Lost_in_a_Dark_Maze

Sorry! My inbox was full. Quick reply for now, but just wanted to say thank you very much for the guides and your advice. I appreciate it.

Thank you both for your replies. It helps to know I am not alone. I'm sorry you are facing similar worries though. That would be very helpful BelAnna, thank you. Did you find it a very difficult process to claim? I'm not currently receiving any help and my GP doesn't know a great deal about my situation. I was afraid I would need to be in therapy to apply. I wouldn't be able to attend a meeting or have someone come to the house, that is the trouble.

Hello, I was wondering if anyone could help me. I am 26 and have never been able to work because of my OCD. I have been housebound with it for 6 years. I still live at home, and my parents have been supporting me financially, but they are both over 65 and cannot afford to keep doing it. I know I need to start claiming benefits, but I am scared of the process and it all feels too difficult. I think I should be eligible for PIP at least, but I worry that I might answer the questions wrong. I feel like a fraud. Does anybody have any advice?

I hadn't heard it called that exactly, but having looked it up, it's definitely something I experience.

I'm so sorry, what an awful thing for your dad to say and for you to hear. I really feel for you. I know what it's like to feel a burden. I live with my mum (my dad is in a nursing home) who has a lot of health problems, and we argue a lot. She has said a lot of hurtful things. It's hard not to feel angry.

No, I don't mind. I'm 26 now, so it was over a decade ago. I did make quite a bit of improvement at the time, once I'd started medication, combined with the CBT. It wasn't a quick fix though, and despite all the progress I never did make it back to a full day at school. My OCD is currently severe again. I'm not trying to depress you, but just so you know that if your son doesn't seem to be getting better, it doesn't mean that you're doing the wrong things. Recovery often isn't an easy process. I think I recall you saying your son had been diagnosed with Asperger's? It is important that is taken into account as the therapy will need to be tailored to his needs.

Based on my own experience of what happened with me when I was thirteen and my mum was advised to suddenly stop enabling my compulsions, I would say do not go cold turkey. His levels of fear will go through the roof, and you would probably have a crisis situation on your hands. It is best if you reduce it gradually. Obviously you can't just let him spray his sister with bleach though. Maybe if you told him you would be forced by outside agencies to take it away completely if he doesn't stop, it might make him think. Is he taking any medication?

PolarBear, Malina said she used insect repellent, not a pesticide. My mum has asthma and she uses it all the time. It's a sensible precaution in countries where there is a risk of malaria (although usually sprayed onto the body or clothing). It's not the insect repellent that's the problem, but OCD. Malina, I have this kind of obsession too, so I can imagine a little of what you're going through. You've done very well to travel and stay there. As PB says, try to get your mind onto something else. Read a book, watch videos, listen to a podcast, do some puzzles - whatever will grab your attention and shift your focus. The panic will subside eventually. You can do this. Things always feel worse when you're tired too. I hope you manage to get some sleep.

I'm so glad you have found the answer. Hopefully now you will receive the right support. I have never been tested, but for a long time I have felt there is something more than OCD wrong with me, and considered an ASD. I can certainly relate to a lot of what I read.

Hello Lily, From experience, I imagine you're hearing the last post as very critical? I do that a lot, when it isn't actually meant that way. When we're very critical and judgemental of ourselves, we assume everyone else will be too. We're not being intentionally overly dramatic when we conclude that everyone hates us, we're bad and should die. It can genuinely feel that way when you're very depressed and over thinking everything. But people care about you and want to help. Many of us have made mistakes over and over again too. We're all human.

Yes, that's true. There are differences, but perhaps not so many as people (not you!) generally think? I think the reason sufferers object to the phrase is because it seems to buy into the prevalent misconception that mental illness isn't as 'real' as physical illness, or that if you haven't recovered then it's somehow your fault. Nevertheless, it is indeed important to seek help and aim for recovery, which was the main point of your article, which I'm not trying to criticise as it is very good. Just thinking out loud really. I'll shut up now.

Very well-written article. Just a thought though. Does one not have to make the same choice for a physical illness, to seek treatment, medication etc.? For example, with celiac disease you have to make the commitment to stick to a restricted diet and keep away from all products with gluten in, in order to get better and stay well. Similarly with diabetes, you have to carefully monitor glucose levels and sugar intake, etc. It's just that with mental illness, that choice is harder to make, because our thinking processes have become distorted. What do you think?

Hello I love the name too. Our situations aren't so very dissimilar. What helps me is to 'escape' into fictional worlds. Books, radio dramas, etc. It's something other than the OCD to focus on and makes life a bit more bearable. You're never alone, you've always got us.

Thank you for the link. I've just listened.

That's OK. Glad you have been feeling better.