Living with OCD

My grandma had some OCD's where she would just be very very paranoid. But she got better with time. Maybe that'll happen wiht you

hi,i've had ocd for a few years although it's much better at the moment.i would recommend seeing your gp and seeing if you can referred for cognitive behavioural therapy,it's so effective for this and really helped me.

Hey
I know exactly what you're going through i have bad ocd I check locks on doors constantly, i went through a phase of having to say the same thing to my mum 3 times before i went to bed or i thought sometheing would happen to her. I also can't wash dishes, having to put my hands in dirty water with bits of food in it makes me hysterical. Recently i've also started pulling my hair out which is something ocd sufferers can develop. If i'm writing something out and i'm like on the last line of the ppaer and i make a mistak...i have to rewrite the whole thing out. My fiance has diagnosed ocd and although i havent seen anyone about it yet hes spoken to his psychiatrist about it and he told him that my symptoms are definate ocd. Its affecting my life especially the hair pulling, and it gets worse when i'm stressed. I get stupid thoughts that are ocd related too, like if im on a crowded train i start thinking stupid thoughts like omg someones gonna stab me. Its horrible I'm hoping to see a doctor about my obsessions too, i think if your toutines are affecting your everyday life you should go speak to your doctor about it too xx<3

I'd recommend several things.

The first is self-help. If you google it you'll find innumerable Web sites, or you can find books in your library or buy them online. The premise of most of these things (and of CBT) is pretty simple: get some perspective on your OCD, realize that it's irrational, challenge your irrational behaviour (by doing some experiments to see what happens if you don't do things a certain number of times), and ultimately change your behaviour. Sounds simple, but it's very difficult: you have to overcome years of mental programming. To do that you might need support.

So the second stage, if mere self-help is not enough, is to visit your GP. Depending on the severity of your condition, especially the degree to which it impairs your ability to go about ordinary life, your GP should (according to government guidelines) offer you CBT with self-help, a more intensive sort of therapy, antidepressants, or some combination of these. Although what you actually get will depend very much on funding provisions in your area and the attitude of your GP. If the first GP isn't sympathetic, try another.

The reason I recommend self-help first is that, one way or another, you'll have to overcome it yourself. The GP route merely offers additional support, some of which carries risks of its own (antidepressants in particular). Additionally, by helping yourself you'll avoid having OCD down in your medical notes, which may come up if future employers request a medical report.

For reference, you can find the guidelines on OCD here: http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG31/?c=91523.

The charity OCD UK has a list of self-help books here: http://www.ocduk.org/2/books.htm. There's also a lot of other useful material on their Web site.

Obviously my fiance knows because he saw the signs because hes an ocd sufferer himself. I tried telling my mum but she didnt believe me i got really emotional when i told her because she was telling me that everyone has little obsessions. The thing is these arent just little obsessions, my obsessions are stopping me from doing things and are giving me constant thoughts and thats how i know this isnt just little obsessions. Because my family dont really believe me ive held back on going to see a doctor i've been trying to solve the problem myself Its not seeming to work though. Just remember you're not alone xxx<3