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Hi everyone. I am not as yet diagnosed with OCD but believe that I may have Pure-O. Sometimes I cope very well but every so often I have what I (incorrectly) call a "breakdown." These periods are so distressing for me that I often have to have time off of work, stop eating, can't sleep, can't function very well socially. I'm recently recovering from one of these periods in my life. I have always been under the impression that I have anxiety/depression, but recently my therapist at The Priory suggested I had a form of OCD. I did some research and when I read about Pure O I actually wept with relief because I finally found something that accurately described how I was feeling. It finally all made sense. Unfortunately my therapy is now over (I can't re refer for at least 6 months) and though I'm much better and able to cope with my day to day life again, I'm pretty sure that this won't be the last time the OCD gets the better of me.

Sadly, my doctor will not refer me to a psychiatrist so I can get officially diagnosed. I am aware that I have delved into the dangerous self diagnosis territory, but I'm 99% sure that this is what I have.

Has anybody else struggled to get to a psychiatrist to get diagnosed, if so, I would really appreciate some advice.

It's worth noting that sadly I don't have the money to go private.

Thanks all :) x

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A proper diagnoses from a psychiatrist is a good thing. That said, it's not unheard of for people to self diagnose themselves. Many people on the forum have figured out they have OCD after doing lots of reading and learning.

One drawback to self diagnoses is that OCD can be found comorbid with other disorders and a trained mental health professional would be able to pick up on those and advise treatment for them along with OCD.

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Thanks for coming back to me PolarBear. I'm thinking about just seeing another GP as mine isn't very forthcoming. He's talking about cutting my medication down already (I know the time isn't right yet, having suffered for about 10 years now and having been on and off of meds for 5 of those). And he keeps telling me I have Anxiety Disorder. Now I know there are a lot of similar symptoms between the two but I'm sure it's wrong. Plus, as a GP he can't just decide that's what I have. (I'm starting to think he's just an arrogant so and so).

I have had many sessions of CBT (with the NHS and through the Priory that my work arrange). But they have been treating me with Anxiety Disorder in mind, and I've read that this can be detrimental for OCD sufferers. As in, I've always been taught to analyse and re assess these thoughts, whereas I've now read that OCD should be treated with more of an exposure type therapy, with giving no analysis to the obsessive thoughts. Is that the case? I hear different things on the Internet, so I'm not sure what to believe!

Thanks for any thoughts :) xx

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CBT is the therapy of choice and yes, there is a subset of CBT called Exposure and Response Prevention that is specifically used for people with OCD. ERP therapy is all about exposing yourself to obsessions (intrusive thoughts) and resisting/stopping compulsions.

Are you able to identify your obsessions and compulsions? That is the key in the diagnoses of OCD.

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Yes I am. They vary, but they mainly revolve around relationships. Though my latest episode was to do with suicide and harming those I loved. I have also noticed my compulsions that follow. Since reading about Pure O and realising that I'm not alone and that a lot of people have these thoughts I have already made progress regarding the fact that I am now trying to acknowledge and then ignore the thoughts, but I feel like I would do well getting the right help. But my doc seems hesitant to even put me back into CBT.

You mentioned comorbidity. What sort of things can be comorbid with Pure O or OCD? Sorry to keep on at you, but you're very helpful and I'm very grateful! X

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No worries. It is fairly common for people with OCD to also suffer from another disorder. The two big ones I believe are depression and some other anxiety disorder, such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder or Social Anxiety Disorder. We also have some people on the forum who suffer from OCD and bipolar, schizophrenia, OCPD (Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder) and disorders on the autism spectrum.

Now that's not to say you have any of these. Depression is really common. It can be a separate disorder on its own but it can also be as a result of the OCD. We've met people on the forum who were able to overcome their OCD and found their depression decrease significantly as a result.

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I certainly have had serious bouts of depression. Though they come and go and don't always come hand in hand with the OCD. Though I usually find that I feel very depressed after one of my really bad OCD episodes. I'm on Citalopram, 30mg per day. I've heard that SSRIs are usually the medication prescribed for OCD as well as Anxiety and Depression, have you heard of any others that have proven effective? X

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SSRIs are the main medication prescribed for OCD. Citalopram is one of the newer generation of SSRIs. Lots of people take it for OCD.

I personally am on Cipralex and Respiradone. The former is an SSRI. The latter is an anti-psychotic that has been shown to have good results with OCD when taken in combination with an SSRI.

There are a couple of older meds out there that can still be prescribed but SSRIs are the main medication of choice.

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Ok that's good, at least my meds are as correct as possible. I'm finding reading through this forum very informative and comforting. It's good to know some people feel the way I do. I've spent a long time worrying about my sanity if I'm honest

Thanks again :) x

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