Is this really more OCD?

[adaptive1]

I am confused again. I met with my psychologist today and she told me more of my behaviour is part of OCD. For example, constantly repetitively checkin the same web sites over and over in the same orders is part of my OCD. Is it really? Then how do I know what behaviors are me and what is OCD related?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I am confused again. I met with my psychologist today and she told me more of my behaviour is part of OCD. For example, constantly repetitively checkin the same web sites over and over in the same orders is part of my OCD. Is it really? Then how do I know what behaviors are me and what is OCD related?

That certainly sounds like OCD, yes.

Then how do I know what behaviors are me and what is OCD related?

They are all you, in one sense. OCD is part of you. But OCD misleads into distorting your thinking and perceiving in very insistent, repetitive, and compelling ways.

The challenge is not to figure out what is you and what is OCD. The challenge is to figure what is TRUE and what is OCD.

 

[adaptive1]

I am sorry Dr Baxter but I don't understand really and I am trying to. Do you mean which of the behaviours I really want to engage in are true? The ones that are repetitive and habitual are not. But what could be the difference, the behaviours that I want are true and the ones I don't are not?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

My apologies. Lately I have been working more with the obsessive part of OCD rather than the compulsive part.

Part of the answer to your question is to look at why you're doing it, how often, and how much time it's taking. With repetitive checking behavior, for example, you want to check that you've turned off the stove, turned off the light, locked the door. Checking it once is normal. If you're a bit distracted, you might question whether you've already checked it and double check. Anything beyond that is compulsive. So you WANT to be safe and you WANT to turn off the stove but you do not want to check the stove 6, 8, 12 times.

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/17227-when-does-a-habit-become-ocd.html

“When it first started, I’d check the locks and stove a few times. As time went by, I started checking more and more things—the iron, the hair dryer, the window-screen locks—and I’d check them each dozens of times before leaving for work and before going to bed. At its worst, the checking and re-checking took three to four hours a day. It became difficult to socialize, because it was exhausting, physically and emotionally.”

OCD is sometimes called the doubting disease, and it’s easy to see why. “I would look at a gas burner and see it was off, but the second I looked away a flicker of doubt would enter my brain, and I’d think, Is it really off? Maybe I accidentally bumped it and turned it back on. I wouldn’t feel safe until I checked it again,” Coulter says.

Another way of differentiating compulsive behaviors from normal behaviors is in looking at how easy it is to NOT act on the compulsive urge. If you WANT to do something, you can also decide not to do it. If NOT doing it feels very difficult, if you feel that somehow you MUST do it, that's probably an OCD compulsion.

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/obsessiv...our-steps-dr-jeffrey-schwartz-brain-lock.html

When the thought comes, you first Relabel it as an obsessive thought or a compulsive urge and then Reattribute it to the fact that you have OCD - a medical problem. Then Refocus your attention to this other behaviour that you have chosen. Start the process of Refocusing by refusing to take the obsessive-compulsive symptoms at face value. Say to yourself, "I'm experiencing a symptom of OCD. I need to do another behaviour."

You must train yourself in a new method of responding to the thoughts and urges, redirecting your attention to something other than the OCD symptoms. The goal of treatment is to stop responding to the OCD symptoms while acknowledging that, for the short term, these uncomfortable feelings will continue to bother you.

It is vitally important to Refocus attention away from the urge or thought and onto any other reasonable task or activity. Don't wait for the thought or feeling to go away. Don't expect it to go away right away. And, by all means, don't do what your OCD is telling you to do. Rather, engage in any constructive activity of your choosing. You'll see that instigating a time delay between the onset of the urge and even considering acting on it will make the urge fade and change. What is more important, even if the urge changes hardly at all, as sometimes happens, you learn that you can have some control over your response to this faulty message from the brain.

If you give in and perform a compulsion after a time delay and an attempt to Refocus, make a special effort to continue to Relabel the behaviour and to acknowledge that this time the OCD overwhelmed you. Remind yourself "I'm not washing my hands because they are dirty, but because of my OCD. The OCD won this round, but next time I'll wait longer." In this way, even performing a compulsive behaviour can contain an element of behaviour therapy. This is very important to realize: Relabeling a compulsive behaviour as a compulsive behaviour is a form of behaviour therapy and is much better than doing a compulsion without making a clear mental note about what it is.

A tip for those who are fighting checking behaviours - checking locks, stoves, and other appliances: If your problem is, say, checking the door lock, try to lock the door with extra attention and mindful awareness the first time. This way, you'll have a good mental picture to refer to when the compulsive urge arises. Anticipating that the urge to check is going to arise in you, you should lock the door the first time in a slow and deliberate manner, making mental notes, such as "The door is now locked. I can see that the door is locked." You want a clear mental image of that locked door; so when the urge to check the door seizes you, you will be able to Relabel it immediately and say, "That's an obsessive idea. It is OCD." You will Reattribute the intensity and intrusiveness of the urge to check again to your OCD. You will remember, "It's not me--it's just my brain."

You will Refocus and begin to "work around" the OCD urges by doing another behaviour, with a ready mental picture of having locked that door because you did it so carefully and attentively the first time.

 

[adaptive1]

Thanks very much I am beginning to understand. It never occurred to me how much of my thoughts and behaviours are related to OCD. Now that I have a better understanding I can try to address it. It had made a huge difference finding a psychologist that works with OCD and is supportive of medication. Your help has made a huge difference in my life too.

 

[Banned]

I am confused again. I met with my psychologist today and she told me more of my behaviour is part of OCD. For example, constantly repetitively checkin the same web sites over and over in the same orders is part of my OCD. Is it really? Then how do I know what behaviors are me and what is OCD related?

I do this too. Constantly. All day. Interesting...

 

[adaptive1]

I hear you. She has challenged me not to so I am trying just to use this one and a few that I like but cut down on the time on them. I also just had my medication increased again. I'm hoping this will help reduce some of my obsessiveness even more. I hope to spend the time doing other things, just to feel like I have more balance in my life.

 

[GDPR]

I do this too. Constantly. All day. Interesting...

So do I.

But I assumed it was addiction,not OCD.

 

[Banned]

I check my cell phone constantly too, even though the volume is on so I would hear if I got an email or text. I've never been diagnosed with OCD, just told I have strong OCD traits. The more I read, the more I wonder....

 

[adaptive1]

My doctor had given me a six month prescription for the setraline for OCD and said I could come off of it when the prescription was over. I went on a business trip in November and forgot to take it with me and I didn't notice a big difference off of it during that week I was a way so I stayed off of it. I felt like I was doing ok the last month, but I'm feeling very emotional the last couple of weeks and I have noticed an increase in checking behaviour and compulsive behaviors. Is that a sign I shouldn't have stopped taking the medication. It's confusing to know what's best. I still have my prescription and can renew the other few months. Should I just control my behaviour better? I'm really confused what is best.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I went on a business trip in November and forgot to take it with me and I didn't notice a big difference off of it during that week I was a way so I stayed off of it. I felt like I was doing ok the last month, but I'm feeling very emotional the last couple of weeks and I have noticed an increase in checking behaviour and compulsive behaviors. Is that a sign I shouldn't have stopped taking the medication.

In my opinion, yes.

For one thing, I always tell my clients (being treated for depression) that by the 6 month mark you will probably feel better and start to think about going off the medication. Don't. At that point, you are feeling better but you have not yet been on the medication long enough to maintain the gains you've made. If you are going to start taking an SSRI or SNRI, plan to be on it for a minimum of 1 to 1.5 years at least. Some people will need longer.

In addition, having treated people with OCD for many years, in my opinion, for the vast majority of OCD patients discontinuing medication is simply NOT an option. At times of low stress and minimal change (i.e., higher certainty, predictability, and safety), you may be able to reduce the dose to a minimal maintenance dose but whenever your general levels of stress or anxiety increase you will find that your OCD symptoms will worsen and you will need to increase the dose again for a time.

The bottom line is if you have OCD you are probably best advised to remain on at least a low dose of the medication for life. Some find that depressing but it shouldn't be viewed that way. I have some physical health conditions for which I take 4 medications a day. They improve the quality of my life and I am fully aware and I fully accept that I will need to continue taking these for the rest of my life. I think it's worth it.

 

[adaptive1]

Thanks, very much, I appreciate your opinion very much. i thought about it most of the day and I have decided at least for now, that i should be on the medication. after all, quality of life is important as you pointed out to me. Best wishes for a happy new year.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Happy New Year, A1.

 

[adaptive1]

It was interesting to go back and read my old post I'm glad we keep these on the forum, it's very helpful. I'm no longer on medication, I felt fine and stopped taking it, but lately my checking and obsessive thoughts are out of control. I went back to see my psychologist today as it's been well over a year for me, and she had strong opinions about me restarting medication and said the sooner the better. She gave me a strict schedule and plan about how many times I am allowed to check things a day, it feels overwhelming to try to adhere to this, but I've done it before and I can do it again she says...so, I set my timer for five minutes and checked away and when the timer went off It was a little disappointing but in the morning I get another five minutes.....sad I'm back to this but I thinks can improve things if I am smart about it.

 

[MHealthJo]

We're behind you, Adaptive1.