BelAnna

Thanks mamabear33. I'm having a tricky day and a loved one yelling at me for it, is not helping! Hope you're getting on okay!

Hi Everyone, I was talking to my Psychologist about reassurance seeking the other day and although she agrees that partners/family members providing reassurance for repetitive OCD questions is always unhelpful; she also mentioned that she thinks kind/caring reassurance (e.g. that you might provide to a child) is important, particularly if a loved one is avoiding providing OCD-reassurance. She believes that when you're in a state of absolute panic, having someone act responsively and kindly- offering a cup of tea, a hug, or reminding you that things are going to be okay (once, not repeatedly) is essential. I think I agree. I get a lot of angry, nasty responses from my loved ones when struggling with my OCD and it makes my anxiety much worse than any reassurance provision (even the sort of OCD-reassurance provision that is harmful) ever would. I just wondered what everyone else thought?

Depressed

Oranges

I'm sorry you have had such an awful time Marko! @Ashley is this something that the charity could help with?

Aw I'm sorry GreenJet, OCD is awful. I'm sorry you're feeling unwell with it and definitely relate. I do think there is one rational concern here though- it's not a good idea to leave a young puppy for more than an hour or to leave them un-crated at all as they can get up to all sorts in a short space of time. Are there any good slightly cheaper doggy daycares that he could go to? Or a family member or friend? (Golden Retriever puppies are so lovely that you might find someone is willing to look after him during work hours!)

Also Mini is right- we ignored my dog's barks but made sure her food/attention/toilet etc needs were met and she has never been a barker. Just to add that grapes (and raisins) and macadamia nuts are meant to be avoided too but I'm not sure whether I'm just adding to your OCD by sharing this- sorry!

Hi Greenjet68, I really relate but urge you to start some more CBT with ERP for this as soon as possible! I have a lovely 8 year old Golden Retriever but have struggled with terrible OCD (very similar to yours) about her for those 8 years. The difference between us though is that you have recovered very well from some of your previous OCD obsessions so I'm sure you can kick this one into place too!

Conflict

gamble

I'm sorry you had such a stressful time on Sunday Rosegnome! I don't have any useful advice but just wanted to let you know you're not alone- I have the same fear of dog poo due to Emetophobia and it's such a struggle. Have you had any CBT?

Hi Stardust, I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time. I can identify with your contamination obsession and nearly all of your compulsions (including wearing socks to avoid my trousers/sheets getting 'contaminated', using gloves, needing to shower, wiping tins, wearing indoor clothes (and the need to shower after being outside). It sounds like contacting the local mental health team for more significant treatment (ideally CBT) would be a good plan! You could contact the charity for help with this if there are any issues. In the meantime there are some good self-help books like 'Break free from OCD', which might help? Also I'm not sure if this is something you would find helpful but I've found the OCDuk Zoom support groups really great for inspiring me to change my responses to some of my contamination fears.

Yes I have. Sometimes due to burnout from OCD and sometimes during an episode of Depression. Hope things change for you soon Micky!

Hi Bex, Are you receiving treatment from the CMHT? If you are, you might be able to ask for a referral to one of the NHS specialist centres for OCD but it will take a while (e.g. up to 6 months) to organise it. You can't normally choose to voluntarily admit yourself to a NHS ward- most people are admitted under section due to being a risk to self or others. You might be able to admit yourself voluntarily to a private hospital though.

Thanks so much Angst, Daja, Lynz, Snowbear and Howard. I will ask her again to book an appointment today and then might try to ask my older brother (who lives elsewhere but whom she respects more than me) to ask her to book one otherwise. Reading your replies helped but also made it feel more real. I think I keep hoping this is just OCD/anxiety despite knowing it's probably not. Whenever my Mum makes excuses (e.g. yesterday she changed her mind and decided there was nothing wrong because she had checked her oxygens sats and they were okay), I sort of want to just believe her. I wonder whether I exaggerated in my last post- she has been at my nephew's sports day this morning and she will be well enough to go for a walk later. It's just she'll need to rest in between. I think that the clubbed nails, hoarseness, blue lips and bouts of breathlessness do point to lung cancer though. I am constantly worrying about how long she'll be around and feel very anxious. Thanks Howard but I actually can't go to the GP myself so couldn't go with her. I don't know why the GP didn't notice her blue lips (she may well not have been breathless at the time) but she was asking about her Cauda Equina, which is another serious condition that she definitely has and I know GPs prefer people to ask about one issue at a time but I know they would make an exception for something so serious. I've checked the referral guidelines for a chest X-ray/onward referral and she definitely meets the criteria. Part of me just really wants to go along with her denial because to face up to her possibly being very ill is too much to cope with!