OCD

[mummynatty]

I've had to assessment a and have been told it sounds like I have excessive worring OCD but think I may also have another one to. Just thought I see if anyone was in same situation as me, be great to talk to other mums Ithat can understand how I feel :) .

I worry all of the time that if I don't 'stand on things on ground when I'm out something really bad will happen to my kids ':/ I can't read as have to read it over about 4 times and more if I read something wrong same with videos :/ just day to day stuff I have to do time and time again to calm my anxiety down:/

I started therapy couple of weeks ago but not had one since as went on family holiday one week then my therapist forgot he had staff meeting this wek so got my next appointment on Wednesday :/ but some days I really struggle and don't want to do anything but other days I can deal with better than other days :/

I can talk to my partner but he's doesn't completely understand but he's prob the best person to talk to about it and a couple of friends but I don't see them much :/

Not sure if anyone else gets told they can't have OCD because it's to do with cleaning and my house is not clean :/ fair enough I thought OCD was only cleaning because that's all you ever see on TV they need to cover all OCD as should think more people would go to docs ect

I'm so glad Im trying therapy as it gets too much and I struggle with day to day life and looking after my son who's 4 half and my daughter who's 1 I'm doing it it for my kids and myself, and I'm worried as think my son is picking up on my behaviour and everyone must be so embraced to be with me when we're out :/

Just fancy someone to talk to that's going through the same thing :(

stuff I ha

I'm another non-cleaning ocd-er lol! Actually I have an 'anxiety disorder with obsessive compulsive tendencies'. I'm 35 weeks pg and it kicked off in pregnancy. I worry excessively about catching diseases that would hurt my baby, but I don't clean because I'm scared I'll do it wrong or make it worse so dh has to clean up after me! I can't pick things up off the floor either ?? I'm so glad your therapy's helping, is it cbt? How long have you been having symptoms? I see a private mindfulness therapy counsellor and I also have a mh social worker who does cbt, am steadily improving.

Hope you're (both!) feeling a little better this morning.

OCD is completely misrepresented in many parts of the media, and peddles the idea that liking everything clean and tidy in your house is a 'bit ocd'. Many mentally well people like to keep things clean and tidy, but don't have a ritualised method of doing it and do not fear terrible consequences if they cannot do it. So it isn't ocd at all. There is no category of ocd called 'cleaning' ocd - there is a category called contamination ocd which again incorporates different fears and ways of being contaminated - physically with dirt of germs, or mentally, spiritually. People with contamination ocd will often wash hands/body/clothes a lot - they will have highly ritualised ways of doing this and would become distressed if things can't be 'decontaminated' as they feel they need to be. Due to the fear involved in touching 'contaminated' items and the time consuming rituals around tidying/cleaning the houses of ocd sufferers who fear germs/dirt are often incredibly disorganised and even dirty. They avoid the pain and extreme fear of trying to clear up, and also often spend all their energy on disinfecting small items or areas that they fear, or items that enter the house, and have not much left to give to ordinary housework.
WorryWurta it sounds like contamination ocd may be a factor in what you're going through, but probably other types also and general pregnancy influence. Glad you are improving, and congrats on your little one!
OP, the gold standard treatment is a kind of cbt called erp (exposure and response prevention). If you get a book or two on ocd it will give some advice and will show you that there is a real range of symptoms.

Sorry for any rambling or speeling mistkas (ok, not even going to try and correct that!) - still half asleep.

Thank you, that's really interesting, I had no idea it had a proper name!

Yeah think it is cbt had a therapy meeting this morning was feeling rubbish this morning and didn't really want to go was in a 'I can't be assed' mood before now I'm feeling better. Only my second meeting so trying to figure out what triggers it and explainin how it works made a list of thinks that I do and then I had to add to it and give a percentage to how easy it would be to not do it if you get me?

Congrats on baby how your feeling good today :)

Well I had it slightly after.i had my son end of 2010 and I move out with my ex partner 'got pushed into it' and that relationship was not one I wanted to be in was not nice just blamed me for everything :/ then seemed to go away after we split end of 2011 then came back worse after I hadn't daughter with anew partner and son started school middle of last year but only decided to go therapy and doctors end of last year as was getting too much for me. I knew I need some help :)

I had to go doctors first then nhs anixety and depression department got a leaflet from doctors. I printed some booklets off a university down where I live not read yet but it includes exposure and prevention technique :)

cedar.exeter.ac.uk/iapt/iaptworkbooksandresources/ this is website if you want to have a look :)

My OCD is worse some days, I don't really like going out ATM :/ as I stand on all the little bits on the floor because I worry something bad will happen to my son, I know it may sound silly and don't make sense

Thank you for the link - will check it out! I'm meant to have CBT through my MH social worker but she keeps cancelling our sessions lol so I'm trying to work it out on my own. I'm taking it as a sign that she's not so worried about me. I'm doing a lot better now, although as my midwife helpfully decided that the best response to me being diagnosed was to refer me to children's services I have been VERY motivated to act normal!!

You sound like you've been battling for a long time - I admire you, it's exhausting and I've only bee experiencing it since last year! Your floor thing doesn't sound silly, I know when you believe something like that it's really hard to go against. Are you managing to try any exposure/response prevention with that one? I worry the door handles in my house have HIV on and however much I sort of know it's silly in one sense I am sill terrified of them just in case I'm right.

Yeah i need to get around to reading the booklets on that site lol printed off just never get chance to read much as I have a son and daughter.

That's not good I know wheni went to doctors about it I felt like the just brushed me off like most doctors and stuff ATM :/ but they gave me leaflet with number on I would look up online for your nearist depression and anxiety Nhs department you can refer yourself which I did my therapy helps last week we made a list of the stuff I do to make my anxiety better so then I need to start not doing the things and use the exposure and response technique or do it once instead of aload of times but I find that if I just leave it if I worry about something and go do something else I can forget about the thing before :) but I also think fizzy drinks make my OCD worse as I drunk it yesterday and today I'm not and feel a lot better :) I have my next therapy on Monday hopefully just remembered need to phone therapist back to make the appointment lol

Glad you feel better but you should try find your nearist depression and anxiety department it really helps and easier to talk to someone that understands and won't brush you off :)

The annoying thing is you know it's silly but you can't shift tha worry which is the worst and it doesn't help when you have family and friends telling you to stop being so silly and nothing will happen

But as mums we do worry about everything