Jump to content

OCD, phobias and I don't know what to do anymore


Guest Fern

Recommended Posts

Hi!

My name is Jen and I'm living in France. I'm married and I have a 11 months old son, a real cutie.

I have OCD for around 8 years now. I tried multiple psychiatrists and medication but nothing is able to help me. It completely controls me and I just don't know what to do anymore.

I'm afraid of blood. Afraid like crazy, at the point where it's a phobia now. Not mine or my husband and son but blood of everyone else.

Last week, I was taking my grocery at the drive and the woman had a white bandage with a speck of red on it. I had to give the few things in the bag that she touched. I'm under the impression that now, there is blood in my car, on my keys, on my trunk.

My husband supports me a lot but he's the only one. Others rolls their eyes and sighs, because of course, I'm a drama queen.

I'm at the point where I think that I'll never get better and that one day my husband and my son will turn away from me because of that.

I'm currently seeing a psychiatrist but we had to reschedule my last appointment and now, it's in a few weeks.

I'm a stay at home mom and I feel lonely. I don't want to add burden on my husband shoulders so I just hope to find people to talk to, people that can understand.

There it is...

Link to comment

Hi- Absolutely understand, I have a fear of blood also. I see red everywhere and the first thing I think of is blood.

I fear all blood even my children's which makes no sense at all !

Your not alone.

Link to comment

Hi Jen. Welcome to the forum.

What you need is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy called ERP - Exposure and Response Prevention. It is a type of therapy where you are slowly exposed to that which you fear while learning how not to respond. Over time it can bring your anxiety level down to normal amounts.

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
Guest DiracFan

Hi Jen

I think you've nailed it by stating that you have a phobia. But not all phobias have there roots in OCD. I'm not a health professional but have had OCD since I was a child (about 50 years now).

Trends occur in medicine. For example, when I was a kid a tonsillectomy was the standard cure for tonsillitis, but these days that is a rare treatment. I think OCD has become a popular, and for a comic, label for many behavioural problems.

You say you've had OCD for 8 years, but what other systems have presented themselves in that time?

Regards

Philip

Link to comment

That is so.

Its often a phobia but not obsessively however sadly you do.

ERP is definitely the way forward and probably over a very graded hierarchy starting very low on anxiety threat and then rising up the trigger ladder.

You will get over this if you are prepared to work gradually and dedicatedly on it.

Link to comment

Hi Jen,welcome to the forum.

I can fully emphathise with you and your description of seeing red on the woman's bandage and then thinking it is everywhere else,as i am the same but mine is animal faeces,and if i see a brown mark anywhere i immediately think it's that and i then think it has gone everywhere!It's a total nightmare,but as PolarBear and Taurean has said the standard treatment is CBT and ERP.

Have you read any books on OCD,i am sure someone will know which are the most helpful,i would like to know also as i havn't as yet had any success with medication either.

All the best

Daisy x

Link to comment

Bonjour Fern! Welcome to the forums, I wish I could offer you a better greeting in your own language but I only know a handful of words in French (I studied Spanish in school). I hope you find talking to us here on the forums helpful, it can be a huge relief to find people who can understand how you feel. Our friends and family can support us in many ways, but few of them really understand what it's like to have OCD. Lots of good advice above and I add my voice to saying that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (or CBT) can be a huge help for dealing with OCD.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...