issue's with me going behind her back to speak to anyone. I am however going to speak with her counsellor later today as much as I don't want to tip her over the edge I can't see thing getting any better any time soon. Although she wont accept my help in any form I just want her to be well again xx
Of course you don't want to go behind her back, but you are in such a difficult situation. The Rethink website, as linked below, is very good on Community Mental Health Teams and although referral is usually via a GP or other health professional it says that they occasionally take referrals from family members.
Getting a referral for your daughter to your local CMHT would be enormously helpful. They only use therapies that have a proven track record, so you won't encounter some of the dodgier unproven therapies. They are accountable, and free. Her current treatment is clearly not enough, particularly if she is lying to them. It's a stubborn illness but she needs to make some progress.
It's really not good enough for your GP to just increase your medication. That can help, of course, but what needs doing is to get you out of this situation, and when you are so trapped, a prescription is not good enough.
I have just been on the Rethink website which is very helpful. It says under 'confidentiality' that professionals should listen if a family member has information to give about the patient. There is also help for carers, and you should ask your council's social services department for a carer's assessment. They could arrange support for you. This isn't something you should have to do alone.
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