Tips for those with OCD

[jjnsjso44458]

Does anyone here have any tips for managing OCD? I was diagnosed at 12 years old and recently it has become even more debilitating - constantly doubting every action I take at work, constantly feeling like I'm incompetent, constantly worrying about my future and how others perceive it, etc. The minute I wake up my mind is constantly running. The overthinking has taken over my entire mind and I can't take it anymore. Does anyone have success with medication or therapy/counseling?

 

[sanctionedusage]

not diagnosed with ocd, but the non-engagement response helped me with obsessive compulsive tendencies. i was totally disabled with agoraphobia and this nonstop fear of fainting, very similar to severe emetophobia. i had to check my bp upwards of 40 times a day, pulse oximeter almost 24/7, i had panic attacks constantly if a sensation or a reading came out wrong. i didn't want to leave the house for things like doctor's appointments or legal appts if I couldn't bring the bp machine with me. never went out for leisure lol. couldn't shower for a long time because i was afraid of the steam/being upright would make me faint as if i had POTs. it took over a year but cold-turkey stopping the physical compulsions helped me eventually settle the mental/thought ones and fully disengage. i stopped trying to prove it wrong or rationalize the fear away and focused on going as long as i could without researching, measuring, thinking about it, etc.

 

[jjnsjso44458]

not diagnosed with ocd, but the non-engagement response helped me with obsessive compulsive tendencies. i was totally disabled with agoraphobia and this nonstop fear of fainting, very similar to severe emetophobia. i had to check my bp upwards of 40 times a day, pulse oximeter almost 24/7, i had panic attacks constantly if a sensation or a reading came out wrong. i didn't want to leave the house for things like doctor's appointments or legal appts if I couldn't bring the bp machine with me. never went out for leisure lol. couldn't shower for a long time because i was afraid of the steam/being upright would make me faint as if i had POTs. it took over a year but cold-turkey stopping the physical compulsions helped me eventually settle the mental/thought ones and fully disengage. i stopped trying to prove it wrong or rationalize the fear away and focused on going as long as i could without researching, measuring, thinking about it, etc.

Thank you so much for your response. I'll try that and see if it helps in any way!

 

[ipmanwc0]

Have ocd use ERP its the gold standard worked well for me. Meds may help but I don't recommend them

 

[NoPoint2Life]

Agree with @ipmanwc0 about ERP. But it can be expensive and not widely available.

I totally applaud @sanctionedusage that must have been beyond difficult. But I don't think many of us would be able to do it on our own.

I was put on Prozac. Still on it now. It helped me get to a place where I could try ERP. I am much better than I was a but certain thoughts just never go away.

 

[Dot]

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Intrnatnl OCD Foundatn hs rsourcs on dffrnt knds of treatmnts availbl & also specfc cmmunty spport

Thy also hve an eml addrss whre u cld ask thm wht slf-spport info thy hve

Othrwse thre = thred on sasu fr dealng wth ovr-whelmng anxty & crsis & also sme wrk-shts fr workng thru anxty

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[sanctionedusage]

Agree with @ipmanwc0 about ERP. But it can be expensive and not widely available.

I totally applaud @sanctionedusage that must have been beyond difficult. But I don't think many of us would be able to do it on our own.

I was put on Prozac. Still on it now. It helped me get to a place where I could try ERP. I am much better than I was a but certain thoughts just never go away.

forgot to mention I was also on Prozac! I still had to take several months before even being able to take the med because the fainting phobia was so prevalent, I was convinced it'd make me pass out. Prozac was kind of a miracle worker once I did take it though. It brought me back to a baseline calm.

my case is also pretty different in that it developed from therapy abuse. the thought cycles and the 'supporting evidence' for the fear all came from that one therapist, who initiated, then encouraged, validated, and fed into the behavior. so my path to recovery definitely won't necessarily be the same as someone who's had diagnosed ocd & isn't anti-therapy.