help something I obsess about has happened

[Guest frazzle]

Hi

My obsessions tend to about the worry I have caused harm without knowing etc I also have an obsessive thought that if I don't check things a certain amount of times bad things will happen to people I love. Yesterday I had the thought that a relative would come to harm if I didn't check something and later found out that person is in hospital, it is someone I care dearly about and I am so upset and stressed. I am worried about them and thinking I caused it! I keep telling myself that I've had this obsession for ages and things never happened before but it doesn't help much.

I am in the process of coming off prozac to go onto Anafranil so that is very stressful and I'm suffering very bad with anxiety and IBS I don't know how to cope with this extra stress now. I feel so bad and guilty :helpsmilie:

anyone got any advice how to cope with this!!!

Frazzle

[Guest carmencarter]

I think you know yourself that it's a coincidence.

If you think one thousand times that something bad is going to happen, then yes, statistically it might happen once but it's not connected.

Think about the person who wins the lottery, they played dozens of times before, nothing happened, then they do win once.

Now you wouldn't say to them " oh, therefore that means every time you play you will win!"

I know it's tough and OCD can convince us of anything, but you will get through this.

You know what the truth is.

Take care

Manue

[ACE]

Hi

My obsessions tend to about the worry I have caused harm without knowing etc I also have an obsessive thought that if I don't check things a certain amount of times bad things will happen to people I love. Yesterday I had the thought that a relative would come to harm if I didn't check something and later found out that person is in hospital, it is someone I care dearly about and I am so upset and stressed. I am worried about them and thinking I caused it! I keep telling myself that I've had this obsession for ages and things never happened before but it doesn't help much.

I am in the process of coming off prozac to go onto Anafranil so that is very stressful and I'm suffering very bad with anxiety and IBS I don't know how to cope with this extra stress now. I feel so bad and guilty :helpsmilie:

anyone got any advice how to cope with this!!!

Frazzle

Fazzle,what i can suggest as hard as it may be its to keep saying to yourself nothing is going to happen in regard's to my action's.I know it won't be easy and sorry if that is a piece of lame advice.anafranil is actually a good drug for ocd,I've been on it again for a few week's now after trying that many different SSRI's.I used to be on anafranil when I first started taking anti-d's some years back,the Anafranil will surely have some input in reducing the stresses about your need's to check thing's I'm sure.

[Guest brennie]

frazzle, responsibility ocd is horrid is'nt it ... but really we know whatever happens to any of uor loved ones is NOT our faults.

Dont ruminate about any longer sweetheart ... this is just co-incidence , but i think you already know this ... OCD is good at making us believe what is NOT true.

I am on prozac 60 mg and anafrinil ... they are both good for OCD.

Brennie

[Guest PaulM]

I don't know if this will help, but I once had a friend tear into me about something similar. I was worried that something bad would happen because of something I had or had not done, and he said it was a perverse form of arrogance for me to think that anything I did had that big an impact. I was really angry with him and thought he was mean for saying that.

But I guess he had a point. After digesting it, it makes sense but not always something I remember.

I still worry an awful lot. Especially being a single dad and having my little girl, for whom I am responsible. I love her more than anyone and strive to protect her every day. Sometimes I remember what this friend said and it helps me remember to "turn it over" to something bigger than me, be it the common good or a higher power of some sort.

Hope this helps. Please don't be angry with me for posting it, but it helped me.

Edited July 4, 2007 by PaulM

[Guest frazzle]

Thank you everyone for your replies it is good to get some rational input I can try to talk sense to myself over and over but to hear others say (write) it makes it sink in more.

Hi Manue

I keep telling myself exactly that, that if you think things thousands of times it is eventually going to happen I think it is a sad coincidence but it has made me wake up a bit more to what I'm thinking and made me consciously say to myself these are just thoughts and habit when I think of them. Thanks a lot :original:

Hi Ace, Thanks for what you wrote, I really hope the Anafranil can help some, I've been on Prozac (20mg) for years and it's not helped at all and I can't tolerate higher doses makes me feel really ill and more anxious, have also tried Cipramil which I could'nt tolerate either so hoping Anafranil will be better for me. Hope the Anfranil helps you too. :a1_cheesygrin:

Hi Brennie

Yes i think what I have is mostly probably all responsibility ocd, I don't obsess about things happening to me just to others, it is horrible. Glad to hear the Anafranil is helping you. Thanks for the support

Hi Paul-M

I'm not angry at all! I think what you wrote makes a lot of sense I esp. like the bit about passing it onto a higher power/fate etc. I'll try to keep that in mind I try to think to myself you can only do your best and that's it but I want 100% certainty that no harm has been caused/will be caused and I guess we just can't get that unfortunately. Thanks for your support :original: