Atlantis

Just make sure that whoever provides you with counselling isn't a "nodding dog" counsellor, I had one of those provided through my company, so decided to go to the NHS where I waited 10 months on a waiting list for CBT, and it turned out that who they provided was a nodding dog also. Then last summer I dug deep into my pocket and have started forking out for a £50 per hour bloke at a psychological therapies unit. He's got 20 years in the game but is still very up to date with the latest treatment. wishing you all the luck in the world x

I have a fear of harming others OCD, sometimes if I am in close proximity to someone, could be anyone kids or adults, people I know, people I don't , the anxiety will kick in, and I will tense up my body, and almost try and move every limb out of the persons way. Sometimes, I'll have the thoughts racing round my head a million miles an hour, and one will stick out with me thinking "sod it" and my leg will flinch out, or an arm as if to hurt them, now the OCD is probably making these movements seem bigger than what they are, (as it blows everything out of proportion) leaving me feeling like I've moved to harm them, just because my thought process was saying "sod it, I don't care anymore, just do it" No contact is ever made, and I am not aiming for any particular part of the body, even more so wanting to make contact, cos that would just cause turmoil in my head. I just wondered if anyone knew why this was happening, muscle spasms maybe? If anyone has had similar kinds of experiences pls let me know. cheers peeps x

I think you should answer her letters, don't let the OCD get in the way of you helping this girl out. It's a perfect oppurtunity to let the real you, the good person, beat off this OCD, by rising above it, so that you can shine through it and help this person out, easier said than done maybe, but how good will you feel if you pulled this off ?

Hi there, It's just your OCD playing up thats all. Look at the evidence. Your intrusive thoughts and panic came in AFTER you had made contact and gone out to the park. You're intentions were purely innocent, and then somewhere along the line, the OCD kicks in with its intrusive thoughts which caused you to panic. It's unfortunate that your daughter never came because of the reason you stated, but I get like that with my ma, and I'm 29 (although I refused to go anywhere with my ma as a teenager) but that's just typical teenage outlook, but then you probably know that. Do try and stop worrying, you've done nothing wrong. Nothing at all. It's just your OCD kicking up stink over nothing, trying to get you on a guilt trip over something that you started off as innocent, but then IT pops up and tries to distort things, END RESULT: you feeling gulity & panicked but over something that was innocent. Also, the girls parents being psychiatrists, they would know OCD, and certainly understand it, so don't worry. Besides, how would they know you're symptoms if you didn't tell them ? And don't use the phrase "someone like me" because there's nothing wrong with ya sunshine. Don't worry, go and do something nice now & think about good things that you may have going on, stay focused for as long as possible on positive things. Then if / when you feel the urge to re-visit your worry in your mind, you will notice that the intrusive thoughts you were having , will have lost some of their poison. Then, carry on doing something else positive. if you need any more advice PM me. cheers Johnny x

whats going on with the live chat? Everytime I try to go in it I get a message saying "not connected , hit the CONNECT tab" but there isn't one?

I have the same OCD as you mate, fear of harming children, it's very hard to deal with especially as we are both the polar opposite of what the OCD likes to make us thing we could be / are going to be etc. My thoughts are that I am going to be inappropriate, especially around kids, so much so that I spent/spend most of my days avoiding situations where I would come into contact with them. This however is a bad thing, because it makes it worse when I do go out, sometimes, if I'm in close proximity to a kid, I get different levels of panic, like the thoughts will say "I am moving to cause them harm" then sometimes, I think to myself "I am going to cause them harm.." and I carry on moving in their direction. Nothing has ever happened though either because I've just stopped in my tracks and thought "ah, another OCD mind trick" and just ignored it, but there have been times where the kid has moved first, and I have panicked like hell thinking the classic "What if..?" the kid hadn't have moved, would I have done it etc etc.. But then I get home, and whether its an hour later or however long it has taken me to calm down about it, I run the situation through in my mind over and come to the conclusion that although I thought I was beyond the OCD, and moved as if I was going to do something horrible, in reality I probably wasn't. In stressful situations, the body muscles tense up, and therefore every slight movement gets exaggerated, and seems bigger than what it is, hence me feeling that I'm about to cause harm, when in reality, it's the thoughts making the physical movements larger than what they are. Now I have a good shrink who as worked with sex offenders, perpetrators, and he has to ram it down my throat on a weekly basis that I don't fit the profile of any of the above, but the OCD makes me doubt it, just like I used to doubt that i'd turned the tap off properly, that the gas fire was off, that I couldn't get AIDS off a toilet seat , kissing, cutting myself on fences the list goes on, the topics vary but the DOUBTS and the WHAT IF's which link all those topics mean one thing- It's all OCD. Don't avoid situations where there are kids as it re-inforces the the OCD which could turn into you having phobic responses like I do, I'd rather be trapped in a lift with a load of Man U fans than be in the city centre surrounded by kids, but I know I have to get out there and do whats called exposure therapy, so I get used to situations and relax in them, rather than getting stressed & tense which just brings on the irrational thoughts. if you ever want to compare notes or anything, feel free to PM or email me. hope this has helped ? take care