Metal-leopard

Thanks guys! Sorry for delay in writing I lost the thread! I've had OCD since about 8/9 and I really want to start CBT, I'm gonna see if a therapist will speak to me on the phone first as unfortunately I'm struggling to leave the house at the moment... thank you for your input ?

Hi there, we'll he's only little (16 weeks) so doesn't know, but I'm hoping my OCD will not affect him in the future the way it could if I did nothing. It's a huge incentive. I gave a great counsellor who has been encouraging me to seek extra therapy in the form of CBT for my OCD - I'm going to look it up but I may have to find someone to speak to me on the phone a few times as I'm struggling to leave the house (other than on short walks) at the moment .

Thank you so much for your reply and advice ??? yes I am only just opening up about some things too... I am so determined as no matter what it's done to my life, I just can't let it affect my son !! Sounds like false valour there but it is a good incentive. Thanks again for your reply, this forum is great people are so kind and brave!

For example, home invasive robbery, fire (2 fires, both j accidentally caused by me), violence towards me (from Mum, threats from her boyfriends (3 diff guys) and later my boyfriend), violence towards my family (saw my mum beaten twice, my uncle held my sister at knife point), sickness (my brother was a sickly child which 2 very serious illnesses one was reoccurring (he's fine now and a big old strapping man)) being abandoned in the night (hazards of an alcoholic Mum), food poisoning was fairly regular in our home (hazards of an alcoholic Mum) - other things include being put in trunk by an adult and then sat on, being jokingly suffocated with a pillow by an adult until panic attack ensued. We were also disciplined as children with violence but also gaslighting and ridicule which had a terrifying effect on me, I literally thought I was insane. Anyway; did anyone else have this ? Their OCD based on very real occurrences? I know that these things will not necessarily repeat but that they have happened makes me feel more inclined to hold on. Nowadays I am aware that the common denominator in these occurrences was my mum and not something magical to do with me or me not completing rituals but I just want to hear if anyone else had the same and if so, how they got through it thanks

Hey all thing 1 - so doing quite well with the small exposures but it feels a little like too many pots on the boil not enough lids, one day I feel like I'm doing great with less cleaning but suddenly on that day I'm also not eating because food is contaminated... quite annoying but still my mood is good as I'm doing something toward it at least. I'm doing well to reduce the volume on my intrusive thoughts- mindfulness booktape is helping ? thing 2: so I'm wondering if I have a sort of PTSD thing going on, as a child many awful things happened and subsequently served as a basis for many of my fears (as in they had happened so I knew fearing them was rational) l trusted no one and quite rightly so- in a way I have always used this as an excuse for never addressing my OCD - as it was it wasn't my fault those things happened, and I needed my rituals and fears to survive (although they and addiction messed everything up and made me a jibbering hermit) anyone else have this? If you want specifics of the things that happened that's fine.

Found this post quite helpful thought you might like to see it ?

Awesome thank you ??

Hey no worries, it really helps to share and be related to, it's really hard and some people will try and dismiss us when sharing tricky topics but that's usually (in my experience) when something we are sharing brings stuff up for the listener or the listener is ignorant to the topic. I would suggest not to get downhearted if your gp doesn't get it or doesn't have knowledge on OCD or anxiety/depression etc just request a referral for therapy or find therapy independently. Don't give up you've done the right thing all we have to do is reach out and help is at hand. Also ask questions and take advice from people on this site - I've found it immeasurably helpful. ??

Hey I'm not an expert but it sounds a bit like OCD, I think people often suggest getting properly diagnosed by talking to a trusted health care provider like a gp. It's not easy I know but I think it's worth talking about it. They say a CBT therapist is the best for OCD and such a therapist would also be good for general depression and/or anxiety also! You could try seeking a therapist directly. As for the drinking, I'm a recovering alcoholic/addict and so I relate to over indulgence, addiction may not necessarily be your issue but drinking may be a way you are coping with your fears/obsessions and bad feelings, if your plan was to moderate the drinking it may be good to be gentle with yourself and add in the therapy before cutting down so you don't feel overly pressured or set up to fail. Most of all well done for posting! Reaching out is SO important. I am new to OCD recovery but I have been a sufferer for 20 years only able to mask my intrusive thoughts and cease my obsessions once heavily drugged or inebriated. All we newbies can do is try our best, share, ask for help and this forum is a great start for that so well done and keep at it I'd say! You're going to be ok

Thanks so much to the mums who have shared their stories

Hey I'm wondering if anyone out there was a long term OCD sufferer and has experienced long term reprieve from their symptoms? If so do you fancy sharing your stories? As I think it would really help and inspire some of us newbies. ? Thanks in advance

Thanks for all the great replies! My OCD developed when I was about 8 and got very bad (wouldn't go in direct sunlight muttered compulsive phrases constantly, became very ill as I barely slept I was so anxious) then my OCD was replaced fairly swiftly with increasingly more extreme substance abuse from age 14+. I have been abstinent since Oct 2012 aged 28 and my OCD has gradually gotten worse and worse. I do cleaning, organising, security checking; contamination is an issue especially with food and diseases, I have horrific intrusive thoughts, natural disaster, terrorism, home invasion, that I'll hurt my loved ones, accidentally, on purpose, in my sleep, sometimes my head just screams taboo words, like internal Tourette's. I have a lot of magical thinking and corresponding ritual to help negate the anxiety. I sometimes get so paranoid I get panic attacks, I often feel very low because I'll panic to an extreme level about such a silly anxiety (like someone putting a snake through my window) and then I get depressed. My dog was slightly injured during an operation last year and because it was a fear come to fruition I didn't leave the house for 2 months in the throws of one of the worst bouts of sort of OCD paralysis I have had since childhood. as my dog recovered I started feeling better and my husband had sex for the first time in months (because my OCD had me living in the living room and basically a mute although we were supposed to be 'trying') and I got pregnant (?) My pregnancy taught me so much and in some ways my OCD improved, but there's no doubt I was filled with fear all the time, eating was a huge issue during pregnancy as I was terrified of listeria, I was hand washing like you wouldn't believe and using latex groves ? Also barely able to eat anything other than cereal and oranges. To be frank I have always found ways to accommodate my OCD to the nines, I worked extra hard and saved up so I could do stupid things like get security grilles, other security equipment, survival gear, I kept quiet and acted out like crazy like feeding a beast that lived in my basement, knew life would be better to evict the beast but its presence made me feel safe as long as I did its bidding (sorry that was a bit of an ad lib analogy) After the episode with my dog I told my husband about the OCD, he knew something was wrong but he thought it was because I was a recovering drug addict that I was just weird and finding it hard to adapt to a drug free like (semi true I guess) Since my son was born I have been very troubled by certain thoughts and cleanliness is an issue (as always) magical thinking and number issues have arrived and my fear of my son getting ill has me basically unable to leave the house (other than little fresh air walks with my son) so i decided that I had to evict my OCD... my son is more important now and the worst thing would be if my OCD put my son in danger, psychologically affected him when he's older, or simply just left me unable to enjoy my time with him. So I've been trying to talk about it, on here, I've been asking questions and listening to advice buying books and book tapes and enjoying it so much! I feel so willing and I think it's all due to my respect for myself as a mother and my love for my son AND the amazing community on here is so inspiring to me, I am someone who NEVER shared about my OCD before, I was too scared. So thank you all ? So much

hello! Im new too, forum is really helping I'm currently struggling to leave the house with my ocd but small visitors at home all thanks to reaching out on here really.

thank you for the book reco adding to my amazon cart as we speak

hope you're feeling better too! just realised my post has some comedy typos Brian instead of brain lol still struggling with this number but doing some small exposures and its helping...