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19 year old son with OCD and BDD


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Hi everyone,

 

I have just joined this forum today as I'm just feeling so sad and rather helpless regarding my 19 year old son who lives about 4 hour drive away from me with his lovely finance and I just wanted to see if anyone has a similar problem or been through a similar experience as its breaking my heart to see him suffer so much.

 

My son has recently been diagnosed with OCD and BDD. It all centres around his skin on his face which he believes has awful spots/lumps and redness which we can't see. The anxiety and stress he feels is completely ruining his life. He has left his job, somedays he won't leave the house,if he goes out he will come back as he says people are looking at how disgusting his face is, he cries and tells me if his skin was perfect he would have such a happy life. Recently he has told me his life is not worth living which prompted me too drive and stay with him for a few days we went to the GP and then I arranged an appointment with a psychiatrist were he got his diagnosis. He has started on a course of Sertraline and has his first CBT session is next week.

But on speaking to him twice today he is manic and stressed and said tablets or therapy are not going to clear his skin! He saw a consultant dermatologist about 2 months ago which I did privately and she did say he has a small amount of under skin spots that are not really noticeable but gave him a course of antibiotics which my son says has done nothing. He also spent £400 on skin cream a week later but after 2 days got very stressed that it was not working. It seems like a never ending circle and is so distressing for everyone. 

Nothing I say or his finance says comforts him but I'm really hoping that the medication and therapy will help. 

 

Would love any advice x 

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Hi Joanna, welcome to the forum.  I am not an expert in BDD, by any means, but I do know that, the same as OCD, no amount of reassurance is going to make any difference.  It might work for a short period of time, but it comes back with a vengeance and demands more and more.

I dont know how long he has been taking the medication, but it will take some time to kick in and can even make things feel worse in the first instance.

Hopefully the therapist can manage to get your son to see that this is BDD and OCD and it isn't actually about his skin.

There is a Young Peoples Guide to OCD on the main website and also information about BDD.  Learning as much as you can, can be very helpful.

http://www.ocduk.org/young-peoples-ocd-guide

http://www.ocduk.org/related-disorders

It is very distressing, my own son lives several hours away and I find that very difficult, when he is so vulnerable, not to be right there and able to help.

Please let us know how the CBT goes.

Carol x

 

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