OCDCanuck

It's nice to see OCD being portrayed properly. http://www.theplayerstribune.com/corey-hirsch-dark-dark-dark/

Hi there...long time no talk. I haven't been here in quite some time because of how well I've been doing. My thoughts of harm haven't been a problem for me in over a year. Well, at one point yesterday and today, I've felt my mind shift to those thoughts. I don't like them and they do cause some anxiety, but I know what to do with them, so how fully they don't hang around very long. I know success isn't linear, but it's definitely true that you need to watch out for any bumps in the road.

Hi there. I haven't started a post here in quite some time. I always check in to see what's happening but for the most part, I'm a silent observer. Anyways, I've been on 40mg of citalopram for about two years and, in short, it's been awesome. Medication along with building my knowledge of CBT skills has done wonders. In fact, there are many days where I don't even think of OCD, and even when I do, I can quickly just let them go. There have been a few blips along the way, where I am confronted by an intrusive thought that comes out of nowhere. My obsessions tend to be checking for thoughts and ruminating. I tend to be able to refocus and after a day or two of struggling a bit, I get back to where I ususlly am. I'm in the middle of one of those blips right now. I've always been a little more susceptible to Ocd when I have some down-time. I'm a teacher, and this week has been our spring break. So I suppose I should have had my guards up. I always found it to be crazy how easy compulsions make their way back if you let them. Gotta stop them.. Again...

We all have uncertainty in our lives. It just seems to bother the OCD sufferer much, much more. You just need to learn to accept that we can't control everything... I know...easier said than done.

The service that OCDUK does for sufferers cannot be overstated. I don't know where I would be without the support that I received from this community. Ashley and team...thank you for everything you do. May this year be even bigger!!!

Get outside. Embrace winter for what it is. You guys over the pond don't even have a harsh winter...so get outside. I'm planning on spending a lot more time outside in our Canadian winter with my two-year old son.

I have had a great response to being on an SSRI...placebo? I don't think so, but of course, one can never know. Are these pills overprescribed? Probably. But instead of vilifying the medicine that does help a lot of people, one needs to ask why they are overprescribed...because it's easier to give a prescription that might work for an individual than to hope that governments eventually fund mental health initiatives so that people who needs help readily have access to the therapies that they need.

My wife knows. She works in mental health, so she knows the value of support groups.

I'm a teacher. Sure there are times when OCD bears down on me and makes things difficult, but I love going to work.

As a teacher, one of the big pedagogical ideas out there right now involves nurturing one's growth mindset. To apply the idea to your situation, right now you have a fixed mindset "I'm not doing better. I'm still depressed." With a growth mindset, one would think "I'm not doing better YET." That word YET is a powerful word. It opens up a lot of possibilities.

Ugh, I feel sick for you Paul. It's sad that this type of ignorance by professionals can keep people from seeking out the help they need. It's amazing that so many doctors and mental health workers have very little knowledge of OCD given how prevalent it is.

My only advice to you is that it's important to recognize that recovery does not happen in a linear fashion. You say you are at the end of stage one...great. Go on to the next stage but don't get discouraged if you experience a few setbacks. It's normal. Just power through them.

Labelling is fine provided you do it and then refocus on something else. If you end up labelling and saying "it's not me, it's my OCD" over and over again without any refocusing effort, then it's a compulsion. Relabelling often happens without the need to internally say anything at all. It's the refocus step that is most important.

I suffered with health obsessions in the past. My obsessions seemed to create things like chest pains, numbness in my left arm, rapid heartbeat... As you can see, I had a lot of worries about having a heart attack. Certainly I would have often ended up at the doctor getting checked out, and everything always came back with no issues. So yes, you can create all kinds of symptoms.

I appreciate that we have all had varying degrees of success in dealing with our OCD. However, I can't help but wonder how detrimental it might be to someone new to OCD and these forums to see a topic like this floating at the top of the discussions. Hopefully they read through it to see the success people have had. Perhaps we should have a sticky post of success stories people can access when needing motivation.