Crippling Anxiety/OCD (sorry long)

[splodge2001]

12 yrs ago I met DH at the tender age of 24, he was 34. After a stressful upbringing and bouts of depression and eating disorders I met someone who I thought would look after me, which he has. We now have 2 DCs. The trouble is I have crippling separation anxiety. When he's not with me I get stressed, imagining that he's been run over or had a heart attack. If he doesn't answer the phone it's the same. He was made redundant nearly a year ago and it was partly a blessing for my illness because he's been constantly with me, the trouble is we need an income desperately and I can't bear for him to be away. I'm terrified of being alone. As we get older I just think it's more and more likely that he'll die and I get into a massive panic. Does anyone have experience of this or know how to treat it? I've tried everything, CBT, antidepressants, psychiatric treatment, psychological therapy.

Have you tried self acceptance? If like me you are prone to anxiety and OCD, your body needs something to be anxious about and it ruined my life for 10 years until eventually I just said this is me and accepted I would always have OCD/Anxiety in some form or another.

Although I still have the OCD.....I rarely suffer the anxiety as when I feel it coming on I manage to laugh at myself. Even with the OCD, my love ones know my funny ways and we accept it.

If you can eliminate the anxiety that to some extent, you become more level headed when you are having your moments. So make a pact with DH. Say go out for a few hours and I will call you every half an hour. Then increase to an hour, then two. Then change to text messages always knowing that if your anxiety increases you can go back to step one.

The most important thing is to be honest with your loved ones. Let them know when you are having an anxiety attack.

Hi there,

Sometimes these disorders have to be met head-on; by that I mean maybe you need to start treating this thing like an enemy... it is ruining your life. Everytime a negative idea comes into your head, you need to check it, if it is fucking rubbish, reject it. This is a continuous process until the bad thoughts desist. Brahma Kumaris may be able to help you. The thing is, like you eat or wash daily, to see results you must meditate/listen to their cd's daily.

Another type of medication may help, even benzodiazipines in the short term. You may have to use a combination of things until relief comes.

Sweetie, we will all die and none of us know when... So, maybe you need to think about - why the hell should you worry about it? We come we go, things change that's life.

God bless x

thanks. DH has an interview tmw and I'm really anxious about it already. I'm not sure how I'm going to distract myself. I can't see an end to this, it's been going on for so long and I've never known anyone with this type of anxiety issue before. I feel completely alone and like a total freak