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Daughter with anxiety and possible ocd

31 replies

everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 18:25

Our adult daughter is back living at home since graduating last summer. She works full time.

She has had symptoms of anxiety since her teens, but she refuses point blank to see a doctor. She gets hysterical about some things, particularly around tidiness, cleaning and any odours in the house. She mentioned that her house mates at uni thought she was a bit obsessive with cleaning. But now it's becoming intolerable at home. I think our house is clean and tidy. Could be better, but the bathrooms are wiped down every day, the kitchen is clean and tidy, floors mopped at least twice a week, vacuumed regularly. According to our daughter the house and everything in it is filthy. It smells bad everywhere according to her (she constantly uses air freshener), and we are disgusting for living like this. It's caused so many rows. I have anxiety and depression myself, and I've been back to the doctors because it's got so bad. I've been so worried that I've asked friends to tell me honestly if they think our house is dirty, and they genuinely don't know what I mean - they say the house is fine.

Our daughter will go on frantic cleaning sprees, scrubbing tiles, walls, floors and disinfecting the bathrooms. She is visibly angry and stressed when she does this. She will tidy things away when you're still using them. She's also thrown things out (paperwork) that she considers to be rubbish.

It's got to the point that living with her like this is intolerable. But she says we're disgusting for living in a "fucking shithole". I'm worried about her, as I can't force her to see a doctor, she's 23, an adult. I also don't want her to feel unwelcome in her home. I really don't know what to do. It's like she sees dirt where it isn't there. I've upped my cleaning schedule in an attempt to make it acceptable in her eyes, but it never is.

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everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 18:41

Also, she spends a fortune on air fresheners and cleaning products, like £30/£40 a time at home bargains every could weeks!

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everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 18:43

Couple of weeks, not could!

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Mumoblue · 09/04/2021 18:46

Why does she refuse to see a doctor? Does she give a reason?
Does she understand her behaviour isn’t normal?

When I finally was persuaded to see a doctor about my anxiety it was because my sister got through to me by comparing it to a physical illness. She said: you wouldn’t insist on walking around on a broken leg. And that finally made me realise I was essentially walking around on a broken brain.

It must be tough if she’s refusing to see anyone. Flowers

everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 18:50

She seems scared of going to the doctor about this. She will see them about her eczema, (which incidentally gets worse with anxiety) or contraception, but she won't mention the anxiety.

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everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 19:15

We had a major row about the air fresheners as she bought some that made me feel physically sick, plus, she uses so much of it. It can't be healthy!

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dane8 · 09/04/2021 19:16

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everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 19:18

@dane8 it is making me ill. And I know deep down that our house is clean. It feels like I'm being gaslighted by her.

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Beamur · 09/04/2021 19:22

If she's dealing with OCD you will never be able to clean enough.
I suggest you read up on OCD - this is a debilitating condition and it sounds like it's making your homelife increasingly difficult.

dane8 · 09/04/2021 19:38

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everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 19:44

@dane8 she probably could when she has saved up a bit (she's also becoming a bit obsessive about saving money) as she was out of work for a couple of months just after Christmas and has only been in this job since the end of February. If it hadn't been for covid she wasn't planning to move back here, but she had no choice and I don't think the stress of lockdown has helped.

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Chunkymenrock · 09/04/2021 19:49

I'm afraid there's no way I'd put up with an adult calling my home a fucking shithole. Totally unacceptable. Time for her to move out.

everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 19:53

@Chunkymenrock it's definitely getting to that point. But I'm also afraid that if she doesn't address this, it may get worse in her own place.

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Mollymalone123 · 09/04/2021 19:56

Ultimatum - tell her she needs to move out as she will not see go about her behaviour- be truthful and say u can see she is unwell and needs help from gp.my son has anxiety and pure O. Without medication it’s hell - hopefully that will be the push she needs

everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 20:01

@Mollymalone123 I think ultimatum time is approaching. I was actually thinking that it was me that was a slattern regarding cleaning, but I now realise that the problem is with her behaviour. She wasn't like this before she left for uni.

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Chunkymenrock · 09/04/2021 20:05

Op, it just isn't your responsibility. She won't see a doctor. She has made her decision. She is a fully grown adult who has to take responsibility for herself. It ends here, is what I'd be saying. Time to find herself somewhere to live.

everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 20:08

@Mollymalone123 I must admit I know very little about OCD - it's bandied about in such a flippant way, but I think I really need to get informed about it.

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Alfiemoon1 · 09/04/2021 20:11

My dd went through a brief stage like that my house was dirty when it wasn’t she refused to eat at home because the kitchen was dirty so ate my sisters who cleans less than I do but has a brand new kitchen why can’t we live in a house like my bil which was a newer house but in a cheaper area she never actually did any cleaning herself though so it obviously didn’t bother her to much lol
I found it incredibly hurtful at the time especially as I was working and the only one doing any cleaning she moved away for university and has got other issues now and Is on anti depressants and on the odd time she has come home hasn’t mentioned the cleanliness of the house so I really would encourage your dd to see the gp and or get counselling

everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 20:15

@Alfiemoon1 my daughter seems to be most like this about our house. She visits (during non covid times) the house of friends of ours whose house is a lot untidier and dirtier than ours, but it doesn't seem to bother her. Yet another time she'd visited the house of friends of her boyfriend and said she had to clean the bathroom before she could bring herself to use it!

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Beamur · 09/04/2021 20:17

I think that's a good start. My DD has a form of OCD (another pure O - intrusive thoughts, but not necessarily abated by routine). It's difficult and stressful for her.
Your DD is reacting angrily but she's in the grip of some powerful feelings.

mummymathsteacher · 09/04/2021 20:22

I have OCD and I know I have often made things incredibly hard for my family. If it is OCD, she simply cannot help it. It's not a choice, it's a completely uncontrollable urge than she cannot control. I imagine she knows it's a problem but it is virtually impossible to stop.

Clearly some sort of medical intervention is needed, but I know you can't make her see her GP. It took me probably 5 years before I admitted I had a problem. Sharing some resources about OCD might help? I know it isn't fair on you, but I also found it helpful for my husband to do some of the 'ritual' for me, so it took less time and started to make me realise I was being unreasonable.

Lots of people talk about OCD so flippantly that it often seem like it's not a big deal. Talking about it helped me realise I had a problem. And once it's under control (medicated in my case) then you return to a more normal state.

I'm so sorry for you both. It sounds unbelievably difficult for you all.

everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 20:28

@mummymathsteacher thank you for sharing that. My daughter doesn't seem to have strict routines, although she does have a high "base level" of cleaning, but then it will get to a point where she just erupts and goes on a mad cleaning binge. It's very distressing when that happens, as you can cut the atmosphere with a knife.

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everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 20:29

Even the dog hides when she's on one her cleaning missions!

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Mollymalone123 · 09/04/2021 20:35

I too think that to get her anxiety under control she needs medication and counselling alongside-but if it’s making her that bad tablets first! It will be all consuming for her and has nothing to do with the cleanliness of your house- it’s the obsession with her and then the compulsion to do something about it I assume.My son handwashes-a lot-until they bleed and are red/sore -nothing to do with germs/cleanliness at all. He has ‘awful scenarios and thoughts in his head and his way of distraction is to each his hands ( a compulsion to do it) so he can stop the thoughts in his head. If you met him u would think he was quiet,gentle and polite -which he is- but in his head he has bouts of terrible thoughts and that he is useless,unworthy and shouldn’t be happy.It took years for him to tell us. Read up as much as you can and then talk to your DD from a more informed place maybe.I’m so sorry as it’s bloody awful once you understand what they’re going through- and the anger from her could also be fear too 💐

mummymathsteacher · 09/04/2021 21:03

Do the cleaning binges coincide with particularly stressful moments? I know I can control my OCD when things are calm, but I can be tipped over the edge when stressed. I wonder if there are triggers?

everydayiwritethebook · 09/04/2021 21:13

@mummymathsteacher yes, they do coincide with stressful times. Also worse when she's due her period.

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