easier diagnosed or just as hard

[battlethrough]

Ive never been diagnosed,ive been to phycolygists, counselors,theripists,private and nhs

Ive been given ciroxat witch was awful and citolipran wich helped a little.

When seeing these people I never let them no my pocd fears,but would make it clear I had intrusive thoughts and cumpolsions

I will never let anyone apart from a very dear few know these fears,as I know that some phyces dont get it and and like poor saffie I couldnt handle it if outsiders wanted to assess me,so I try to apply my own cbt,exposure etc,and I think I have a good knowledge yet always a battle

But I was wondering,firstly who has been diagnosed and who hasnt

Has anyone recoverd fully themselves with willpower and knowledge and self cbt

If youve been diagnosed is it just tempory releif untill you start doughting its ocd again

Does it make it easier because you can now no for certain its ocd

[PolarBear]

I was diagnosed with a severe/extreme case of OCD when i was 49. Medications helped me tremendously. The rest i took care of by becoming educated on OCD and by taking the bull by the horns and actively learning therapy techniques and putting them into practice.

My obsessions ranged from having to lock my car multiple times in a row to being convinced I had stolen something in a store. The worst were the morbid/violent harm thoughts i had and the all too real, sickening images of child sexual abuse. I told my psychiatrist everything.

I am at a state of being 80%+ better than I was. I believe it is possible for someone to achieve a high level of wellness on their own. I believe legend did just that.

Once in a while i am hit with an obsession where i doubt i have OCD. It doesn't last. I have trained myself to deal with situations like that and i am easily able to put the genie back in the bottle relatively quickly.

[Imhotep]

Knowledge is power in my book. I haven't been to see a psychiatrist for CBT, I've only been using self help books and medication to recover from (aside from my current relapse, which means I have to re-learn my techniques again). It does work, but you have to be motivated, and it isn't easy. The gains from doing it though are that its specific to your type of OCD, and you find ways that suit the recovery process.

[Guest imalright]

Hello :-)

I have been diagnosed - it didn't come as a complete surprise - I already knew I had it. However, it did help when having a shakey moment to know it was OCD.

Personally, I don't feel I can recover without treatment. I don't know enough about it to treat myself and because I perceive my OCD fear to be so terrifying....I feel I need some initial support to confront it I understand that I'll have to go it alone after I've been taught the techniques....but feel I need some coaching.

Another member of this forum suggested a self-help book which I have bought and plan to use alongside therapy. I've been in therapy for a while but haven't tackled the OCD properly but plan for the attack soon. Tomorrow in fact!

I practised washing my hands only once tonight.........it was chuffing terrifying haha :-))x

[legalseagull]

I'm probably being dense here but surely you've been diagnosed if you've been to therapists and psychologists about your OCD? I've asked this before but I really don't get what constitutes a diagnosis.

Anyway, I think a lot of people doubt whether they have OCD - diagnosed or not. Yes it's possible to get better without professional help. Try the book 'Break Free from OCD' but don't just read it, really do the activities thoroughly.

[battlethrough]

No I havnt

I first went to a phycolygist at 14 but that was because I was going off the rails

In my early twentys with my first huge melt down I went to a phycolygist,who said in his introduction it would be confidential unless it involved children,haveing pocd fears I withdrew inside

Inbetween these times I found pure o on the net,alot seemd to relate to me,a relief at first

My next big episode was late 20s,my work sent me to a private therapist,who after listening gave me a cd on brething techniques and sent me on my way.

Then last time my gp sent me to an nhs phycolygist who although I didnt say what my intrusive thoughts were,i made it clear I had them and compulsions to fight them,she looked over her glasses at me in a pool of tears and said"have I ever considered going private"

At that point I knew I would go it alone

I think I was unlucky and got a bunch with no knowlege of pure o,or maby I dont meet the criteria,but im not prepared to sit and try to build trust with these people when they just say "oh you have some anxiety and depression,hears some meds".

But just to add to any newbys on here,ive read far more posts on successful treatment with the right people than I have read neggative,like I said I just think I got a bad bunch

Edited September 23, 2014 by battlethrough

[battlethrough]

Reading back to what a dagnosis is legal seagull,i dont know,i was hopeing when I told them I had obsessive intrusive thoughts and the things I try to do to neutralize them I was hopeing it would be a green light and theyd say "ah you have pure o and we can help" but hey ho

Im sure somewhere on ocduk theres reference to the official diagnosis

Edited September 23, 2014 by battlethrough

[legalseagull]

Oh I get it now why you haven't been diagnosed. Yes I agree, mentioning obsessive intrusive thoughts should be a big enough clue. In my experience therapists/psychologists/doctors don't like to commit themselves to a diagnosis if they can help it.

[Steven_in_the_clouds]

I have been officially diagnosed by an NHS psychiatrist, almost ten years ago. However psychologists seem less keen to adhere to diagnoses. I wouldn't have been able to carry on without a diagnosis as I felt suicidal at the time. I have a senior job now and don't worry at all about pocd fears themselves. That is not to say I don't worry. I worry I whether I will be put through some child protection assessment in the future because of previous fears. However, this worry now is my ocd so I just have to accept it and try to continue. I'm ok if I'm on meds. If I lower the dose, I spend the whole time ruminating and googling. From people's experiences in here, it seems that pure o is not well known about despite this charity. That said, I've been to four doctors now and none of them have batted an eyelid. I'm quite open about it to medical people as I know it's a brain disorder.