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Meds and Therapy


Guest sadnotherner

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Guest sadnotherner

Hi

Hope to get some advice.  I would have posted in the friends and family forum but that moves very very slowly.;

My wife has severe contamination OCD and  general anxiety - has had it for about 7 years now - it's pretty much destroyed our relationship but I'm desperately trying to get her help for the sake of her relationship with our son.

I have managed finally to get her to a private therapist that we can't really afford. - they are very strongly advising her to start CBT in conjuction with an SSRi probably Sertraline due to the severity of her condition and the need to reduce anxiety but whilst she says she will consider therapy, she absolutely will not take medication under any circumstances and that I'm trying to 'bully her' into taking it. .  She feels that she can beat OCD and general anxiety herself by improving her diet and sleep

She also refuses to go down any NHS routes saying that she doesn't want the stigma of MH treatment on her records as she feels that prejudices doctors against any future condition she might go with - ie it's just stress or anxiety and won't be investigated properly

So I guess question is that can CBT be effective on it's own against severe OCD? Are the meds really helpful or do the side effects outweigh the benefits?

Really appreciate any advice and experience offered.

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, sadnotherner said:

I have managed finally to get her to a private therapist that we can't really afford. - they are very strongly advising her to start CBT in conjuction with an SSRi probably Sertraline due to the severity of her condition and the need to reduce anxiety but whilst she says she will consider therapy, she absolutely will not take medication under any circumstances and that I'm trying to 'bully her' into taking it. .  She feels that she can beat OCD and general anxiety herself by improving her diet and sleep

 

1 hour ago, sadnotherner said:

So I guess question is that can CBT be effective on it's own against severe OCD? Are the meds really helpful or do the side effects outweigh the benefits?

Hiya,

It is possible to do CBT alone without medication for sure, but the question should be would she be benefitted by medication alongside the CBT.  Meds alone don't treat the OCD, but they can be helpful in some anxiety dampening for example.  I personally was not getting too upset or depressed by my OCD so I chose not to go down the med route.  However, for those struggling each day then adding meds alongside therapy may be beneficial.

Meds are an individual thing, some will find they help others find they simply offer nothing but side-effects so it really does need to be an individual choice.   If she takes meds it needs to be for the right reason, but that works both ways, if she chooses not to take meds it needs to be for the right reason.

Improving diet and sleep may help the anxiety, but may not. Bad diet and bad sleep will make anxiety worse for sure.  Perhaps she should try meditation or something to help her relax and help her sleep better.

If she chooses to give CBT a try first then that's fine, if she is prepared to add meds later if she finds the CBT is too hard to engage with on its own.

 

1 hour ago, sadnotherner said:

She also refuses to go down any NHS routes saying that she doesn't want the stigma of MH treatment on her records as she feels that prejudices doctors against any future condition she might go with - ie it's just stress or anxiety and won't be investigated properly

I hear this a lot, and I understand the concern but my advice to her is this....  get better from OCD, be that NHS or private and worry about other 'issues' later if and when they become a problem.  Don't let the fear of an unlikely issue prevent her seeking NHS treatment if she needs to.

Ashley :)

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Hi sadnorthener,

Yes you can tackle OCD with CBT alone, you can also add Exposure Response Prevention where appropriate, which a therapist knowledgeable in OCD will be able to advise you about. It is hard though when someone is experiencing anxiety crises almost constantly. Trying to get someone to focus on exercises and books can be very difficult. Break Free from OCD is an excellent book; if she has any moments where you think she could take some time to read and focus, it would help her understand her condition. SSRIs are a huge help to many people but as Ashley said they don't actually treat the OCD. They can make life easier for years but people's experiences with them vary greatly. 

You could try seeing the private therapist just once or twice, in conjunction with Break Free from OCD, whilst she thinks about NHS treatment later. If she wishes to remain anonymous, perhaps it's something she can discuss with the private therapist. I'm not sure how many private details you're obliged to give a private therapist.

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