PolarBear

Mummy it sounds like you're doing well actually. Just because you don't fell like doing compulsions doesn't mean it's not OCD. It was OCD before; you've just removed one step.

Sally, kids have a harder time expressing their ocd thoughts than adults. Your therapist should have known that. As for being tired, I craved naps every day for decades. As a teenager I slept way more than my peers and was accused of dragging my butt at times.

Dizzy, firstly you are not making things dirty. Only his twisted perception sees things as dirty. It's not your fault. None of it. You do nothing to upset him. It's his OCD. Participating in compulsions (like having to clean something for him) is the wrong thing to do. So is breathing right. Those only serve to strengthen his obsessions. Your health is at risk because of his OCD. That does neither of you any good. You can make it very clear that you will no longer participate in his compulsions and that it is up to him to get the help he needs. It's time to draw a line in the sand.

Lovid, what is the basis of therapy for BDD? I'm curious to see if it is close to that for OCD or not.

Good luck, other polar bear.

Way to go Paul. Evolve, stopping compulsions can be brutal. The urge to act is almost overwhelming. Yes, the other side us pretty darn nice.

That's a tough one. I'm sure you want his linking to end. On the other hand, you font want to make him fearful of touching his tongue to something.

30 MG of Cipralex and 1.5 MG Respiradone daily.

Welcome Ocdmad. Hopefully through CBT you'll learn to not allow OCD to make decisions for you.

Do not phone. That's giving in to a compulsion.

Welcome aboard.

Ouch. Didn't realize.

I haven't tried Sertraline. I'm on cipralex, which is probably the newest SSRI or close to it. It does take a while to adjust to having your serotonin levels mucked with. Many of the side effects of ssri's slowly drift away over time.

Considering Sertraline can be prescribed up to 200 MG per day, you were on a fairly small dose. I'm not sure how much benefit you'd see at 50 MG. I'd give 100 a shot, delighted. I really would.

OCD takes a higher dose than just anxiety. I'd recommend trying the higher dose for a while. If you stop taking it now you'll never know how the higher dose would have worked.

Ginger, recovery is a journey, not a destination. You have come far on your journey. Now you've hit a stone wall. There's no easy way around so you must climb. While climbing you won't be moving forward, which will bother you since that's the point. It will be difficult but you'll get to the top, then you'll be on with the journey. This is a wicked disorder. It hits you when you're down. Ithits you when you think you're making headway. All you need to beat it is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. You are strong. I've seen that. Your journey awaits.

Sally it is common for people to have multiple themes with their OCD. Some people have one theme, others have many. It is also common for some obsessions to be strong and others weak. It's like a few are taken very seriously and others are more like a nuisance.

Meds, ERP and mindfulness for me.

Analyzing your obsessions is a compulsion, something you don't want to do. You have to learn to accept the uncertainty of why you think what you do and not analyze the thoughts.

Nope. Always been the generic one.

I checked out a number of forums before settling here. The biggest reason was what I saw as a sense of community; a compassionate, understanding community.

Hence why I've delayed setting an avatar for myself. I need to be inventive.

I'm coming up to my one year anniversary of being nearly obsession free. I still have a few that like to jump in but I have their number, recognize them immediately and let them go with little problem.

Cub, start Journaling, preferably in the morning, though that isn't as important as just writing. Puke it out on the page. No spelling or grammar checks. Punctuation doesn't count. Write whatever comes to mind. Example: stupid ******** ocd I hate it so much gotta go to the store need milk dawn dryer went on the fritz feeling so low right now yuck don't knowvwhat to say this is stupid now what where to go I want to get this ocd under control. Talked to Betty she's fine had a nice chat.... And on and on. Once a day, every day. Puke out the **** and slowly your mind will clear for stories to come through.

AJ, perfect! The length of the list is not relevant. You just want to include those items that cause you the most grief and/or that take up a lot of time. This is about tailoring a list to your particular situation. You're doing well.