OCD and school

[Guest eden1616]

i am currently on break from school however i go back to school in just under a week and i am super scared. school causes a lot of problems with my ocd and i didnt go for a month last year and had a lot of time off and that has put me behind a bit but also i am now in year 12 (the year before university) and i cant afford to miss school but i bearly made it last year and i had to get status on all of my classes and i cant get that this year or i will fail and have to repeat which is not a option. my ocd has been getting worse and worse and i dont even know what to do i am exhausted normally but when you add school to the mix i am pretty much useless and cant get any work done but i know i will have at least 2 and a half hours of homework each night just to keep up with the languages i am studying and then more for my other 2 subjects. i just really dont know what to do.

the school is aware of my issues and is doing its best to help but there isnt much they can do. ugh i really dont know what to do.

Edited January 27, 2015 by eden1616

[Nomansland]

Do you get any help for your OCD?

[Guest eden1616]

Yes i am seeing a psychologist and psychiatrist. But it is complicated

[dksea]

Hi Eden, I'm sorry to hear that school is so stressful for you. One of the things we struggle with in OCD is black and white (aka all or nothing) thinking. The reason I bring that up is I see your assertion that struggling/falling behind in your classes this year is not an option. So on top of having the initial anxiety of OCD on top of that is the added stress of feeling like you are in such an unforgiving situation, which probably adds even more stress which feeds back in to the OCD and before you know it it's even worse. It's great to have goals and to push yourself but it's also good to understand issues you may have to deal with along the way and set realistic expectations to go along with it.

Now that is not to say because you have OCD you should give up on taking on challenges because they might cause you stress, that wouldn't be good and is letting the OCD win. Wanting to finish school and move on to the next level is completely understandable and good. But I think the primary thing you should focus on, the most important goal is to get a handle on your OCD because your quality of life will improve overall AND it will help you achieve your other goals. If you aren't working with a therapist that would definitely be the first thing you should try and pursue. Working with someone to help you learn the CBT techniques and how to tackle OCD could make a big difference. If you've been working with a therapist and aren't seeing much success there's a number of things to consider. First, whether you are really putting in the work to get the benefit out of it you can. Second, whether you and your therapist are working together towards goals or whether you need to adjust some things including possibly changing therapists. Third, whether medication may be helpful in fighting you battles against OCD. Aside from that I don't have any specific advice I can offer, but if you have questions about particular situations or aspects of your OCD maybe there is some advice we can offer here.

[Ollie46]

Hey man, what you say is like looking into a mirror for me. I'll be easing in to my third year if suffering soon. I first started suffering just as I was going into year 12. Scraped through the year, barely made if into year 13 and I was really worried about getting to uni and stuff, just didn't think I'd make it. Yet, as I write this, I'm currently sat at my new home in university, where I've been loving the past 4 months. I know this whole thing sucks the big one, but you CAN do this. It's gonna take some serious self-motivation to get your head down and just do the work, but it's really worth it. I'm NOT the best student, believe me, I couldn't stand revision as it was let alone accompanied by OCD. I had to make a choice to just live with the OCD and grit my teeth through it, because I wasn't going to let it ruin my life.

You say re-sitting isn't an option, but it is. It's not the most desirable option, but it is an option. Just chill out for a minute, take a breath, and decide how you want it to play out. Keep seeing your therapy people, they'll help you through this. Make sure you tell them about how you're feeling in regards to school. You can do it

[Guest nidu]

Hi Eden,

Sorry my English is not good

I am sorry that you are struggling,but i know exactly how you are feeling,i am 11th std and i also had a lot of problem in school and my studies because of ocd..i also took leave for long time...just today i went to school again..

but i strongly feel that you can beat ocd and get success in school...

u just dont pay attention to thoughts,i know sayin is easy but please do work...get help..here in this forum there are very good persons,dont be stressed..just think you can do it..

I was at the point that i will never go to school again..but after listening to somany good persons advices i am back...n i know you can do it too..u wil...all the very best.

stay strong

Nidu

[Guest eden1616]

Hi Eden, I'm sorry to hear that school is so stressful for you. One of the things we struggle with in OCD is black and white (aka all or nothing) thinking. The reason I bring that up is I see your assertion that struggling/falling behind in your classes this year is not an option. So on top of having the initial anxiety of OCD on top of that is the added stress of feeling like you are in such an unforgiving situation, which probably adds even more stress which feeds back in to the OCD and before you know it it's even worse. It's great to have goals and to push yourself but it's also good to understand issues you may have to deal with along the way and set realistic expectations to go along with it.

Now that is not to say because you have OCD you should give up on taking on challenges because they might cause you stress, that wouldn't be good and is letting the OCD win. Wanting to finish school and move on to the next level is completely understandable and good. But I think the primary thing you should focus on, the most important goal is to get a handle on your OCD because your quality of life will improve overall AND it will help you achieve your other goals. If you aren't working with a therapist that would definitely be the first thing you should try and pursue. Working with someone to help you learn the CBT techniques and how to tackle OCD could make a big difference. If you've been working with a therapist and aren't seeing much success there's a number of things to consider. First, whether you are really putting in the work to get the benefit out of it you can. Second, whether you and your therapist are working together towards goals or whether you need to adjust some things including possibly changing therapists. Third, whether medication may be helpful in fighting you battles against OCD. Aside from that I don't have any specific advice I can offer, but if you have questions about particular situations or aspects of your OCD maybe there is some advice we can offer here.

Thanks and when I say it isn't an option it really isn't my family doesn't have a lot of money and the university fees are about to double in price because the current government is doing some horrible things (in my opinion) so the sooner I can get to university the better. And right now I can't afford to not focus on school. I am working with a psychologist but it is complicated and I feel like it would take me a few years to even get throughout half of all my ocd issues. So again I don't have time to put school second.

[Guest eden1616]

Hey man, what you say is like looking into a mirror for me. I'll be easing in to my third year if suffering soon. I first started suffering just as I was going into year 12. Scraped through the year, barely made if into year 13 and I was really worried about getting to uni and stuff, just didn't think I'd make it. Yet, as I write this, I'm currently sat at my new home in university, where I've been loving the past 4 months. I know this whole thing sucks the big one, but you CAN do this. It's gonna take some serious self-motivation to get your head down and just do the work, but it's really worth it. I'm NOT the best student, believe me, I couldn't stand revision as it was let alone accompanied by OCD. I had to make a choice to just live with the OCD and grit my teeth through it, because I wasn't going to let it ruin my life.

You say re-sitting isn't an option, but it is. It's not the most desirable option, but it is an option. Just chill out for a minute, take a breath, and decide how you want it to play out. Keep seeing your therapy people, they'll help you through this. Make sure you tell them about how you're feeling in regards to school. You can do it

Thanks it is good to know that you managed to get into university. When I say re-sitting isn't an option I don't mean the tests I mean if I fail I will have to repeat the whole year and that isn't an option. My problem is that the courses I want to do are only available at 1 university in the whole country and that university is know for having high ATAR's (ranking number) so I have to do pretty well or I can't do the course.

[Guest eden1616]

Hi Eden,

Sorry my English is not good

I am sorry that you are struggling,but i know exactly how you are feeling,i am 11th std and i also had a lot of problem in school and my studies because of ocd..i also took leave for long time...just today i went to school again..

but i strongly feel that you can beat ocd and get success in school...

u just dont pay attention to thoughts,i know sayin is easy but please do work...get help..here in this forum there are very good persons,dont be stressed..just think you can do it..

I was at the point that i will never go to school again..but after listening to somany good persons advices i am back...n i know you can do it too..u wil...all the very best.

stay strong

Nidu

Thank you and don't worry about your English. Well done going back to school.

[PolarBear]

eden, you need to uncomplicate the situation with your mental health providers. You know that that is keeping you from getting the help you need. I know it's hard for you. I'm aware of what blocks you from committing to do the work, but it's the only way. I hate to sound harsh and say, suck it up, but that's what it is going to take. Even if you do manage to get through the rest of the school year and graduate, you're going to take your OCD with you to university and having an uncontrolled mental disorder in university is going to be worse than trying to manage it in high school.

You need to become determined to beat this thing and go against your thoughts and attend your sessions and do the work. Your OCD will be fairly screaming at you to stop but you must persevere. Kick this thing in the butt and claim your life again.

[Guest eden1616]

eden, you need to uncomplicate the situation with your mental health providers. You know that that is keeping you from getting the help you need. I know it's hard for you. I'm aware of what blocks you from committing to do the work, but it's the only way. I hate to sound harsh and say, suck it up, but that's what it is going to take. Even if you do manage to get through the rest of the school year and graduate, you're going to take your OCD with you to university and having an uncontrolled mental disorder in university is going to be worse than trying to manage it in high school.

You need to become determined to beat this thing and go against your thoughts and attend your sessions and do the work. Your OCD will be fairly screaming at you to stop but you must persevere. Kick this thing in the butt and claim your life again.

i know i just dont know how to find that motivation. i just it scares me so much it paralyses me at times and i try but i cant get my body to move and then i start shaking and i dont even know i have tried to just suck it up so many freaking times and i just dont know why i cant get past this and i hate it because i am wasting everyones time and i dont think i am really worth it anyway. i feel like everyone would be better off if i wasnt born. i just dont know what to do anymore.

[PolarBear]

You're frustrated. I hear ya. I know you've tried before. You need to keep trying. You are worth it. You're an intelligent, caring, compassionate person and you really don't need more reasons that that to answer the question if you're worth it. (I can tell those things from reading your posts for a while). There is another reason why its worth it -- it feels so good when you overcome OCD. The whole world changes for the positive.

[Guest eden1616]

You're frustrated. I hear ya. I know you've tried before. You need to keep trying. You are worth it. You're an intelligent, caring, compassionate person and you really don't need more reasons that that to answer the question if you're worth it. (I can tell those things from reading your posts for a while). There is another reason why its worth it -- it feels so good when you overcome OCD. The whole world changes for the positive.

i dont see those things all i see is a stupid annoying retard who cant do anything worth while. and maybe it does feel good but i dont know if i can take the bad before that.

[Ollie46]

Eden, you need to do what Polar bear said and tell this to you're mental health people. We can help give you pointers on how to beat OCD, but that's it. If you honestly only see those things in yourself, we aren't qualified to help you see otherwise, as much as we'd like to. That's a professional's job unfortunately.

[Guest eden1616]

I have told them but they don't know what to do either