OCD Support Thread

[Helplessandheartbroke]

A friendly thread for support for fellow ocd sufferers. No judgement here.

Hi,
Can I please join?

Hi @Slowdives thanks for joining me. Do you want to share your situation? Im happy to too. I've had ocd since childhood 😢 this was switching light switches on and off and getting in and out of bed 6 times before I could sleep etc. As an adult its now gone to intrusive thoughts that consume me and affect my MH and day to day life at times

Hey , I'm just coming out an ocd phase, my thoughts are always around my feelings for my children and more recently my new partner...I've improved a lot since increasing my sertraline, so I can cope day to day...but so tired of the obsessive thoughts and analysing my emotions to check I feel 'right'. But now that I'm less anxious I worry I'm just blaming OCD when it's actually just me. It's so tiring, trying to be as normal as I can and hope it passes like it has in the past( although my head keeps saying 'this time it's different '...I start back at work tomorrow after being off with anxiety..., it's so hard to find people who understand what it's like....xx

Hi @Mummyrj18

I think i commented on one of your posts prior. Im glad the meds are helping. Im on fluoxitine but I dont think they're strong enough.

I also worry things are blamed on my ocd and that something bad has actually happened. Its a nightmare isn't it x

I’ve had OCD since a child but not diagnosed til late twenties.
I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in my teens. I honestly never even thought to describe what I now know as intrusive thoughts and compulsions like checking switches were off, doors locked etc because I honestly thought that it was…maybe not normal, but something not to be advertised. My dad always did stuff like this and my younger sister too. I had extremely bad health anxiety too.
When I got to adolescence I developed body dysmorphia and so a lot of my rituals became around that instead.
I was on a lots of meds and things did get better but I also had horrible side effects. I thought the meds weren’t really doing anything and I started wanting to ttc in my early thirties so I came off the meds. Pregnancy and post partum were a nightmare. The OCD came back with a vengeance and then COVID 🙄 I went into full flight - hand washing, sanitising, insomnia, screaming anxiety, intrusive thoughts so vivid they almost felt real 😞
Eventually I got back on meds and thankfully I am a lot better now, but ever since I relapsed, I’m terrified of my own brain. I feel like this monster is always there hanging around me and I never know when it’s going to take over again.

Sorry that you suffer too. It’s an awful thing. What sort of intrusive thoughts do you have if you don’t mind me asking?

@Slowdives I can relate so much. My ds was born a few days before lockdown. I definitely developed PND and my OCD was in overdrive.

I was only diagnosed recently in my 30s as I always 'managed' it but I definitely dont manage it any more.

Most of my thoughts and worries are about ds and his health and convinced myself bad things have happened like when hes fell etc.

Im on fluoxitine now and propranolol but thing I need a higher dose!

It is so much harder to manage with kids.
I would imagine a lot of people with OCD struggled badly during the pandemic.
I hope adjusting your meds works out for you 🤞
I am going to try a new GP because the one I have is terrible. I used to be under the community psychiatrist but they discharged me to the GP once I was stable and since then the threshold for referral is much higher. I’ve been rejected three times so no point asking again.
Have you ever done any therapy and did you find it helpful?

Good luck back at work! X
Let us know how it goes if you want to.

I can identify with what you’ve said here. I’m at the stage where I don’t even try to distinguish between what is me and what is the illness anymore. I actually find it helpful to remember that OCD comes under the umbrella of neurodivergence because it has helped me to see it as something that can be managed but is sort of just part of me that never goes away because it’s just how my brain works. As awful as it feels, I do feel better now that I’ve accepted it to an extent.

Sorry @Mummyrj18 good luck with work today!

Do you both wake up just feeling so anxious? Its like I feel anxious and guilty constantly. My ds is non verbal autistic and I blame myself for this. He puts things in his mouth so I've convinced myself he put something really bad in his mouth the other week that must have blown onto my drive way 😒 its exhausting

Hi all
good to have a thread for ocd.
I suffer from reassurance-seeking compulsions.
It’s often over relationships. Family and friendships.
I messaged a friend who I meet-up for coffee with and she said she didn’t want to talk to anyone at the moment. It’s been 8 days and I’m ruminating that I’ve done something wrong!! I dot know what I could have done, but it’s sooo tempting to message or ring her and ask for reassurance, instead of sitting with the uncertainty.
Any advice of the best way to handle this obsession/compulsion?

@Lizzbear it sounds like your friends going through a rough time too. I would drop her a message and ask how she is and when shes next free?

Thanks for your reply. I normally would. But she said she didn’t want to talk to anyone and she’d let me know when she did??
If I message her now I’m not respecting her request. I’m sort of giving in to my intolerance of uncertainty x

I would think youre being a supportive friend checking in but if youre not comfortable then wait it out. Does she know you suffer with ocd? X

Hello
thanjs. Yes, she knows I get very anxious around perceived rejection, she said she does too!!.
I’ll give her another week or so to get back to me. Then I’ll risk contacting her 😙

That must be so hard 😢
The medication I’m on has a sort of sedative effect. It makes my mind quite blank.
When I was off it I was like that, buzzing with anxiety all the time.
Now I’m just sort of flat. I struggle with concentration and feeling tired and unmotivated.
It’s unfortunate that on balance I feel I have to just accept this. It is better than how I was though.
My health anxiety is probably the most horrible thing wrong with my mh. I still get intrusive thoughts about my health coming through when my anxiety goes up.
I am not too bad about my dd generally until something triggers it like when she actually gets sick.
On a regular day, if I can stick to my routine and that, I can manage ok. It’s when other stuff is happening and I feel out of control that the anxiety starts going up.

Hi @Lizzbear
I did CBT and Exposure/ Response Prevention therapy years ago for this type of behaviour.
As far as I can remember the advice for when you experience the compulsion was
Find a healthy distraction
Practice mindfulness
Visualisation: Imagine the thought as a balloon and imagine letting it go and watching it drift away
Eventually it will go away (only to be replaced by another one as we all know 🙄 😅) but it’s about managing the anxiety in the moment and breaking the cycle so that hopefully eventually it will get easier not to feel compelled to reassurance seek.
I found this (somewhat helpful). It is what you would learn in CBT anyway.

Thank you very much for this helpful advice.
I will take it on board and let you all know how I get on

Solidarity ladies. Its a rough ride at times. Some very sound advice already though. Hope yous manage a peaceful evening 😊

You’re very welcome ☺️
Good luck x

Does anyone obsess over text messages? A friend has dropped off the radar due to problems in her life. I became obsessed that I’ve done something wrong. Anyway I messaged her and she messaged me saying she was struggling with life problems and not to worry.
i was ok for a bit but then the obsession started. So I sent an extra message of support. Fine.
but realised I’d not asked for reassurance about meeting up in future, so I sent another one, then deleted it!!!
I’m now stuck obsessing if I should have deleted it, whether she can see I’ve deleted it, and my brain is panicking about what I might do next for reassurance. It’s awful

I suffer from OCD, obsessive thinking about technical work matters. Convinced a mistake has been made and I'm going to personally impact people. I resolve one worry , then find the next and it's circular. Like a poster above , I then worry I'm not being taken seriously and my OCD blamed when there is a real issue.

That sounds hard. It’s awful isn’t it?

@Lizzbear we all tend to obsess over something, in your case now its your friend and these messages, once that's resolved im sure you'll find something else. Its deliberating.

@Plant2628 it may have been myself that mentioned people blame the ocd and I never feel taken seriously.

My main overthinking is mostly around ds atm. Kind of like health anxiety

What sort of Heath anxiety? I obsess over my son and his Heath and career. He’s 24. It starts off as healthy concern, but then goes obsessive l!!!

Anything and everything honestly, to the point where I make myself ill