THE HOUSE OF OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVES......CH 4 .......9.00

[RTKangaMummy]

TONIGHT

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I was concentrating too hard on learning to knit and missed whether it was cruel entertainment or helpful to fellow suffers or enlightening.. but it was on in the background ... dear me.

I found it enlightening and heartbreaking and made it possible to empathise more with OCD sufferers . what a terrible disease

Doh and I was sat there wonkily 'casting on' for hours lol

I felt that this was an excellent program. It educated (not all OCD is hand washing etc). It showed that OCD is not 'mad people' but ordinary every day folk and also made the point that we all have OCD in us.

The people involved were profesionals who were the first to say that it was the strenghts of the OCDers that would be their 'cure'. I felt that the staff were respectful and encouraging and the parients were shown as rounded people.

I was stunned at that woman's ability to touch the inside of a toilet and then eat without washing .. I don't think I could do that

Fantastic programme, me and dh were glued. Neither of us have any experience of it, so it was a real eye opener. Looking forward to next weeks now!

Were they using cognative behavioual therapy with them?

i really felt for the woman who couldn't touch her kids and husband. i couldn't believe it when she rubbed the glitter all over her hands, face and hair!

ks, I am sure, they thouroughly cleaned it before trying to get her to touch it. Having said that, I don't know if I could have done what she did!

I watched it thought of you, TC and hoped you were watching it (I hadn't seen this thread at the time) what did you think? I thought it was a useful insight into the condition and how they reacted to overcoming any part of the OC behaviour. I hope it has given me more of an understanding of the condition.

As a general rule the handle of the too is more badly infected with bacteria than the seat!

The actual risk to her would have been minimal

I thoughtthat it was an excellent program, compasionate and informative

wasn't the seat she touched though .. it was the white porcelain inside the loo

I'd actualy put money on that being cleaner too, tbh!

I couldn't bring myself to watch this last night, but am glad that you all say it was interesting and insightful. I was worried it would be a case of 'hey, look at the crazy people' and focussing on the familiar aspects i.e. handwashing etc. OCD covers such an enormous spectrum of problems. I just thought it would be too upsetting to watch atm. Does anyone know if it's likely to be repeated?

I don't know ks but they did mention that she had had a miscarriage twenty years ago and since then, her OC behavious had got worse. Not sure what the glitter phobia was caused by though.

i identified with alot...made me think of my OCD habit of not touching raw meat.... not letting the packaging touch the bin lid etc as i throw it out...using tongs to hold the meat whilst i cut it with sciccors (never a Knife)...and if i do touch it - how i have to turn the tap on with my wrist (yeaH!!! i know how to complicate things!!!) and how then when i have thourougly washed my hands how i then have to wash over the tap handle too.

thankfully...that is only when i handle raw meat!!!!

additionally...if any blood or raw meat touches anything that it shouldnt... the bleach comes out...and i have a niggling worry that someone will be ill....and don't relax till at least the next morning...looking out for sickness/diarohea etc!

the bit i identified with was when the 'loo lady' had touched the tiolet bowl...and they asked her how she felt about touching her hair and face etc...and she hesitated...then they asked her what she was thinking...and she said she was being 'told' to touch her hair etc as they wanted her too..in effect not because she wanted to...that is like the renumerating thoughts that the bloke has...I get the same problem...it's like a conversation between the 'good and the bad'...my psychologist visulised it as tlike a cartoon when there is an angel on 1 shoulder and a devil on the other.....once i get caught in that cycle of thoughts it is like they pointed out - far worse than the actuall percieved result of doing what you feel you MUST not do.

Hiope this makes sense!

Next weeks programme certainly looks more insightful into how they REALLY are...as they are at home...the mum who had the panick attacks looks absolutely dreadful in the clip...i really want her to triumph.

the glitter could be as simple as a reminder of a greeting card that had glitter on it...or it was christmas...anything that links her back to her miscarriage.

My psychologist did CBT with me for 2 years...though i am not diagnosed with OCD..she agreed i had many behaviours...and one of you said about how the danger is that you conquer 1 OCD problem- to replace it with another- that is certainly my problem- i go from cutting my hairto bingeeating- to weighing myself ever few minutes- to bleaching - to moving furniture etc....she says that my behaviour is common in people that the 'root problem' has not been identified.

Thought this was very interesting - DH has OCD and has been receiving CBT for it (his problems are to do with obsessive thoughts and associated anziety/depression rather than any compulsions). Also, look forward to seeing how they get on at home - it's not going to be cured as quick as all that. The aversion therapy is useful but from what I understand CBT also gives you a set of tools that hopefully allows you to challenge the behaviour in the future - and that takes quite a while to learn and get used to doing.
DH thought it was a sympathetic programme & fascinating too. and anything like this helps me understand what's up with him!
ks, I think there is a strong link to depression - DH has suffered with depression for a long time and it took the docs ages to work out that the root of it all was OCD as it was so well hidden (as I believe it is with many OCD sufferers). Some antidepressants work well for OCD - can't remember which ones though - so there probably is something to do with serotonin.

Felt they all were genuine and make good
progress.

Great to see supportive family members, in what must be a hard to grasp condition for most people.

My DS sister has OCD rituals and it was great to watch.

I think the 'glitter' came on as a by-thought of dust/dirt after the miscarriage she had. It is maybe a more visual thing than general dust/dirt.

Yeah it was ok. These programmes always just leave me feeling sadder about my sister though really. Here';s is so, so bad. she doesn't have the glitter thing but has both the other obsessions and more

It's her total lack of self esteem that hurts. I watched her put her socks on yesterday. Bloody hell, it took 5 mins just to put on 1 sock. It absolutley broke my heart. Still she made it out of the house for my step-granfathers funeral which was more than my sister with the personality disorder could manage

I loathe OCD more than anything else in this world. It's so, so cruel. Cruel, nasty, pointless, heartbreaking, sick, twisted, spiteful, mean, and unrelenting.

I'm sorry it brought so many painful thoughts and memories for you Thomcat. From the miniscule amount of knowledge I have of the condition, I have to agree with you that it really is cruel, nasty, pointless, heartbreaking, sick, twisted, spiteful, mean, and unrelenting.

I haven't been able to watch this, I have OCD and it was too close to home for me. I'm glad to hear from so many people that they think it has been sympathetically treated and that the programme was insightful. I agree wholeheartedly with Thomcat: OCD is a cruel, nasty, pointless, heartbreaking, sick, twisted, spiteful, mean, and unrelenting illness which few people understand, and few GPs are equipped to treat.