Steven_in_the_clouds

I worry about the same thing. I haven't had the intrusive thoughts for years (used to until I was treated) but I obsess about the impact of having told doctors about it before and it being on my records. I am usually able to deal with this fear but changing gp at the moment, so fear is at its most acute. I know when I say I've had/got OCD I'll have to give my history and I'll worry about this. It's something in the past but I feel I can't leave it there.

Hi, I don't have any advice but just to say good luck. I've thought about this as my job tends to be based in London or New York and was thinking about a stint in the latter. I'm sure it will be fine. You have to declare it but you can just say that it is treated and under control. I wouldn't give too many details unless asked. If they require, you could get your gp to send a letter stipulating the same. If you have a job (especially a senior one) there you would get medical insurance which would cover any meds and possibly therapy. Generally Americans love their drugs and expensive healthcare, so provided you have decent insurance then I'm sure the treatment would be good. No therapy on the NHS though, although that is getting harder to access here anyway.

Thank you both. I feel a bit better today and have tried to stay away from google with mixed success. I didn't realise how stressful doing big renovation work is! It's difficult to maintain perspective and I realised today how anxious and depressed it has been making me.

Hi all, I've got a new obsession and I can't stop thinking about. I've got a history of all sorts of 'pure O' OCD but this is more like GAD worry, which is kind of what my OCD has morphed into over the years. Anyway, I'm in the fortunate position to have bought a flat recently, part of which is on the basement level. It had damp and I've had all the plaster ripped out and I'm getting it tanked with a cement render and replastered. However, all online there are loads of people recommending not to buy basement flats and also that tanking often only lasts six months before damp comes through again. I am terrified that I've tied up all of my money into this flat and that I won't be able to sell it and that it will be uninhabitable. I can't stop googling about this and convincing myself that I've made a terrible mistake. There is another form of tanking that is recommended but for various reasons it's not feasible and I can't afford it. Has anyone ever lived in a basement flat that wasn't damp and was nice?? Has anyone here ever had tanking done. I appreciate this is a random topic for an OCD forum but I can't stop worrying about it. Any comments appreciated.

I haven't. I used to have intrusive thoughts and worries of a similar nature and fluvoxamine (an antidepressant) did a lot of good for me. I would try to get cbt from a clinical psychologist rather than take antipsychotics. From what Ive read the evidence for the latter is sketchy for ocd. I'm glad to hear it was resolved. I hope that you got an apology from the social worker concerned.

I hope (and expect) that it will get resolved asap. However no one should have to go through this. People shouldn't be treated like a criminal for having a common mental illness.

Well -- surely some of your previous psychologists can help and say that she has no clue? Or I would make a complaint and quote authoritative sources? http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/15/5/332(risk assessment in OCD) Or http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/15/5/332(Nice guidelines for nhs that they are supposed to follow) In general, you need to insist that you see a psychiatrist or psychologist that knows about OCD. In general I think that until someone sues the NHS about this happening, nothing will change. It's a result of poorly qualified people being put on the frontline because of cuts. Wouldn't happen in physical health. When's the last time you saw a social worker triaging in accident and emergency? Can your gp help? Frankly this person should get sacked or reprimanded. But as for you, you've dealt with this before and try not to get too worked up. It sounds like you have a good support network. This will be sorted out. I would suggest either asking for help from this charity or from OCD Action that has an advocacy support section. You should spend as much time with your son as possible. You present no risk and anyone with an inkling of knowledge about OCD would know this.

Oh dear. Very sorry to hear this. This seems like a regular occurrence recently, especially with males (anecdotally it seems like women are more trusted though this may be a controversial point). Can anyone from the charity here help? Perhaps pm Ashley or caramoole? Presumably you have OCD on your record so it should be black and white that you will not act on these thoughts. I used to have similar thoughts so feel for you. With therapy I got over them. Now I just worry about someone thinking that I'm a risk because of previous thoughts. It seems that the mental health assessments are getting worse and worse in the UK. It's sad when they become more a means of "risk assessment" rather than actually helping anyone. When doctors are replaced with social workers, there's an issue. It's getting to the point where sadly anyone with intrusive thoughts OCD should perhaps not seek help from the NHS as they will be wrongly assessed as indicating risk. Makes me very angry.

Thank you both. I appreciate it is OCD but that doesn't make it easier when you are in the middle of it. I'm also doing compulsions that I shouldn't be, like checking the forum every half hour to check whether the situation has been resolved -- and of course the rumination to 'work out' whether the same could happen to me. Both make it worse. Anyway, I'll try to focus on something else. It's just that this particular situation a) makes me angry and b) raises my anxiety levels considerably.

(By the way the asterisked word above was not particularly rude!)

Hi, The recent thread about the guy who was wrongly judged to be a threat by inexperienced IAPT therapists has set off my OCD again after a long time of feeling fine, as it touches on an obsession that is the only one that still gets me these days -- the worry that I'll be wrongly assessed of being a risk as a result of past obsessions on my medical records. Most of the time I can see it as unrealistic and I ignore such intrusive worries but this has set me off. I feel very sorry for this guy and his situation is unjust and unfair. I also see that it's very unlikely to happen to me as I have a diagnosis on file for years and no longer get the intrusive sexual obsessions themselves. However, I'm just wondering if there is any news? Has his situation been resolved? In the charity's experience, do these nhs ****-ups end up being fixed with no problems? I appreciate I'm asking for reassurance, but can't stop thinking about it and ruminating. S

I had the same gbg. I find that just continuing my day and refocusing is the most useful with mental obsessions and worries about the future or past. I tried the exposure therapy to those by doing loop tapes with a therapist in the past and I actually think I felt worse. I am certainly best when I am not actively avoiding but not going out of my way to think more about whatever I'm worrying about either. Then my worries tend to become less intrusive and I can focus on real life instead!

In light of a recent thread where a poor chap applied to IAPT for help and was wrongly assessed as being of risk to people, I wondered if it might be worth the charity lobbying to change the wording on this page on the Internet: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Obsessive-compulsive-disorder/Pages/Symptoms.aspx There is no mention of intrusive obsessive thoughts on sexual topics despite this being a very common theme. All other common themes are covered. I imagine that someone well meaning has thought that it shouldn't be mentioned in case it embarrasses someone. However, I think more harm is done by its omission and it would give something authoritative for people to refer to with inexperienced therapists, especially if they are seeking help for the first time.

Yes - in Lambeth and Lewisham, the nhs run IAPT and it seems fairly seamless with the secondary care services. In fact the IAPT was so good that I had no need of secondary care. It would be good if they could export that model elsewhere. (I am aware that this is exceptional). If they did it well nationally, it would pay for itself. I am able to work and live a full life. And I pay lots of taxes and have a relatively senior managerial job. If ten years ago, I had been greeted with this rubbish, then my career may never have got started and would cost the state and I would be spending my whole time worrying. Anyway getting off topic and I hope Paul's situation is resolved asap.

Also -- looking at their website, a "psychological wellbeing practitioner" only needs 45 days training and does not need a psychology degree. I don't think it is three years. See page 9: http://www.iapt.nhs.uk/silo/files/psychological-wellbeing-practitioners--best-practice-guide.pdf However, irrespective of their ability to treat people, they should at least be able to recognise common mental health conditions before as Polar Bear says "pressing the panic button". Then they can get someone with the correct knowledge to take it forward.