Ocd advise

Mental Health Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
1

Hello Everyone,

I am a 36 year old professional who I believe suffer from OCD and depression. I have never spoken to a therapist and I hate medication, even tylenol. I have been struggling up and down with repetative thoughts, mood swings and depression. I will give you an example of my OCD characteristics- They are mostly mental OCD:

I obsess about things that have troubled me in the past. I feel as like they are happening now even thought I am fully aware they are in the past. I can spend hours and hours thinking and repeating the same phrase in my head or sometimes aloud. It wears me out mentally.

I have trouble reading and getting past some sentences. Sometimes I can read the same line 20 times and still dont undertand what it means. I can only describe this OCD feeling as a very strong impulse.

Sometimes I have my wife repeat the same word a few times so i understand it or until I feel "satisfied." then I repeated it until I am satisfied. (interesting that I don't feel the urge to repeat things if someone else tells me a word or talks to me- I dont know why- and no one else suspects that I have OCD- I can hide it well)

If a word catches my eye, I repeat the word and try to visualized what the word means mentally. I can waste a lot of time doing it.

As a result of all of these useless repeticious patterns in my head, I subsequently feel a sense of anger, sad, depress, overwhelmed, emptiness, void- I feel like something tragic just occured- sore of like a close family member died or something related to a lot of pain.

I dont know why I feel like this. I have a great career, loving wife and family, a beautiful home- I have everything I can possibly have- but yet I feel like this.

Now, I dont feel this way all the time. It varies. I went 4 months without having OCD or being depressed. As soon as I let a negative thought come in, I fell in the trap and have not been able to get out of it, despite me reading lots of OCD books and trying tactics to reducing OCD.

Anyways, I hope this was not boring...but I am writting this to obtain opinions from people that have or are going through this.....

Thx!

BobbyG

2

Hi Bobby,

Your story sounds a lot like mines. I go through some of the same rituals and ruminations as you. There have been periods of time when these symptoms have subsided, but invariably they come back. Currently I'm going through a difficult period where everything catches my attention and causes me to analyze it to some unreasonable degree, e.g., words, inanimate objects, and situation from the past. I'm on mdeication, and like you, I'm not someone who enjoys or likes to take medication. I have found some relief through the combination of medication and talk theraphy, however. It's a time cunsumimg process, but I believe there is a lot of value added in this approach. My advice to you would be to seek some professional help, and try and find some comfort level with theraphy and meds, or just theraphy. Also, I have shared all of these feelings with my wife and she has been extremely supportive, and as a result, I don't feel like I'm in this alone. Good luck with whatever your choice may be.

3

Hi bobbyg
This is like looking in a mirror with what you have said I have been going through also.
I have this line from a movie constently in my head and thoughts. "Life is like a box of chocolates" (forest gump)
but every time I mentally or verbally say this line I have to put some thing negative behind this line " and mine is all the nasty ones". Its is wearing me out aswell.
I have started doing a breathing exercise where I concentrate solely on my breathing . It is helping slightly
but its this feeling that it is making me feel worthless.
I am currently on medication which I take seariously I take it at the exact time every day and my pacing and checking routine starts if I miss it. I feel for you at this moment and my advice is as eugene said tell your doctor about how you feel he will provide information and advice on how best for you to be treated. Meds or talk therapy or a combination of both . Good look with it all and I hope that you have some easier time very soon.

4

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all of your replies. It does help knowing that this symptoms are common. these feelings are weird. It's hard for me to accept it- I have never been diagnosed with OCD because I have never spoken to a therapist. But I know I have it right? It is a very strange ordeal. Mine are all repetative thoughts, over and over,- words, letters, and things from past-maybe something that someone said to me 10 years ago- i start to re-live it and analyze it to the fullest-sometime I visualize the persons facial features as they were saying it and I am not satisfy it until I see it. It WEIRD-especially because I am aware that I am doing it and that is weird. It's urges- that leads into depressions, moodiness. I have a hard time concentrating. I know I am not crazy....No one will ever suspect what goes in my head. I have a very good career and I am well respected by friends, family and co-workers. I can hide it well.....but inside it consumes me sometimes. Sometimes I try to fight the urge to think and by ignoring the thought, it gets me in a really, really bad mood. It's like the tought is lingering and I will be in a bad mood until I pay attention to the negative thought.....Strange...other than my OCD, i live a normal life and can function fine- except when the OCD is stronger, then I have to fake it....

What type of medication deals with OCD and does it really work?? is there one medication that can attack the OCD, Depression and moodiness? Can the meds make me crazy to the point I lose control?

Thanks for the advise!

Bobbyg

5

Hi bobbyg
You wanted to no what medications there out there for OCD.
Prescribed medication has been established to be very effective in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). For people with OCD there is prescription medication that will be able to reduce some of the OCD symptoms. Medication is not generally a permanent or a fully complete treatment.
The most helpful medicines aim to reinstate the balance of serotonin in the brain. These drugs, such as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are also used to manage depression and work by lowering the feelings of anxiety.
Clomipramine (Anafranil)
Fluoxetine (Prozac) I personally have been prescribe this drug and use it and it deos take some of the systoms away.
Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
Sertraline (Zoloft)
Paroxetine (Paxil)
Are commonly use as prescribed medication for OCD.
It can take between 4 to 12 weeks after starting off the course of medicines for OCD before you recognize an improvement. Your doctor or health care worker may need to increase your dose if the preliminary doses does not help.
The above drugs may be called something else in different countrys.
I havent heard of any of the above drugs making you crazy there are some side effects Dry mouth, blurry vision, weight gain, sexual dysfunction (impotence). Nothing severe .
Theses drugs are not a addictive drug but please ask your doctor for more advice.
In doses the drugs may help to reduce anxiety. In more severe cases, there are other drugs that may be added to improve the response.
There are other treatment you can get which work well on there own or as part of a treatment program.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) or the "talking therapy" concentrates on helping sufferers to find out and identify and look at and question their irrational thoughts. This therapy can constrain and rework these thought patterns. For example, If some one has a phobia about using and visiting a public toilet they are encouraged to visit and use a public toilet. In uncomplicated terms it is used to change a negative thoughts to a positive one.
I hope this has been of some help to you. :-)
From Mark (ocdmylife)

6

Thank you Mark for your advise! I really appreciate it…I have to do some thinking and find an MD.

Again,
ths

Bobbyg

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