OCD what helped you?

[Ocdhell]

I have OCD and it’s starting to really piss me off. Does anyone have any advice or tips.

Some more info:

• It started mildly years ago although I didn’t know it was called OCD back then (probably in my teens with checking etc)

-it got terrible after the birth of my first baby. I suffer from intrusive thoughts. Mainly surrounding harm. I was absolutely horrified about the thoughts! I have a classic case: having the thought, obsessing over it, checking behaviours/avoiding

-driving is one issue I’ve had for years. I think I could hit people in my car, the thought disturbs me, I then did behaviours like circling back to check. Now I just don’t drive.

-I avoid cooking (in case I make people sick), driving, being alone. I’m slow at work due to checking stuff. I check doors and switches. It’s bloody exhausting.

-I have had CBT which I know does help. I will try to dig out my notes from my previous sessions.

-I have several self help books

-it came back after birth of subsequent kids... but I kept it fairly under control.

-I have just had a terrible episode of it last week, I had a brief thought of “this could happen” completely out of the blue, in terms of harming strangers. Then that was it, I’m on day 6 of believing I’m a terrible person, trying to remember exactly what happened when I had the thought, I can’t remember so I maybe think I’ve done the terrible thing and blocked it out, vivid thoughts of me going to prison, a sense of doom, like it’s the last few days I have at home with my kids, wishing I could just die so the feeling could go, I want to badly go back and check etc etc.

What is next? Has anyone successfully gotten rid of OCD forever?

Has anyone had success with medication? I’m also scared of medicine and rarely take it as I always think of worst case scenario... what if I drop it and kids eat it etc etc. How ironic!

My family don’t get it. They think ocd is cleaning

My husband is great and he’s been wonderful at supporting me.

My plan is:
-self help and looking after myself more
-go to gp
-get booked on for refresher course for CBT

I know I need help! I’m just after any positive stories or advice to help me before I get the help I need.

I really get it!
It’s awful, it takes over your life but it is possible to get rid of it. Try rereading all your notes from your last CBT sessions.
Re the coffee, cut down gradually as you may get a headache which will be hard to cope with alongside the OCD.

Oh I really feel your pain!

I’ve had cbt before and it was great. Unfortunately I’m now not in a good place again so have referred back. I’m sorry to hear the person you spoke to wasn’t sympathetic! You’re absolutely doing the right thing by going back to them - OCD never fully goes away and sometimes you need additional support.

I also have the whole ‘family not understanding’ thing. It’s a nightmare. Fortunately, like you, my husband is great.

Medication wise - sertraline has changed my life. It’s a horrific bitch of a pill to start but I feel like there’s almost a duvet over my OCD now that allows me breathing space to think rationally.

Feel free to pm me if you like

OCD is so hard, because it’s like you’re fighting part of your own brain. Your brain knows your fears and weaknesses and uses them against you. You might defeat one fear, only for another one to pop up.

CBT and sertraline helped me. I’m on sertraline now and it does make my obsessions less extreme - they tend to fade away after a while. It can make you feel worse before you start to feel better, though.

Op, I hope you don’t mind me intruding a little, but I have an 11yo dd who has had suspected OCD. Hoarding but moving onto rituals touching things, numbers - really making hers, and our, lives very difficult. Cahms initially wouldn’t diagnose her, because she didn’t say what bad things wouldn’t happen when she wouldn’t do her ‘things’. She also has ASD, so they say it’s the ASD. Now she is articulating that she will have bad luck and bad things will happen, but she refuses to go to cahms. So I’m watching this thread trying to see if there is anything that can be adapted for dd. So if anyone has any suggestions, I’m pretty desperate - her self harm really spiked over the holidays and I think being able to help the OCD (and get the diagnosis) would help her ASD also.

OP, sorry to hear that the therapist you talked to was a bit rubbish.

CBT is the only talking therapy that is recommended by NICE for OCD so the therapist's recommendation for eye movement therapy and exploring your childhood seems a bit useless to me.

Here is a link to the NICE guidelines and the stepped care model for OCD www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG31/chapter/1-Guidance#stepped-care-for-adults-young-people-and-children-with-ocd-or-bdd

It might give you some background information that you can then use with healthcare professionals.

You might also want to check out the OCD charities as they have a wealth of information and can provide you with some support:
OCD UK and OCD Action.

With regard to work, it is up to you whether you want to share your mental health issues with your employer but if your issues get on top of you and start affecting your work, be aware that you can ask for reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. Remploy is a charity that helps disabled people find or retain work so might be a good source of advice.

Good luck!!

Citalopram and CBT helped me. My GP prescribed the medication and referred me to a psychotherapist for the CBT. I had been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and OCD and the CBT was helpful for my OCD but only in conjunction with medication. I couldn't have handled the therapy without the medication.

imip
My DD is a similar age and first had problems aged 7/8. I think in children there's also a degree of fear and not understanding that not everyone experiences this.
Read up so you understand it better. I had to learn a lot before I could help my DD.

That’s the thing @Beamur, I did think I knew a bit. Cahms see it as ASD without mentioning what harm would happen, but now she mentions this, is like to her diagnosed, but she refuses (and I’m frankly not a fan of cahms). Like your dd, clear signs at 6ish, but hoarding tendanciea from 2.

Hi op im currently on my third round of cbt on the nhs-this time i feel its helped a lot but i feel im afraid to take the big step and believe the thoughts are just that just thoughts not fact!
These sessions are coming to an end now and ive contacted a private counsellor who when i spoke to sounded very good. (sadly cost may just not be an option for me at this time).
She uses cbt but also suggested another form of therapy alongside which addresses the physical feelings of ocd.
I get it by the way......ocd.....its hell.....i hate it.....i want to be well.

Last year I finally managed to get over my OCD, I know what you mean about no one understanding and thinking it's all about cleaning. Everyone saying 'omg, I'm so OCD about...' really doesn't help.

CBT through the NHS 3-4 years back was a quick but very temporary fix for me. After just 3-6 months my OCD started creeping back until it was worse than previously.

So I decided to seek private help. I had a couple of 'getting to know each other' sessions with a therapist who recommended Phycotherapy. The aim of which is to find the route of the problem and fix that. Opposed to CBT where you don't solve the problem you just learn how to deal with the day to day. She said it was a longer and tougher route to go down but I'd be less likely to relapse than with CBT. Alternatively she was willing to offer me another round of CBT to see if that'd help.

I was dubious about it, because I didn't have what I'd consider a tough life, but went for the Phycotherapy. It took about 9 months of 1 session a week, I found it really hard, lots of pain and worries which I didn't realise I'd locked up inside and a couple of weeks where I felt worse rather than better. It also wasn't cheap.

But over a year on from the therapy I haven't relapsed. It's not about controlling the worry for me anymore, I just don't really have it.

Beyond the intrusive thoughts, I had one major hurdle with my OCD which was eating food I hadn't prepared. Restaurants, eating at friends, letting my husband cook for me, or even grabbing a sandwich if you're out and hungry was terrifying and a huge no go. In the past year we've enjoyed eating out together and even gone on some holidays where we've had to eat out every meal for 2 weeks. After CBT I could cope but not enjoy going out for the very occasional meal if I had to, but after the therapy I can actually enjoy it!

There is light at the end of the tunnel, but I'd strongly recommend going private and getting a bespoke plan in place.

I'm so sorry to hear this. I've had cbt for OCD and am now having cbt again.
They made me feel the same way as you, like I shouldn't have it because I have before.
My actual therapist though has been completely understanding and worked through my past to see what the route of the OCD is.
There is hope

At my worst I had such dark thoughts about what would happen if I couldn't recover. Now I feel much more in control and safe.

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Thanks everyone for your support. I hate the waiting to hear from time to talk.

I’m feeling more anxious because of that (ironic huh).

I’m now worried they think I’m a bad parent! I try really bloody hard not to let my kids know something is wrong. I’m worried the therapist might view the intrusive thoughts as me somehow not being good at parenting and have been thinking today a lot about that. I don’t want anyone else to know about my problems really only my husband as it’s quite embarrassing and people generally don’t understand.

I made an appointment today with gp regarding tablets.

Just an update. Been given 20mg of fluoxetine. Hopefully it will help. I’m on a wait list for cbt now. And have access to an online course whilst I wait.

I hope the meds help - I have OCD as well and have had CBT and on meds.

I know how you feel! I feel massively guilty and convince myself I've given people illnesses etc when logically it's so unlikely.

It's hard when people around you don't understand.

I really hope the meds help 🙂

Hi OP. Well done for the massive steps you have taken. I found CBT, paroxitine and self taught mindfulness really helped. Also when I started coming out of the darkest bits I did lots of self care, baths, reading, walking, crafting. I still do this and practice mindfulness.
It was a long journey but I am currently anxiety and OCD free.
If you are in a union at work, it could be worth having a confidential chat with a rep. I told my work and they were very supportive.

I have had cbt without medication and it worked but crept back in after a stressful life event. I have been on sertraline ever since. I know so much about the condition and would say that I manage it well without relapse when on medication. I want to stay on it indefinitely as I am not getting any younger and just want to live the best life I can. I can say for the first time in years that I am happy, fulfilled in my career and family life. Check out podcasts on ocd, especially the ocd stories, which cover all sorts of things, including ocd in children. Good luck.

When I was a child I had very horrible thoughts all the time and used to worry constantly so badly and had a lot of rituals

I have had a lot of CBT and some therapists are better than others but yes I had to deal with the cause of the trauma and not just how to manage the OCD

fluoxetine and exposure therapy

I have had CBT. I also keep a list of logical reasons why my thoughts are just my OCD ruining my life. So for example, I’ve recently had my third son and I’m now convinced for some reason I’m going to spill boiling water on him. I keep imagining having to take him to hospital, what I’d say to the nurses, conversations he’d have with me as a teenager where he’d tell me I’d ruined his life by scarring his face. I take control of it as much as I can by not having hot drinks round him, checking the bath water with a thermometer and then getting my husband to check it. I also write down reasons why these are just thoughts ‘I know the temperature of water’ etc

I don’t really know the cause of my OCD. I’ve never had a trauma in my life really, I had a fantastic childhood, I am exceptionally close to my parents and siblings, I’ve never experienced anyone in my family that I knew dying, I did well in school. But I have suffered intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviour since the age of around 6. I would say that I have a more mild form of OCD too in that I have periods, sometimes long periods of time where my OCD is manageable and isn’t affective my everyday life, but then when it does peak it is almost debilitating.

Good luck OP. I have never been diagnosed but have always had intrusive thoughts - circling back in the car just in case I ran someone over, throwing away dinner I've just made in case I'd poisoned it. It definitely gets worse if I don't look after myself and if I haven't done anything for a long time. ( Haven't driven in weeks because I might try and drive into oncoming traffic and I know when I do actually drive more I get fewer intrusive thoughts but it is very difficult to make myself do it!)

I have no experience of this but just wanted to give a big pat on the back for not just being brave enough to admit you need help but going and seeking it in various forms. It’s very brave and a huge step forward. Wishing you all the best

Thank you all! I decided to start my meds on Sunday as my husband is away. I don’t want to be looking after the kids and feel worse or have any weird reactions.

I am feeling quite down today. The therapist said my ocd was “severe” and I think I just feel like such a freak. I should be feeling so happy with life. But I just let intrusive thoughts rule my life instead.

I’m absolutely petrified medicines will make it worse. Or that I will get better and relapse again even worse. Still I must try everything to try to get better.

I would say I have had several severe episodes in my life. They are usually very horrible thoughts and unlike my “mild” in comparison checking of switches etc, these episodes REALLY scare me. And they usually have no way to check that I definitely didn’t do it!

One example is fearing i had HIV. I wondered if my BF had given it to me or if I’d trodden on a dirty needle. I really believed it! I was getting visions of telling my family and becoming poorly. It was during a time of high stress (uni exams) and I was so fucking obsessed with it I nearly failed. I couldn’t revise as I was essentially planning my funeral and crying! I even went to get a test. Then I had weeks of waiting which was awful. Of course it was nonsense. I was disease free!

Another such episode was fearing I’d run someone over! I circled back one time. And the road was closed as there had been a hit and run. I’m pretty sure my heart stopped in that moment. The circling back wasn’t enough now so I’d look in newspapers and social media. I almost created a false memory of something that didn’t happen. It was horrendous and I should have been enjoying my time as a new mum but I was getting ready to go to prison! Of course it wasn’t me that did it and the person that did came forward. But I had a week of just living like a zombie trying to remember every second of my journey.