Ashley

It does sound like you've had a tough time and I hope 2023 brings a nicer tine, I will what we can to help you. I am not sure how much you know about OCD and how it works, but that is fundamental in tackling it but also not to make things worse. That's where understanding compulsions is so important, the Google checking and seeking reassurance create more problems in the long run. We've all been there and made such mistakes when dealing with OCD. It's for this reason we want to try and help by learning from our mistakes with helpful information rather than reassurance. We will do what I can to support you. Perhaps the best way I can I support you is to agree with you here that you have answered your own question here.... You mentioned being with the therapist for two years, that is always a red flag, especially if they've only told you ways of controlling and managing it. We can't control OCD because it always manages us, but we can tackle it and challenge it so we can stand up to it. I really would encourage speaking to your therapist about OCD more in the New Year, maybe even seek a new therapist if you need to. I know this feels like I am not answering your question but I do want to help you thrive in 2023 and giving you reassurance won't help. But to answer your question the best I can I do think you've answered your own question.

Hello there, Not an uncommon experience I am afraid. Can I ask if the OCD actually being treated? I know you said you are in treatment for PTSD and OCD, but is the focus of treatment on PTSD or OCD? As a general rule treating one at a time is the best approach. Also reassurance won't help, and is not something the forum actively encourages as it rarely stops the OCD obsessional thinking and sometimes reinforces the need for more reassurance (a compulsion). We do try and help with information to help people make sense of their OCD and hopefully that in time will lead to progress. As I am sure you know, the intrusive thought pooped into your head (the image of someone looked under 18) and that's lead to rumination over the thought and the more you have ruminated the more sure the OCD convinces you that the image was of someone under 18 and that you are a paedophile. That's lead to compulsions to seek certainty and like any form of OCD the more you seek certainty the more triggers you find that convince you it was true and it makes things worse. For example if you go back to check if a red stain you saw was blood the more blood you find. The process of what happens with OCD is the same regardless of type. Once we understands the process we can then start breaking down what is happening and finding ways to try and challenge the OCD. That process is also why I personally never use or recommend using the POCD term because it doesn't help explain what is going on and more often than not most people will have OCD impacting on them in other aspects of their life or over time it shape shifts to other fears. So what to do next for you? Well ensure OCD is being addressed solely in treatment (unless there is a need to deal with the PTSD first). The best thing I can say today which may bring some comfort (and I hope is not leaning into reassurance) is not try and seek certainty over the image, try and learn to live with the uncertainty but focus on the fact you that you are a good person whose didn't specifically look for an image that was inappropriate. I hope my post offers some comfort even if I can give you specific reassurance. Ashley

Do you mean a professional (therapist)? The person you mentioned at the hospital sounds very good, and gave you some very good advice. Sadly that's how OCD grabs us sometimes, it comes from nowhere, but it will nearly always fixate on what is important to us the most, in your case your children. Hopefully a good therapist will help you, although transform your thoughts to prior this week is the goal, technically it's not really what we do with OCD. The thought you had is horrific for you because you care so much, but it's something other parents without OCD will have had at one time or another. But those without OCD are able to dismiss such thoughts and don't ponder them more than a moment or two, sadly with OCD we fixate on them and then feel guilty for having such thoughts and then feel that we are likely to cause the thing because we had the thought in the first place. In therapy they will help you understand the thoughts and learn to giver a different perspective on thoughts just being thoughts and not indicative of intent. At that point they lose strength and significance so when the occasional thoughts pops into your head, they no longer bother you or impact you. Stay strong, you can move on from this

Thank you Summer. Merry Christmas to you and everyone and thank you to everyone for your support in 2022. 🎄

I actually forgot, well sort of, the end of the year is a huge admin period for me. I could do one next week between Xmas Day and NYE or if you prefer the first week in January?

Hello there, Sorry have just seen this post. I am not sure this symptom of OCD would be dealt with differently to other forms to be honest. Often it's more about the needing certainty and inability to live with uncertainty that links all OCD symptoms (regardless of theme). Are you receiving any formal treatment for OCD? I am not sure mediation is helpful in this scenario to be honest. It could be (in itself it's always a good practice), but if it's being done as a form of reassurance because of OCD focus on breathing, I can see that being a negative, perhaps, not sure. Ashley

Hello Viv, Intrusive thoughts are pretty much like a roller coaster experience, at times they are less bothersome, but then out of the blue it can flip you upside down and really catch you out. I am not sure if that's what you were asking though? The key thing I did pick up from your post was how you have bein 'managing' them for the last few years. We are perhaps all guilty of that too! What I will say from our experiences is that by just managing our OCD that is why intrusive thoughts can get worse at times for periods, and why we will never fully be free from it. Unless we choose to challenge and deal with the OCD, and whilst I wont pretend that will be easy or guarantee recovery from OCD, it would at least give you a chance at recovery where you are not managing OCD but living life without the cycle of OCD. We would recommend CBT for treating OCD. CBT can also a good tool for dealing with work related stress and panic, although maybe applied with a different approach than we would OCD. With best wishes, Ashley

Hi there, I am not totally sure I understand you. Are you asking if you can have obsessions (OCD) without being aware that you were worried over something? Ashley

As you said an anecdotal article. To suggest a healthy diet will cure/almost cure OCD is not just ludicrous, it's also unhelpful and dare I say dangerously misleading if it reroutes people away from the evidence based treatment path. I have been doing this job a long time now, and in that time I have met many people with OCD, some of whom are almost athletes with incredibly good, healthy diets, but are still struggling with OCD. A good healthy diet is a good thing, and may bring general mental well-being/balance, but lets not pretend it will in any way shape or form treat or cure OCD. Lets not repeat that on the forums please.

No. I am not sure nutritional deficiencies plays any part in OCD if I am honest.

Morning @welterwhite how do you feel this morning? Would it help to chat, if so I am happy to chat on here or arrange for us to chat on the phone if helpful? Ashley.

That's on me... I want to say when I am 50.. but that's only January Give me a nudge on Friday or next week Snowbear and I will pencil one in before Christmas so I can say for one final time 'I should not be here' lol Ash

This year we are once again checking in to our virtual Hotel and flying the flag for recovery at our online conference. Not long now, the afternoon and evening of Friday 18th and the daytime of Saturday 19th. Make sure to register in advance for the talks and webinars you wish to attend. The conference is being hosted by the charity without charge for attendees, you just need to register for each presentation you wish to attend. The Zoom and Vimeo licenses do cost us close to £500 so if you do find any of the presentations helpful and are able to donate a couple of quid that would be welcomed. To make the conference completely customisable for each attending delegate, people can register for each presentation individually. We have four conference rooms, click into each room to see a list of presentations taking place. Main conference room Breakout room Family room Creative & wellbeing room Any problems please email conference@ocduk.org and one of the team will try and respond.

This subjects popped up a few times over the years, and until the wider public understand the severity of the condition I am not sure a name change would change much, eventually that would be trivialised too. I think this is a very good point, and something I have tried to do more and more when I write articles is to use the full title more wherever possible to emphasise the word Disorder more, as we have tried with our logo. Ultimately my belief it comes do to the how the condition is viewed, not the name. We have work to do for sure to change the public perception, and controversial but I think we have to start internally within the NHS and also within our own community as we still hear people trying to suggest certain aspects of OCD are worse than other aspects. We need everybody to understand if somebody is suffering because of OCD they are suffering!