How do I answer this question?

[Guest piggies89]

I don't know if anybody else has trouble answering this question from their support worker/dcotor:

I was seeing a new psychiatrist (I swear a new one leaves the service every few months)and he asked- "So what does your ocd involve/what do you have to do?"

I think he thought i was being unco operative or beligerent because I pretty much said, that's an answer that could take forever. It's not like saying you have an ache in your knee or a headache.

He wanted me to list all the ruminations and thoughts- there are so many, and they change so often! It's not the same thing all the time. It's really specific things like touching things with my right side only and making things on my desk sit at right angles and it's a zillion thoughts running through my head. New ones get added every day.

How do I answer this question in a way that conveys my difficulties properly? Because they want a nice neat answer and I don't have it!

Does anybody else have this problem?

[felix4]

Hi Piggies, I know exactly how you feel!

Part of my OCD also includes really struggling to say or write down certain words & numbers, which makes this harder still.

I also have new problems to add everyday.

I do feel really lucky at the moment though! I have been refered for CBT, but this time it is with a really helpful clinical psychologist! I am having 3 sessions which is all about answering questions, & then I am going to have 6 sessions of CBT, & see how things go from there.

Is there anyway you could get something similar? It is worth mentioning to you that it was a couple of GP`s at my local practice that made this request to my psychiatrist, because for some reason it was as if she preferred me to be on meds all the time?

I hope you get this sorted soon.

[Guest danaeonyx]

I HATE that question!

OCD occupies my whole life to the point where I don't know what's me and what's OCD. I panic and think if I don't give them the right answer then they can't help me. I usually tell them one aspect then they obsess over that and the meaning whereas to me it's not that huge :/ then I get home and think of more important things.

Usually when they ask I just sit there is silence for a bit 'cos I really don't know what to say! And when I try and describe it they say "I don't know what you mean". Are they specialists or what? o_O makes me feel really weird

Before your next appointment try writing down all your problems (you can keep going back to it) and then put them in categories (bad thoughts, repetitive actions, fears etc). Then just hand them that! Lol