OCD/Intrusive Thoughts: My son is 26 and since... - OCD Support

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OCD/Intrusive Thoughts

forsythkennedy profile image
16 Replies

My son is 26 and since he was 13 has had intrusive thoughts/ocd and has been in hospital since Christmas Eve. He is in a bad way. His thoughts are he is going to be a pedophile and do other bad things. He has lost his job and the hospital are going to discharge him as they say being in there is not doing him any good. I am scared as I don't know what he will do when he gets home. He gets cbt once every 2 weeks but that is not enough. I am angry as he is just going to be dumped and forgotten about. He is still a person and is desperate for the proper help. Nobody seems to care.

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forsythkennedy
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16 Replies
xxsarahxxa profile image
xxsarahxxa

Cbt ahouldhelp him with these thoughts, as soon as he learns there just "thoughts" he will calm down! When u say hes in hospital do u mean sectioned?? I had cbt for similar intrusive thoughts an it worked wonders, i have have ocd from since i can remember. I am 28 now an when im stressed it seems worse. He will be ok.

forsythkennedy profile image
forsythkennedy

Thanks so much for contacting me. My son wasn't sectioned but went in as a voluntary patient. This meant that he could leave the hospital for a wee while then go back. Yesterday he was discharged from hospital. His consultant said that being in hospital was not the right thing for him and that he would be better at home. I don't know what to think. I know that there is not enough money being spent on mental health and I think this is ridiculous. Thanks again for replying to me.

ChrisM profile image
ChrisM

Hi there,

I am a fellow sufferer of OCD and have a variety of intrusive thoughts that make me think I am a bad person and have done something awful. I have a hard time being around kids as I fear I am going to harm them. The guilt and feeling of responsibility that goes along with these thoughts is horrendous and I can often loose perspective thinking maybe i have done something - classic OCD! What if! Maybe!

Please assure your son he will NEVER do these things he is thinking about- in fact quite the opposite- he is someone who cares too much about not being bad.

Although I have some really bad times or 'episodes' I generally manage my illness quite well now - so please be assured you can get better with time and support and there is always hope. It is such a complex illness but with support from psychologist, family and friends etc life will get better.

I have a 'mental health toolkit' I pulled together myself (basically an A4 mind map) and would be more than happy to share if you thought this would be helpful? It is just things I have picked up over the years in therapy and things that I put in place to aid my recovery.

God bless

Christine x

forsythkennedy profile image
forsythkennedy in reply toChrisM

Hi thanks very much for replying to me. I am sorry I haven't replied sooner but I haven't been on the site in ages. My son is still not well. He came home last weekend and was in a terrible state. I keep praying to God that he will heal Gordon but I do believe that God will heal him in his own time.

It is hard though to see him go through this.

Thanks again for replying to me.

Faith7 profile image
Faith7

Hi there, I feel for your son for he wouldn't be so tormented if he was trully that type of person however I have had the same fears as him and I honestly feel this is the worst thing to go through, if you let him read my profile it will maybe help him see he is not alone.

Faith x

jaccoz profile image
jaccoz

Hi I also get horrible disturbing intrusive thoughts .ive had ocd since I was a child .ur son will be feeling distressed as they are truly horrible .but they ar only thoughts .I think everyone hr has said brilliant things an good advice xx

forsythkennedy profile image
forsythkennedy in reply tojaccoz

Hi Jacoz thanks for getting back to me. Can I ask you how old you are. My son is 26 and has had OCD and these horrible thoughts since he was 13. He knows they are thoughts but these thoughts are slowly killing him. He sees a Physcologist once every 2 weeks and he also sees a Psychiatrist who just gives him tablets upon more tablets that make him like a zombie. How are you getting on. Jean

jaccoz profile image
jaccoz

Hi there.im 46.ive had ocd since I was 11.also the thoughts but at that time I kept it to my self.I went off the rails.I couldnt cope with what I thought at the time was the devil in my head.I recived no treatment and was brushed aside by everyone.although ive got quite a long story to cut it short in my 20s I found it very difficult.was depressesd .I eventualy got help in my 30s.ive found that times of stress etc makes the thoughts worse.I get extremely disturbing ones .they have never went away but they go up and down.I still get them and im still getting help.ive been told to keep in mind they are just thoughts I know its hard its one of the worst things ever.tell him to keep a private diary this is hard with the amount of thoughts he can get a day but even writing a few down then they will stay on the paper and out of the mind.its not a quik fix but I findwhen I write a thought down I never look at it .no one has to see unless he wants them to.im not 100% myself right now but if I can be any help at all then im here 4 u and ur son.its good that he sees a psychiatrist .I still see mine.I get med to curbmy ocd etc .its still there but ive not been in the psychiatric hospital for 18months so im happy with that .feel free 2 ask me anything ok .xxxxxx

Laverne79 profile image
Laverne79

Hi I have horrible thoughts often about hurtin the people that I love the most.

I have just been prescribed antidepressants and I pray that they work the worse thing is I think that if I'm havin these thoughts other people are to so I am so strict with my kids never lettin them out of sight it is a complete nightmare and I understand what your son is goin though so if you need to talk I can give you my perspective xxx

Bird-67 profile image
Bird-67 in reply toLaverne79

Oh you sound so much like myself, I just would love to be normal if only for one day.

Kenyon126 profile image
Kenyon126

Hi I am 32 and not been diagnosed with ocd but get intrusive thoughts and have to check doors and gas and check on the dog about 20 times a night, I have had suicide thoughts and just can't cope with this anymore.. reading other similar stories does know that I'm not alone. I've had symptoms since I was a child but I also have becker muscular dystrophy which doesn't help.

Bird-67 profile image
Bird-67 in reply toKenyon126

Hi Kenyon, I do feel for you as I have had intrusive thoughts for over 50 years and they really get me down.

I am on antidepressants and have had cbt but nothing takes the thoughts away.

I just tell myself they are only thoughts and reading others stories help.

Zoe10 profile image
Zoe10

I have homosexuality ocd as well as others had it for 10 years now and i tryed to kill myself a few times untill i got CBT and it really helped i acepted it was like a second person and just throughts i lernt to cope and the last year as been great i know its not me and just my ocd i have got better and iam happy again but my other ocds are still there the numbers germs colours and order but atleast the worse 1 is on the low and CBT will help your son too aslong aa he is open about it he will get there i never throught i would but i have and iam so happy again x

Ulisse profile image
Ulisse

Try to think this thru rationally. CBT is not the answer to all problems and there is there is ACT, which for many people has proven more successful. Try to read up on the net about the differences.

Next, there is medication - the NHS suggests medication and CBT is the choice for OCD sufferers. The problem is that the NHS still only prescribe medications that may be suitable for some people, but not for all. Lorazepam for instance is not available under the NHS. They say its addictive, but then what anti anxiety med is non-addictive? I take blood pressure medications and I am destined to stay with it all my life. Is that addictive ? I wiould say its mandatory!

If you can afford a private psychiatric visit at around £ 350 x hour, its worth it. The experience I have is very positive and althoughI I live in Italy now and I have been prescribed for medications that you wouldnt get in the UK, it helped me in the Uk getting better meds.

On ACT, there are articles on the web that you can read and become faimiliar with - In my view its more effective thatn CBT, where much of the sucvcess of the therapy depends on the therapists.

Hope this helps somewhat.

max

larena profile image
larena in reply toUlisse

I doubt that many people can afford £350 an hour to have a consultation with a psychiatrist.

Many counsellors can help with ocd , and there costs are around £40 an hour , also if you are on a low income quite a number of counsellors have reduced rates. The counsellor i go to is also a psychotherapist , she listens without judgement , and that helps , as when your fears are out in the open to someone who is not involved with you personaly it really helps.

I find that Padma yoga is helpful , no twisting your body into poses, mainly done laying down with awareness of the gentle slow movements and breathing , it calms the mind down .

Ulisse profile image
Ulisse

Indeed I said 'of' you can afford it. But the service and the consultations with a private psychiatrist are superior to what you get on average from the NHS . Unfortunately for most people.

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