OCD and comics.

[Guest aaronthegreat1989]

Hi there everybody, my names Aaron, just joined today in the vain hope that someone out there might have the same problem i have been experiencing. For the past 3/4 years i have been experiencing OCD since i was 22(Now 25) and since then it has progressively gotten worse. It began with light switches where every time i turned off a switch i would stare at it for a good 2 minutes, almost 'believing' that the switch was still ON. I also kept checking my front and back door to see if they were still locked, because i believed them to be UNLOCKED. And now the for main topic pf this post - It has now *Crept* into my comic reading hobby, when i read a page to look at the illustrations and wonderful drawings etc... i find it difficult to move off one particular region of the illustration in fear that i might 'MISS something'and thus can't progress on to the next page. I now find it difficult to read my comics, and i fear i can't read them again because every time i have attempted to. The same thing happens again. So i don't go anywhere near them now. I believe i may have a severe case of OCD. If anybody understands what i'm talking about or has these similar problems out there... Please let me know if these are classic symptoms of OCD. Any help would be appreciated on how i can overcome this problem. What is the best medication? for this type of problem.

Thank you! Look forward to hearing from anybody.

-Aaron

[Symps07]

Hi aaronthegreat1989,

Welcome to the forum!

I have certainly experianced the light switch & locking doors part of OCD. Checking & re-checking to make sure they are definetly locked or that lights are switched off.

If you look at OCD in a circle set off by a 'Trigger', I'll try & explain how I was explained it by a therapist.

Say for example, the checking to see a door is locked.

Your 'Trigger' would be locking the door, which sets off your obsession 'Is the door definetly locked? Have I definetly locked it', so you appraise the situation 'If it's not locked, someone will break in & rob me'.

This makes you feel anxious & you want rid of the thoughts & this feeling so to do so & to convince yourself that you have locked the door, you carry out a 'Compulsion', which is physically checking to see if the back door is locked.

Your mind then appraises the situation, 'if I hadn't checked the door is locked, it would somehow have been unlocked, so I did the right thing'.

Which leads back to your obsession of whether the door is locked, & the whole process starts again.

To prevent this, you need to stop performing the compulsion.

When you lock the door in future, test it once so that you are satisfied it is locked & then don't go back & check it again.

It'll be hard at first & you'll want to do it, but the more you resist the lest anxious you'll feel & the less the urges to go & check will come.

Same thing goes for the other 'Themes', whatever your compulsion is, performing it will only enhance your OCD. Stopping performing it decreases its effect on you.

Best of luck

Symps :original:

[Guest aaronthegreat1989]

Hi aaronthegreat1989,

Welcome to the forum!

I have certainly experianced the light switch & locking doors part of OCD. Checking & re-checking to make sure they are definetly locked or that lights are switched off.

If you look at OCD in a circle set off by a 'Trigger', I'll try & explain how I was explained it by a therapist.

Say for example, the checking to see a door is locked.

Your 'Trigger' would be locking the door, which sets off your obsession 'Is the door definetly locked? Have I definetly locked it', so you appraise the situation 'If it's not locked, someone will break in & rob me'.

This makes you feel anxious & you want rid of the thoughts & this feeling so to do so & to convince yourself that you have locked the door, you carry out a 'Compulsion', which is physically checking to see if the back door is locked.

Your mind then appraises the situation, 'if I hadn't checked the door is locked, it would somehow have been unlocked, so I did the right thing'.

Which leads back to your obsession of whether the door is locked, & the whole process starts again.

To prevent this, you need to stop performing the compulsion.

When you lock the door in future, test it once so that you are satisfied it is locked & then don't go back & check it again.

It'll be hard at first & you'll want to do it, but the more you resist the lest anxious you'll feel & the less the urges to go & check will come.

Same thing goes for the other 'Themes', whatever your compulsion is, performing it will only enhance your OCD. Stopping performing it decreases its effect on you.

Best of luck

Symps :original:

Thank you symps. Nice to meet you! That's some really helpful advice, i will take that on board and try and do that. I just wish i could get to the bottom of this problem with my struggle to read comics . Is there any medication that can assist this??

-Aaron

[Symps07]

Nice to meet you too Aaron :original:

Glad my post was of some use!

To get to the core issues of your problem, is usually the key to how to overcome your OCD.

When it comes to reading your comic books, you say you feel you may miss something. What is the fear behind that?

That the experiance of reading the comic will be ruined or that something else might happen?

As for meds, people on the forum are on a variety of different drugs, personally I am on Citalopram 10mg.

My GP told me they were mood stabilizers, I don't feel they control my anxiety but they do appear to help me 'cement' my thoughts. I.e., they don't appear quite so random.

Personally I have found taking medication very useful, but I should say I do suffer side affects, mainly feeling tired, forgetfulness & slurring my words. But, it has made life easier when it comes to OCD.

I don't know if you have seen anybody yet, but I would recommend seeing your GP & describing your symptoms & that you suspect OCD.

It's good to have support & hopefully they'll be on the ball enough to refer you to a CBT therapist who'll talk you through dealing with your OCD.

In the meantime, like I said in my previous post, just try to avoid performing compulsions, that alone can be a big help :original:

All the best,

Symps :original:

[Guest aaronthegreat1989]

Nice to meet you too Aaron :original:

Glad my post was of some use!

To get to the core issues of your problem, is usually the key to how to overcome your OCD.

When it comes to reading your comic books, you say you feel you may miss something. What is the fear behind that?

That the experiance of reading the comic will be ruined or that something else might happen?

As for meds, people on the forum are on a variety of different drugs, personally I am on Citalopram 10mg.

My GP told me they were mood stabilizers, I don't feel they control my anxiety but they do appear to help me 'cement' my thoughts. I.e., they don't appear quite so random.

Personally I have found taking medication very useful, but I should say I do suffer side affects, mainly feeling tired, forgetfulness & slurring my words. But, it has made life easier when it comes to OCD.

I don't know if you have seen anybody yet, but I would recommend seeing your GP & describing your symptoms & that you suspect OCD.

It's good to have support & hopefully they'll be on the ball enough to refer you to a CBT therapist who'll talk you through dealing with your OCD.

In the meantime, like I said in my previous post, just try to avoid performing compulsions, that alone can be a big help :original:

All the best,

Symps :original:

'just try to avoid performing compulsions, that alone can be a big help'

Easier said than done haha. When i read the comic and have these thoughts i then find it difficult to move on with the rest of the book, because i will gaze at the same page for 20 minutes even. Which is just sad, a rational person should be able to move on but I CAN'T. so rather than upset myself any more. I simply do another task, which is annoying cos i used to enjoy reading them, as i have mentioned before it used to be a big hobby. Do you find that your OCD symptoms have reduced? Thank you. I will begin my CBT with my psychologist soon i think. She hasn't mentioned a date yet. I have heard a few successful stories with this therapy i hope it works.

-Aaron.

Edited January 26, 2015 by aaronthegreat1989

[Symps07]

Yep, definetly easier said than done! but keep working at it! :original:

I've found a huge reduction in my physical compulsions such as checking locks, light, handbrakes etc... although I've never had it at a debilitating level.

I do think stopping performing physical compulsions is a lot easier than stopping mental ones.

[Guest aaronthegreat1989]

Hopefully, someone out there will hear my cries and has a very similar problem as myself. Thank you for the help symps

-Aaron

[Symps07]

Hopefully, someone out there will hear my cries and has a very similar problem as myself. Thank you for the help symps

-Aaron

Tbh everyone here has a similar problem, it's all OCD!

Rumination, compulsions, magical thinking....

As far as I know, it's the same treatment regardless of the theme!

:original:

[dksea]

Hi Aaron, welcome to the forums. OCD is definitely hard to deal with but believe it or not the symptoms you describe sound pretty standard for OCD. I don't mean to say that the exact circumstances are the same, obviously not everyone struggles reading comics, but the underlying issues are the same. Part of what OCD does is afflict us with doubt. For some people it's doubt about how clean they or others are. For others its doubt about which gender they are attracted to. For you, and others like you it's doubt that certain actions have been completed (doors locked, lights off, page read, etc.). Seemingly different fears and behaviors but all related by a seemingly U resolvable sense of doubt.

So that's the bad news, the good news is that this difficulty can be overcome by therapy, medication, or a combination of both. I encourage you to read the information on the main OCD-UK site about OCD, how it works, how it's treated, and for those of you in the,UK, how to get access to some of that treatment. Hope you find that helpful and definitely feel free to jump in on the main forums!

[Guest aaronthegreat1989]

Hi Aaron, welcome to the forums. OCD is definitely hard to deal with but believe it or not the symptoms you describe sound pretty standard for OCD. I don't mean to say that the exact circumstances are the same, obviously not everyone struggles reading comics, but the underlying issues are the same. Part of what OCD does is afflict us with doubt. For some people it's doubt about how clean they or others are. For others its doubt about which gender they are attracted to. For you, and others like you it's doubt that certain actions have been completed (doors locked, lights off, page read, etc.). Seemingly different fears and behaviors but all related by a seemingly U resolvable sense of doubt.

So that's the bad news, the good news is that this difficulty can be overcome by therapy, medication, or a combination of both. I encourage you to read the information on the main OCD-UK site about OCD, how it works, how it's treated, and for those of you in the,UK, how to get access to some of that treatment. Hope you find that helpful and definitely feel free to jump in on the main forums!

Thank you for the info dksea. Yeah it is hard, my life has been consumed by it and i feel 'defeated' it's obviously won because i won't go near my comics. Could you please provide a link to the best forum where people might be suffering from the same thing as me?? Thanks

-Aaron.

[dksea]

This is the best forum! Well I imagine there are other good ones, but I find this one particularly good! i understand that you're thinking you need to find people whose particular obsessions match yours, and that can be helpful in some ways, but the thing with OCD and overcoming it is the specific details of your obsessive thoughts matter less than you might think. Yes in your case the OCD is manifesting as a fear related to reading comics, but the underlying problem isn't actually comics, it's anxiety and doubt. One phrase Ive seen used often one the forums to express this is "same meat, different gravy". You yourself have experienced this, your own OCD has affected you in different areas over time, most people on the forums have had multiple different obsessive fears over time, I know I have. Fortunately the skills and lessons I learned dealing with my earlier obsessions have helped me tackle later ones, even when the fears are different. Hope that clears things up for ya!

[Guest aaronthegreat1989]

This is the best forum! Well I imagine there are other good ones, but I find this one particularly good! i understand that you're thinking you need to find people whose particular obsessions match yours, and that can be helpful in some ways, but the thing with OCD and overcoming it is the specific details of your obsessive thoughts matter less than you might think. Yes in your case the OCD is manifesting as a fear related to reading comics, but the underlying problem isn't actually comics, it's anxiety and doubt. One phrase Ive seen used often one the forums to express this is "same meat, different gravy". You yourself have experienced this, your own OCD has affected you in different areas over time, most people on the forums have had multiple different obsessive fears over time, I know I have. Fortunately the skills and lessons I learned dealing with my earlier obsessions have helped me tackle later ones, even when the fears are different. Hope that clears things up for ya!

It does a bit. So what are you saying is i should face my fears instead of running away from them? In this case, i should read my comics? What is the best possible medication to take for these kind of problems?

Thanks

Aaron.

[Guest aaronthegreat1989]

Anybody can PM me if you have any other ideas or helpful advice.

Thank you!

-Aaron.

[dksea]

There are two major approaches for treating OCD, therapy and medication, they can be used individually or together. You can find more info on the main OCD-UK site and I highly recommend checking that out, but since it relates directly to your questions I'll give a quick breakdown

Therapy: The specific type of therapy used in treating OCD is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (or CBT for short). CBT is used especially in treating anxiety disorders like OCD and phobias. One of the tools used in CBT is Exposure and Response Prevention or ERP. One of the problems with anxieties and phobias is avoidance. Though we think that by avoiding a feared situation we are solving the problem, the reality is when we avoid things we teach our mind that the feared thing is worth fearing, reinforcing and strengthening the fear. In your case by avoiding reading comics your teaching your mind that it's "ok" to feel anxiety about them, the exact opposite of the outcome you want. The ideal outcome is for you to be able to read and enjoy comics again right? So how do you do that? ERP. Basically what happens in ERP is you gradually expose yourself to whatever it is that's causing you anxiety and avoid whatever compulsive response that's reinforcing the fear. For example a person who fears germs might respond by washing their hands over and over. In ERP you might expose this person to something they fear is dirty (like a piece of clothes, a doorknob, or even a toilet) and at least for a time they must not give in to the urge to wash. It doesn't have to be 100% all at once, it's very common to do this gradually. In your case for example you could start out by reading say 1 page of a comic and not letting yourself re-read it more than say 2 times. The next time you could read 5-pages and only re-read it 1 time. Facing the fear and riding out the anxiety (which will subside) you train your brain to react like you want it to.

Medication: The primary form of meds used in treating OCD are from a group called Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs. For reasons that scientists aren't really clear on yet increasing the amount of seratonin (a brain chemical) available seems to alleviate OCD symptoms in most sufferers. There are a few other drugs that have benefits but the primary, most used drugs are from the SSRI group. While they can be very helpful, like most drugs they can have side effects, and how well a given SSRI drug (of which there are six used for treating OCD) works varies from person to person. It can take some trial and error to find the right drug and dosage level so it takes some patience. The other thing to keep in mind is that these are not cures for OCD. Unlike say an antibiotic where you take it, the infection goes away and then you stop, OCD medication only provides benefits while you continue to take it, similar to how some people have to take daily pills for cholesterol or high blood pressure. Your doctor can work with you on finding the right drugs for OCD if that's part of the approach you take.

A few things to keep in mind. First, studies have shown that therapy alone can be as effective as medication for treating OCD, and with no side effects! I highly encourage you to give CBT a try before you make a decision about taking medication. Second, again as I said its not either or when it comes to OCD treatment, even if you decide to take medication I highly recommend to continue to utilize the tools you use in therapy. Third, overcoming OCD is absolutely doable but it takes time, patience and hardwork. It can be frustrating and it's ok not to be perfect, but if you keep at it you'll be glad you did!

[Guest aaronthegreat1989]

There are two major approaches for treating OCD, therapy and medication, they can be used individually or together. You can find more info on the main OCD-UK site and I highly recommend checking that out, but since it relates directly to your questions I'll give a quick breakdown

Therapy: The specific type of therapy used in treating OCD is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (or CBT for short). CBT is used especially in treating anxiety disorders like OCD and phobias. One of the tools used in CBT is Exposure and Response Prevention or ERP. One of the problems with anxieties and phobias is avoidance. Though we think that by avoiding a feared situation we are solving the problem, the reality is when we avoid things we teach our mind that the feared thing is worth fearing, reinforcing and strengthening the fear. In your case by avoiding reading comics your teaching your mind that it's "ok" to feel anxiety about them, the exact opposite of the outcome you want. The ideal outcome is for you to be able to read and enjoy comics again right? So how do you do that? ERP. Basically what happens in ERP is you gradually expose yourself to whatever it is that's causing you anxiety and avoid whatever compulsive response that's reinforcing the fear. For example a person who fears germs might respond by washing their hands over and over. In ERP you might expose this person to something they fear is dirty (like a piece of clothes, a doorknob, or even a toilet) and at least for a time they must not give in to the urge to wash. It doesn't have to be 100% all at once, it's very common to do this gradually. In your case for example you could start out by reading say 1 page of a comic and not letting yourself re-read it more than say 2 times. The next time you could read 5-pages and only re-read it 1 time. Facing the fear and riding out the anxiety (which will subside) you train your brain to react like you want it to.

Medication: The primary form of meds used in treating OCD are from a group called Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs. For reasons that scientists aren't really clear on yet increasing the amount of seratonin (a brain chemical) available seems to alleviate OCD symptoms in most sufferers. There are a few other drugs that have benefits but the primary, most used drugs are from the SSRI group. While they can be very helpful, like most drugs they can have side effects, and how well a given SSRI drug (of which there are six used for treating OCD) works varies from person to person. It can take some trial and error to find the right drug and dosage level so it takes some patience. The other thing to keep in mind is that these are not cures for OCD. Unlike say an antibiotic where you take it, the infection goes away and then you stop, OCD medication only provides benefits while you continue to take it, similar to how some people have to take daily pills for cholesterol or high blood pressure. Your doctor can work with you on finding the right drugs for OCD if that's part of the approach you take.

A few things to keep in mind. First, studies have shown that therapy alone can be as effective as medication for treating OCD, and with no side effects! I highly encourage you to give CBT a try before you make a decision about taking medication. Second, again as I said its not either or when it comes to OCD treatment, even if you decide to take medication I highly recommend to continue to utilize the tools you use in therapy. Third, overcoming OCD is absolutely doable but it takes time, patience and hardwork. It can be frustrating and it's ok not to be perfect, but if you keep at it you'll be glad you did!

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to write that. It has helped somewhat thank you. I am going to attempt to try that method you have suggested, by reading one page at a time facing my fears head on. I have been taking mirtazapine (30mg) for over a year now. If you've heard of it? Or it could possibly be under a different name where you're from. But it doesn't seem to work, it only assists my sleeping patterns.

Thanks

-Aaron.

[dksea]

Glad it helped! I am not familiar with Mirtazpine directly but I am aware of it and know that some people use it for OCD treatment. It's not one of the SSRI drugs however. With regards to the gradual approach I mention I think it would be very beneficial to work with a therapist but if you can't at this time I recommend perhaps picking up a workbook on OCD that could help guide you through the CBT and ERP. The OCD-UK site has a bookstore section with links to a variety of books to check out.