OCD?Anxiety?

LegacyUser

Hello,

I will try explain this as best as I can. Some years ago an event happened in my life which was quiet traumatic. Somehow in dealing with this I became confused that I might turn out to be a bad person. This made me very anxious and stressed and I developed this ritual where I would say certain sentences, obscenities over in my head throughout the day it was like if I did this I would know that the event was not right. Anyways i'm over that now however I still have the same ritual obsessive sentences going through my head throughout the day not as much or as frequently but I just want to be a healthy and happy person and would love to know if anyone can shed some light, had a similar experience offer advice?

LegacyUser

Hi OP I feel your pain as I went through somethin very similar after a traumatic event. Thinking I was a bad person and carrying out rituals to overcome the thoughts. In my case I found out I was in fact suffering from ocd and had to under go cognitive behaviour therapy which really helped me and I have been doin quite well since. Although I cant comment exactly on your experience personally I think it would be best if you sought help and received a diagnosis so you know where you stand and know how you can begin to make changes. As in my experience the thoughts can come back again anytime I get even a little bit stressed or upset even when I think I am ok.

LegacyUser

very similiar wrote: »

Hi OP I feel your pain as I went through somethin very similar after a traumatic event. Thinking I was a bad person and carrying out rituals to overcome the thoughts. In my case I found out I was in fact suffering from ocd and had to under go cognitive behaviour therapy which really helped me and I have been doin quite well since. Although I cant comment exactly on your experience personally I think it would be best if you sought help and received a diagnosis so you know where you stand and know how you can begin to make changes. As in my experience the thoughts can come back again anytime I get even a little bit stressed or upset even when I think I am ok.

Wow really. I honestly didn't think that something like this could be OCD just used that in my heading because of the similarities, ie rituals etc. I have been doing this for years now and to be honest would have felt silly going to get help with it when people have much bigger problems.

LegacyUser

Well I cant exactly say that you have got ocd but I know I did and I had actually been suffering from it since I was a child without even noticing and it just got a lot worse after a traumatic incident. The thing with ocd is it is often very misunderstood so I think your first step should defo see if you are suffering and then start to deal with it. Don't feel silly because you think other people are worse off because there is always going to be someone suffering more than you but that does not make your problem any less of a problem. Best of luck

HavingCrack

I know I'm not a mod but be careful of giving any advice that comes under the medical advice rule everyone

Op it may be OCD (in fact it sounds quite like it) but the only way you'll know for sure is if you pay a visit to a psyciatrist (you'll need a GP referral though I think). I'd avoid psycologists if I were you for reasons I'd rather not elaborate on in case it starts a row.

tinkerbell

HavingCrack wrote: »

I know I'm not a mod but be careful of giving any advice that comes under the medical advice rule everyone

Op it may be OCD (in fact it sounds quite like it) but the only way you'll know for sure is if you pay a visit to a psyciatrist (you'll need a GP referral though I think). I'd avoid psycologists if I were you for reasons I'd rather not elaborate on in case it starts a row.

^^ I'd avoid psychologists too - however my reasoning would be is that they don't have a medical degree, unlike a psychiatrist who would be in the medical field.

HavingCrack

tinkerbell wrote: »

^^ I'd avoid psychologists too - however my reasoning would be is that they don't have a medical degree, unlike a psychiatrist who would be in the medical field.

Actually this would be my reason as well but this seems to get a lot of psycologists humps up so I generally don't mention.

LegacyUser

Should I go see a counsellor first or something, I feel a bit stupid going about this to be honest.

HavingCrack

Strangethoughts wrote: »

Should I go see a counsellor first or something, I feel a bit stupid going about this to be honest.

A counsellor isn't going to have any meangingful experience dealing with OCD (if thats what it is) so if you're goign to spend that sort of money you may as well see the real thing. OCD is a medical condition so if you really want to get checked a psyciatrist is your best bet.

tinkerbell

HavingCrack wrote: »

Actually this would be my reason as well but this seems to get a lot of psycologists humps up so I generally don't mention.

Screw that, they don't have a medical degree, so obviously a psychiatrist is in a completely different league to a psychologist.

Strangethoughts wrote: »

Should I go see a counsellor first or something, I feel a bit stupid going about this to be honest.

No - don't go see a counsellor, they can't help you. OCD is a medical condition like HavingCrack said, a counsellor can tell you nothing that could help you with it. You need a psychiatrist. There's nothing to feel ashamed of either - everybody has some form of OCD, no matter what people will say otherwise. Some people might be a bit obsessive over hygiene, the way their dinner is cooked, how their clothes are arranged in a wardrobe, etc. - it's just when it takes over your life that is the problem.

Oh and please do report back on how you get on with your psychiatrist and if it makes the anxiety go away, keep us posted ok!

LegacyUser

OP if these thoughts are affecting your day to day life and/or are simply really bothering you then get yourself to your GP and take their advice about who to see.

Unfortunately you're getting advice that is grossly inaccurate in relation to seeing or not seeing certain professionals - even the professionals you have been advised to see would disagree with these posters replies - they are based on uninformed "pop beliefs" from watching too many movies.

I am in NO way suggesting you have OCD but I feel the need to say this based on the fact that you've been warned away from seeking help from psychologists. I am not a professional in either field but have been through treatment for OCD and intrusive thoughts which involved both professionals at the beginning and in fact a psychologist using cognitive behaviour therapy was what sorted me out and NOT psychiatrists medication. The CBT helped me change my thought patterns so I stopped obsessing and relieved my anxiety - the medication from psychiatrists would have only been used if I was depressed, not to treat the OCD and that's what I was told by a psychiatrist. But it's for the professionals to decide as each person is different and their OCD may be different - do not base your decision to seek help on a couple of ill-informed posters and don't base it on my post either.

Personally I'm really suprised the advice given has been allowed. I think my own post relating to professionals should also be deleted but I think some balance from someone through OCD was needed.

Victor

tinkerbell wrote: »

Screw that, they don't have a medical degree, so obviously a psychiatrist is in a completely different league to a psychologist.

**You** don't have a medical degree, so we shouldn't listen to you either.

Psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors do different things. In the absense of a proper diagnosis, one isn't necessarily better or more appropriate than the other.

OP, have a word with your GP and explain what you are experiencing. Between you, a referral can be decided upon.

tinkerbell

Nice Advice wrote: »

I am in NO way suggesting you have OCD but I feel the need to say this based on the fact that you've been warned away from seeking help from psychologists. I am not a professional in either field but have been through treatment for OCD and intrusive thoughts which involved both professionals at the beginning and in fact a psychologist using cognitive behaviour therapy was what sorted me out and NOT psychiatrists medication. The CBT helped me change my thought patterns so I stopped obsessing and relieved my anxiety - the medication from psychiatrists would have only been used if I was depressed, not to treat the OCD and that's what I was told by a psychiatrist. But it's for the professionals to decide as each person is different and their OCD may be different - do not base your decision to seek help on a couple of ill-informed posters and don't base it on my post either.

Victor wrote: »

**You** don't have a medical degree, so we shouldn't listen to you either.

Psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors do different things. In the absense of a proper diagnosis, one isn't necessarily better or more appropriate than the other.

OP, have a word with your GP and explain what you are experiencing. Between you, a referral can be decided upon.

Apologies - I shouldn't have just assumed here regarding pscyhiatrists / psychologists, that was wrong of me, sorry about that.

Nice Advice - I'm glad to hear that you had a positive experience with a psychologist compared to a psychiatrist, that has definitely changed my opinion of them now, and I won't be dismissive of them in the future!

HavingCrack

Nice Advice wrote: »

OP if these thoughts are affecting your day to day life and/or are simply really bothering you then get yourself to your GP and take their advice about who to see.

Unfortunately you're getting advice that is grossly inaccurate in relation to seeing or not seeing certain professionals - even the professionals you have been advised to see would disagree with these posters replies - they are based on uninformed "pop beliefs" from watching too many movies.

I am in NO way suggesting you have OCD but I feel the need to say this based on the fact that you've been warned away from seeking help from psychologists. I am not a professional in either field but have been through treatment for OCD and intrusive thoughts which involved both professionals at the beginning and in fact a psychologist using cognitive behaviour therapy was what sorted me out and NOT psychiatrists medication. The CBT helped me change my thought patterns so I stopped obsessing and relieved my anxiety - the medication from psychiatrists would have only been used if I was depressed, not to treat the OCD and that's what I was told by a psychiatrist. But it's for the professionals to decide as each person is different and their OCD may be different - do not base your decision to seek help on a couple of ill-informed posters and don't base it on my post either.

Personally I'm really suprised the advice given has been allowed. I think my own post relating to professionals should also be deleted but I think some balance from someone through OCD was needed.

I'll admit what i said was out of line and I'll apologise for it. However it was not based on watching too many movies, as a sufferer of OCD myself I find that just as insulting as anything I may have said.