More threads by Superiority Tails

I have OCD and I feel it could be getting worse. How do I tell my counselor? I don't have money for a psychiatrist but is a weekly appointment with a counselor good enough? I meet with her every Monday to discuss my homosexuality. I find the advice very helpful and I feel better about being gay now. Anyway I would like help on my OCD before it gets worse. What do I do?
 
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ladylore

Account Closed
I have OCD and I feel it could be getting worst. How do I tell my counselor? I don't have money for a psychiatrist but is a weekly appointment with a counselor good enough? I meet with her every Monday to disgust my homosexuality. I find the advise very helpful and I feel better about being gay now. Anyway I would like help on my OCD before it gets worst. What do I do.

Hi Superiority Tails,

Was it your counsellor that diagnosed the OCD or your doctor? Does your counsellor already know about the OCD he/she wasn't the one that diagnosed it?

I would suggest telling your counsellor what is going on with you, be it obsessive thoughts or behaviours that concern you. And the how you feel it is getting worse. If your counsellor can't assist you he/she can refer you to someone else or, may suggest that you see your doctor so your doctor can refer you to a psychiatrist if needed. But yes, definitely bring it up in your next session.

Ladylore
 

Daniel E.

daniel@psychlinks.ca
Administrator
As Ladylore pointed out, just let your counselor know all of your symptoms. Many people with anxiety will experience some OCD-like symptoms like obsessive worry, but that doesn't mean they have OCD.

Some self-help methods listed at the page below are helpful for obsessive worries, ruminative thoughts, anxiety, etc:

The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook. - Google Book Search

At the top of the above list is exercise, which is clinically proven to improve mood, lower anxiety levels, etc. However, exercising in the evening can make it more difficult to fall asleep, so exercising in the morning is best.

For symptoms of anxiety that include ruminative thoughts (obsessive worries):

Ten Best-Ever Anxiety-Management Techniques - Psychlinks Psychology and Self-Help Forum

For more classical, OCD-like symptoms:

OCD-UK: The Four Steps - Brain Lock
 
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Isn't OCD caused by stress. I'm very stressed a lot of times. I think if anyone is going to have a brakedown in my family it would be me. My mom only loves me because she's think I'm straight. I hate her so much because of how she treated me when I came out and she's always depress. It's annoying. I'll live with her until I can afford to move out or until she dies either way will work.
 

David Baxter PhD

Late Founder
Everyone has some stress in their lives, both positive stress and negative stress. I think it's the "total load" of positive and negative stress that matters, how close you are to the threshold of what you can comfortably manage. If you go beyond that threshold, you will begin to feel stressed and exhibit symptoms of too much stress in your life.
 

Daniel E.

daniel@psychlinks.ca
Administrator
My mom only loves me because she's think I'm straight...I hate her so much because of how she treated me when I came out and she's always depress. It's annoying. I'll live with her until I can afford to move out or until she dies either way will work.

The typical advice I read in newspapers is to move out sooner than later, even if you have to postpone college.

In any case, even accepting parents often need time to adjust, and family counseling may helpful if you aren't moving out anytime soon.
 

Halo

Member
I think that at least suggesting family counselling lets her know that you want to work on things together. What she thinks or how she reacts is really not your problem or anything that you can control. She is responsible for her own actions and reactions. It may not be what you are hoping for but at least you have left the door open for her to come to you when and if she is ready.
 
are you fearing that you can't change the hand washing and the lock checking or are you referring to something else? the ocd like behaviour is something that can be managed, so you aren't unable to control that.
 
I feel that it the washing will be with me forever but I can change for the better. Do I still have suicidal thoughts because even though I don't want to kill myself I still believe I'd be better off dead if not happier though.
 

Daniel E.

daniel@psychlinks.ca
Administrator
I feel that it the washing will be with me forever but I can change for the better.

I used to wash my hands compulsively for a while when my depression/anxiety started. But, over time, it diminished to the point where it wasn't a compulsion. For me, it was just a side issue anyway compared to depression and anxiety.

Do I still have suicidal thoughts because even though I don't want to kill myself I still believe I'd be better off dead if not happier though.

I view my non-lethal suicidal thoughts as an indicator that my depression is worse than usual. In other words, if things aren't going my way -- if my current psychological needs are not being met -- it is more likely I will be depressed with suicidal thoughts.
 
I used to wash my hands compulsively for a while when my depression/anxiety started. But, over time, it diminished to the point where it wasn't a compulsion. For me, it was just a side issue anyway compared to depression and anxiety.

But for me it's off and on. I get over it for a while and then it comes back. It's always been like that.


I view my non-lethal suicidal thoughts as an indicator that my depression is worse than usual. In other words, if things aren't going my way -- if my current psychological needs are not being met -- it is more likely I will be depressed with suicidal thoughts.

Do you still think about suicide?
 

Daniel E.

daniel@psychlinks.ca
Administrator
The best treatment methods for compulsions are discussed in the book Brain Lock, which you can find in many public libraries.

Personally, my depression was a mitigating factor for my obsessions about germs. In other words, I was usually more depressed than anxious or compulsive. The hand washing was never a major issue for me. The only compulsion that really annoyed me -- brushing my hair for sometimes a half hour, maybe more -- existed on-and-off during a couple years when I was in college and more concerned about my self-image. As with all of my previous compulsions, the compulsive hair brushing just seemed to fade away over time.
 
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