BelAnna

Hi, One aspect of my 'responsibility' themed OCD is worrying about my lovely little two year-old dog. My dog has been unwell with a stomach upset for 8 days (with some blood involved) and is going to be seen by the Vet today. I keep getting a persistent thoughts that she is going to die and thinking that God/something is telling me (I don't hear a voice or anything) that she will. I had a similar thoughts the week that my cat died 18 months ago and I'm scared that that means she will die too. I think this sounds more like OCD than anything else? I'm not particularly religious but my family are, so sometimes I worry that thoughts are from God or something rather than just OCD thoughts!

Hi RunningLover, Yes I have claimed PIP for very severe OCD. I have difficulty with all of the activities that PIP covers (showering, preparing food, using loos [contamination OCD] etc.). If you do decide to go ahead with a claim, which sounds like a really good idea then: 1. Buy a subscription to 'benefits and work . co .uk' because they have an in-depth guide on claiming PIP for mental health problems. It is incredibly helpful and they also point out where PIP assessors try to trick or twist what a claimant is saying in order to reject a claim. You do qualify for PIP but sometimes it's a case of fighting for it. 2. Send as much evidence as possible along with your PIP forms. This can be hospital letters, psychiatrist/psychologist reports, GP/ CBT therapist/social worker letters. Although unlikely there is a chance that if you provide substantial evidence they will not call you for an assessment particularly if you have very severe OCD. 3. Keep spare copies of everything that you send and send your PIP claim form by guaranteed/tracked/registered/signed-for delivery. Also if you are going to be unfit for work for a period of time then it's worth considering claiming 'ESA' too.

Could you maybe try setting a timer for 30 minutes and write as much as you can in that space of time? Also would it help to allow yourself to write one draft sheet but then to keep the second one?

Yes, of course you do. You have multiple, complex disorders and need long-term treatment for them. Ask your Psychologist if there is any appeal's process for requesting further treatment. Having intensive treatment for a shortish period followed by a whole year without any is not adequate. Perhaps you can also insist that only one or two of your disorders were addressed and you need more time to address the bipolar or something. I only have OCD with Depression but had five years of appointments with one NHS Psychologist at the CMHT a few years ago.

You obviously love your son and it's great that you've put so much effort, money and time into trying to help him to get better. I wonder though if you're quite resentful and annoyed with your son for the effect his condition has on the family. Please keep in mind that he is only 14, he's just a kid so he might really forget to take his medication- it's probably best to supervise him with them. It's not the kind of thing to feel annoyed with him about. Another possibility is that he does not feel very good on the medication but doesn't feel able to express this because he knows that it's supposed to be helping and that you're very invested in it working. Are you sure? I am also currently in CBT; my therapist pushes me to do homework- sometimes I haven't managed it because my anxiety is too great or because there are other stresses in my life that make it hard for me to cope with the added anxiety of resisting a compulsion. Your son is so young that he probably has an even harder time rationalising his anxiety. This ^^ actually demonstrates that he is probably finding the tasks too tricky- if he cannot complete tasks despite an incentive to do so. Honestly I wouldn't be so sure- he will probably feel incredibly anxious that he won't have sole use of one bathroom. He might feel much more stressed out with having to share a bathroom and he's likely to react by extending his bathroom visits. Re. Public toilets I can imagine both he and you really have had a nightmare of a time with them. He will be feeling absolutely terrified, surrounded by a mist of chemicals and feeling as though he has lost control. I bet he was really embarrassed about blocking the toilet on the plane, as were you. It's good that he's willing to go to appointments as some sufferers don't feel motivated or able to do so. Poor kid, taking anti-diarrhoeals to get through a school day. Make sure he knows you're on his side. Explain to him how important it is that he engages in therapy and limit computer time but don't punish him if he feels unable to complete it. Keep conversation open and ask him how he's coping and what you can do to help.

Also was the private chat with the psychiatrist or with a counsellor? If it was with a Psychiatrist then I still disagree but it's worth asking why s/he thinks that it's not predominantly OCD. If it was a counsellor then they are not trained to diagnose (neither am I but I have studied Psychology at University and have experiential knowledge of OCD!) and I would not really pay too much attention to her opinion.

Hi Paul, Your son definitely does have OCD though, whether that's comorbid with Asperger's or not- that feeling of being stressed if he does not wash enough is typical OCD and he does not need to fear that something bad might happen for it to be OCD. I think you might be overestimating the power-play issue here- yes he is a teenager and can be stroppy sometimes BUT staying in the bathroom for a long time is best explained as an OCD behaviour, which would most definitely happen even if he was living alone. If he does have comorbid Asperger's syndrome too then he has a lot to deal with and is probably feeling completely overwhelmed by the demands of being a teenager and of having to cope with OCD on top. If your family then challenge him and his OCD from time to time then it's likely that you feel the brunt of his frustration and anger (which his teenage hormones won't be helping either!).

Yes I guess you're right. With regards to the 'What exactly can you do about it?'; I guess that if I was really sure it was Norovirus I would bleach/clean everything in sight!

My contamination OCD means that I see vomit everywhere outside of the house (e.g. on pavements, floors etc.). I'm mostly housebound so I don't have to worry about this all of the time but my Dad sometimes wears his shoes in the house and might bring things in on his shoes. This morning my dog picked up something and I went to check and scooped it out of her mouth (she sometimes swallows silly things). It was gloopy in texture and cream-yellowy coloured and I'm worried that it might have been vomit. I stupidly just washed it off in the sink rather than wiping it away and then washing my hands and now there's some stuff in the sink. I'm worried that I might get sick if the substance was vomit as it might be norovirus-vomit. Would any 'normal' person worry about this? Or is it just OCD? I guess I'll know if I get sick in 2-3 days!

Thanks Polarbear, thought so!

... my dog that is. It sounds silly but I'm worrying that she is breathing too slowly and that she didn't respond properly when lying down just now (I think she was asleep with her eyes open, which dogs can sometimes be). I have an intrusive thought that she will die overnight and don't know whether to check on her (dog sleeps downstairs) or whether to just leave it as it's probably a compulsion!

That's great Chelsie! I wish I was as good as you are at facing my fears!

Thanks Taurean; that sounds like a good idea- I'll try it and report back!

Hi Chelsie, I hope you have a better day today. Contamination-symptoms are so awful, especially those involving 'spreading contamination'. I have a slightly different contamination-OCD concern so i'll let you know how I would feel in that situation, which wouldn't trigger my OCD: a. I would not be worried that there was hepatitis on the plaster: the chances are that the student does not have hepatitis- s/he is a child and much less likely to have the infection. b. In the unlikely event that the pupil did have hepatitis then I would not be worried about the plaster because you cannot catch Hepatitis from a scrunched up plaster in a bin- you would have to eat the plaster or deliberately rub fresh blood into a cut to become unwell with it. c. I would not be worried about the bin because the Hepatitis would not spread through remote contact like that- you need quite direct contact to contract the disease. So I would think: 1. The plaster is quite safe- it's old, dried up and doesn't pose a risk. 2. The bin is safe- there is no risk of Hepatitis if you move the bin. (well actually I'd have my own contamination worries about the bin and you'd probably not have those!) 3. Your shoes are safe- there's no hepatitis on them. 4. All the door handles and everything else are safe too.

Aw that's ashame but you did well to cope last time so you will cope when he comes to do the work too. Hi Fender, Sorry to hear you have a fear of Norovirus too. I'm not concerned about contracting Norovirus from our house as no-one in my house has had it for years BUT I'm afraid of contracting it if the Plumbers haven't washed their hands after dealing with other people's toilets, who may well have had Norovirus in the recent past so that there are viral particles in their loo! Thanks Polar, I have been better about contamination-compulsions in general and like you say it seems to become less of a problem, the fewer compulsions I complete. My anxiety was up at about 9/10 yesterday though so I did do some cleaning. I wonder though whether they do get sick, with minor things like stomach bugs, more often than average though. It is perfectly possible that they contract viruses more often but don't associate it with their job. Thanks for your support!