Caramoole

Ultimately, yes. You would work towards eliminating all of the compulsions that sustain OCD. But you have to start somewhere. I started with the constant confessing/ talking to my Husband when that need to bring it up to gain reassurance struck. It does feel urgent but so does the need to carry out any compulsion. Compulsions sustain OCD and in order to feel normal again, we have to start to address them. A great deal Emmalou

All of the above Emmalou. This is a compulsion carried out to relieve that Whoosh of anxiety.....it works in the moment.....but onlyi for a moment, in the long term it sustains the problem. When that rush of anxiety hits you, try your best to ride it. Recognise it, label it for what it is....wait, postpone the confession, the need to be reassure. It will pass....especially if you look out for the secondary fear. The internal chatterbox that is going on and providing you with all the reasons you should take this seriously All most 21 years I've been with OCD-UK.......I've read 10's of thousands of posts. In all that time I've only come across one person that flagged up a doubt....and even then, I was unsure. It saddens me so much to still see people like yourself bound with such fear. Try to take that leap of faith. Trust in what we say. Practise postponing the reassurance seeking for just one hour.....then build on that....one hour ten minutes and so on. Many years ago I quit reassurance seeking cold turkey......it was easier than I thought. Start tomorrow by postponing and then building on it

I think this is the crux generally......."What if I lost control and....." You won't....but it's a very powerful, convincing thought & enemy

Or rather, it keeps on taking! There is risk in every aspect of life. Every time you drive/or are a passenger in a car you could end up in a fatal accident. You could slip on ice, crack your head on theground and fracture your skull. You could scratch your hand whilst gardening, develop sepsis and die from septic shock. There are real risks from many things. We don't choose to have OCD but we can choose to change how we respond to the overwhelming doubt & anxiety.

Hi Chels.....Christmas present for you.....reassurance (just once) you're not going crazy.....nor will you. You're having intrusive thoughts about the thing that's most precious to you.....that's why you/we have them. They don't target things we're not bothered about but the things we do. We often read about fears of harming children, pets, the elderly....anyone/thing vulnerable. Rarely (if ever) do we hear about someone fear attacking a night club bouncer or body builder. Our mind defaults to "What if I lost control and ???" (Fill in the and) The only danger at play is to you, your mental health and well-being. Tell your psychologist....."I'm terrified I'll somehow lose control and......" They won't blink! Yes, they will routinely ask you some questions, they have to - but do so, bearing in mind that this isn't a risky situation. And it isn't. Try your very best to get your head round this and "know " this is a very common (albeit scary) thought with no risk attached. Happy Christmas, hope you can enjoy the day

Hmmm.....not often I disagree with you - not sure I do now even but it's not always clear cut and is often a chicken/egg, egg/chicken situation. My initial OCD was primarily a response to extreme anxiety first, not anxiety caused by OCD. They were/became intrinsically linked.

So Bexi...are we going to start this journey today? Can you find a couple of tiny things that you're going to work towars conquering? It can seem paralysingly terrifying, it can also feel liberating to even that decision in your head (as the first tiny step) Itsok has made some great suggestions, are there any you think you could start to work with? You say you sometimes go out late at night to buy a sandwich.....how's about trying to buy another item that may help with your problem? Shower gel has been suggested.....but you know what? I don't bother with shower gel. Yes, it smells lovely, does it's job and then washes away down the drain. I always use a good old-fashioned bar of soap.....it's cheap and lasts absolutely ages. Even if you can't shower (yet) you could was your hands & face....or just your hands. There will always be a starting point. How's about it? Are we going to start this?

Hi Bexi - I can appreciate how tough it must be for you experiencing these doubts and the level of anxiety it gives you. It must be doubly tough facing this on your own with no-one to give you support A phrase you used twice above was "I feel" and this is the truth. You "feel" like things are contaminated.....you "feel" the emotion & the fear but the things you fear are grossly inflated and exaggerated. Although life isn't risk free, the reality is that the majority of the population don't feel this way. They don't moderate their lives to try and control things and they live (largely) without any catastrophic consequences. You are hide bound and paralysed by fear and the power of your obsessions. Are you getting any help from anyone to help you address this problem? Have you seen your GP? What have you tried? You can move forward from this horrible place you find yourself in. I know it's very scary to contemplate making changes to behaviours you believe are protecting you but you can. These behaviours don't really protect you at all......your OCD is the thing that convinces you that it's necessary to take such precautions....it's a powerful argument it taunts you with. The truth is 98% of the population live very nicely without taking any precautions at all. They have deliveries, they pick things up from the doorstep, they tread where dogs have peed and then walk all around their house......and nothing happens.......luckily for them, they don't have the OCD demon sitting on their shoulder taunting them. You clearly don't want to live your life like this, so are you ready to see what sort of strategy you can work towards changing things? I'm not going to lie, it will need you to make changes....but you can gradually do that

Nope.....can be about literally anything. It is about obsessing/ obsessions about something. As you say, it's normal to worry about things like this in the type of world we live in, any parent would. The difference is that others wouldn't be consumed with it, tortured by it, made I'll by it. You've had a sensible conversation with your little girl and have explained why we don't do this sort of thing.....?.now you have to watch for the rumination, the internal conversation with yourself and try to break that cycle. Do your best

Well Done You - take faith in what you've done....and survived. Trust in yourself & keep on trying, you might just continue to surprise yourself

Having come back and briefly reviewed this thread I've decided to let it remain locked. Frankly, it appalled me. 145 posts in less than 24 hours with little input other than mud slinging and point scoring. To say the point was missed is an understatement. My first experience of OCD was almost 50 years ago, a time (yeah, yeah, yeah, boring) when there wasn't any information available, no access to appropriate treatment or medications, no internet articles, no support forums, no Self-Help books. You lived with the fear of insanity & complete helplessness. You also lived in a state of ignorance. My status doesn't describe me as "recovered" because OCD does come knocking, especially in times of stress but I have learned what helps and perhaps more importantly, those things that keep one locked firmly in the loop. Those doubts and fears that are not real but which we remain slave to for decades in an endless cycle of avoidance and compulsive behaviours. Not cured, not quite .....but managed very effectively for the most part 98% of the time. How has any of this nonsense helped anyone gain hope? How has it been for the greater good of anyone? Quite simply, it hasn't. As someone looking in it seemed like self-indulgent, self-serving, point-scoring, hypocritical behaviour that benefitted no-one. I took my mod's hat off there to post that and to post as a fellow forum member for a moment. Honestly folks, I've been so disappointed in what I've witnessed this evening.

And another. Yes it is playground stuff. Can you not see you are as guilty as those you accuse?

This is so hypocritical Paul. Now who's bullying?

Crikey .... you guys just won't give it a break!! I'm off out now and plain-speaking myself, I simply can't trust this thread to run smoothly - so for the moment, at least, I'm going to lock it whilst I'm away. Please don't just take it elsewhere

This is a prime example of adding 2 + 2 and making 9. U less I've read it completely wrong, MW made his comment in response to Polar Bear Which just shows how easy it is to jump to conclusions and get it wrong

I too have read Jonesy's post(s), I too do not see them as bullying in anyway. Direct, frustrated maybe but to anyone who uses the forums regularly, they would realise that this is her style of writing, even to and about herself. Different styles may be used by those responding but none the less, direct opinions about and to others are also used. If this is the direction the thread is descending to, I'll simply close it as not serving the purpose that was intended. It should also be remembered that each in their own way is suffering, it is not exclusive.

This thread has veered completely off track and away from it's original intent. All very interesting and yes, valid in many respects but it moves so far away from the core message it intended, that is there are so many sufferers who are bound by doubt, fear, anxiety that they spend years searching, researching, questioning, avoiding when they could (and do) take that leap of faith to challenge those fears and find a way forward. Of course there are many with other mental health challenges but even so, that doesn't mean we should have an "Abandon all hope" approach to the very many who are bound by the same errors and could find huge benefits by being encouraged to step out of tte quagmire that keeps the vast majority of us stuck. Early in the thread we had people taking offence to the term "newbie" being used (to me, that just means new to the forum - not a derogatory term) and now we have the term "oldies" (which does seem a bit more derogatory) Being an "Oldie" doesn't mean, out of touch.....it just means we've been around a bit, experienced a fair bit and have learned a few things along the way......not least of which are the many errors we've misguidedly made along the way!!

It can never be a 'one size fits all' but it does fit many. On a forum we cannot explore and advise on all the individual complexities of mental health problems, although I do believe our users do try to use their own experience to support others in their struggles. Acknowledging that, it doesn't mean we should abandon encouraging a vast number of sufferers who are bound by fear of taking those early steps. I've been here a long time and seen so many people who've been completely stuck, eventually find the strength to change methods and find the improvement we all crave and deserve.

I suppose Franklin's post sums up, generally, the point I was trying to raise. Yes, of course there can be other mental health issues that are co-morbid but even there, these can be helped by similar methods. I have suffered from severe OCD, from crippling anxiety, from depression, from panic disorder.....and perhaps most difficult, with withdrawal from 12 years of repeat prescribing of benzodiazepines. I am also intolerant of SSRI medications and the insistence of GP's/ other professionals /other sufferers/forum users to keep on trying them!! For most, CBT methods will be very helpful if only the sufferer dares to try in the face of the anxiety & fear that it inevitably provokes....and yet, so many remain bound by that fear. I must add, I've never been offered formal CBT by my GP's. Why? Not sure. I think I presented as high functioning and therefore coping. Some years back I self-referred through IAPT. For me, it proved as useless as a chocolate teapot - I hope mine was an individual experience. The most helpful support and advice I ever received was here on this forum. That took the place of personal advice, relevant book advice and articles and support. The folks I met here in 2004 were amazing and gave me the inspiration & courage to take the steps I needed to take. That's what I wish for our users today. I remember our old friend @Legend well......a wreck. I remember the fear & confusion of his wife. He was at the bottom of the well. I'm delighted (Ihope) to have played some part in helping him find his way out of this trap and to get where he is today, helping others out of that same self-destructive, misguided trap. It's not an easy journey but improvement, management......even recovery, is possible if you dare to find the faith and try. If you're new to this.....or even someone who's struggled a long time (as I had - 20 years before diagnosis) Life can get better

Right, back on track folks......and thanks for the kind acknowledgement Jonesy

I just want to reiterate Ashley's post regarding the policy of OCD-UK. I'll further point out that I don't intend to let this thread become a hot bed to continue the argument that resulted into a recent thread to be closed. We are all entitled to use whatever methods they see fit or find helpful to them. Over the years I've seen some users suggesting theories that I find unhelpful at best, potentially damaging at worst. I am concerned when new users can take that information and believe it to be a recommended method, it can become confusing and isn't in line with the recommendations of the charity. As I say, I've been on this forum for over 20 years. I've seen thousands of people struggling, desperate, confused. I've had the pleasure of witnessing many of those people finally finding the courage to work through the difficult challenges and find a way to master their OCD. Sadly, I have also seen some who are struggling a decade later but who are still falling prey to the treadmill of carrying out compulsions, avoidance, research, reassurance seeking....and the rest. I am speaking to the many/most who will progress by choosing to find that trust in both the advice & in themselves.

The anxiety is. The feelings of fear are. The doubts we experience are. The things we fear aren't, they are obsessive, they feel compelling, they are disordered. I have been on the forums for almost 21 years, fortunately the information about and treatment of OCD has changed radically in this time. We have to dig to the bottom of our boots and do our level best to trust and use that information......and yes, even in the face of doubt and anxiety. No amount of reassurance, of carrying out compulsions, of avoidance will improve our lot. No amount of searching for others with the same problem will help. There aren't any alternative therapies or supplements that will solve this.....but a combination of CBT, of ERP, of self care will help. Will it mean it will go away and never knock on our door again? Probably not......but when it does, using the skills you learn will help you to identify what's happening and help you to abort future episodes from becoming catastrophic. It is so sad to see so many still suffering so badly and falling down the rabbit hole of "Is this OCD" Can OCD make e think X,Y Z? Yes & Yes. Fighting & challenging the doubts and fears OCD throws at us is horrendous. Succumbing to the destructive patterns of behaviour we fall into is even more so. I hope beyond hope that you'll try and take that on board. It's a difficult & very challenging fight to fly in the face of something that feels so compelling but it's the best way forward. You are already in the grips of anxiety....better to feel anxious whilst defying and changing our response rather than still feeling extreme anxiety whilst jumping to its tune. Wishing everyone the strength to unmask this imposter. You can do this

Using the things you learned about in therapy and from CBT, how do you think you can change your response to this current worry? When an obsession strikes, it seems like the default position is to take it seriously because of the level of anxiety & doubt that it provokes. During your CBT you will have gone through some recommendations about how to change that response, can you remember some of the things that were suggested? The doubts we feel are so compelling and feel so valid but are disproportionate to the real risk, this is where we have to put those skills into play.....even though it causes us anxiety. Do you think you could try this tomorrow?

Propranalol works only on the physical symptoms of anxiety. It doesn't treat psychological symptoms of anxiety or OCD but as Paul says, feeling a reduction in physical anxiety can have the knock-on effect of improving how we feel generally

It should be made very clear that the O/P's opinon/theories are simply his own and do not reflect those held by those who are the leading experts in the treatment of OCD. It is important that we point that out as it could be extremely confusing and misleading to any new users or those struggling with contamination issues.