Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and OCD

[Vickii]

Hi All,

Advice is very welcome.

My Counselling Psychologist has told me she believes I have GAD. She spent only one hour with me and came to this conclusion. I have had this since I was 14 and im now 26.

As you will see from my previous post today, I have suffered with intrusive thoughts about being gay, having cancer and at the moment its bringing back a memory of a time I kissed someone and telling me it was while I was with my current boyfriend (See other post for more info). Im finding it hard to cope right now and to hear that she thinks its GAD - Does this mean my current and past thoughts are real.

Do you think I should get help elsewhere?

x

[Binxy]

See response below- PC went a bit crazy on me...

Edited November 26, 2012 by Binxy

[Binxy]

Hi,

I can't comment with any professional opinion as I'm not a doctor (well I'm a doctor of Engineering, but clearly this doesn't count!).

I would be tempted to get a second opinion though. I've been diagnosed with GAD with a bit of OCD, mainly OCD with a bit of GAD and OCD by three different therapists. The GAD I've had for years and the OCD has got progressively worse over the last 15 years. I didn't seek different therapists as a reassurance method- I just moved until I felt that I was getting the help that I needed. I still doubt my OCD diagnosis but this I have now learned that this is the nature of the beast.

Hope this helps.

Binx

Edited November 26, 2012 by Binxy

[Guest legend]

may i ask where the diagnoses was made , as in was it gp surgery or was it at a hospital and is she a consellor ?

and if your are not happy with the diagnoses, then you can ask for a second opinion

[Guest Nik]

Hi Vickii,

I believe there is a lot of overlap between GAD and OCD, they are both anxiety disorders and it may well be that you fit into both categories to a certain degree. I was intially diagnosed with OCD by two doctors (including my GP) before being told by a psychiatrist that he thinks it is more anxiety with obsessional thinking. I too suffer with health anxiety, particulary cancer and it is very confsuing when you do get different opinions as that starts to bring up all sorts of new questions!

It is important to get the right diagnosis so you can get the right treatment for you so do seek a second opinion if you wish but make sure it is by a trained professional who is qualified to make the diagnosis.

[Vickii]

Hi Legend,

I was referred to her by my doctors, she is a Counselling Psychologist at a mental health clinic.

I just feel really upset because if its is GAD, my awful thoughts must be real.

I have really had enough of this, feel so drained.

[Guest legend]

then i personally would ask to see someone else. did She ask what you do to rid yourself of the thoughts ?

[Vickii]

No she didn't ask me much about my intrusive thoughts, she mainly spoke about me worrying about cancer and the odd extra bit of information about my panic attacks.

I just want someone to help me, I can't live like this.

Is there anyone out there who could spend time properly diagnosing me and treating me, even if its private treatment I will save up x

[Vickii]

?

[Guest legend]

?

cbt matey

Edited November 26, 2012 by legend

[Guest starsintheireyes]

Hi Vickii, I have GAD and OCD. There is an overlap between the two disorders but there is a difference between them. In both disorders the sufferer will experience anxiety on a daily basis and experiene 'chronic worry.' I find that the main difference betwee my GAD and OCD is that with my GAD, I worry a lot about everyday things e.g If a friend doesn't text me back I worry that they're annoyed with me for hours and feel anxious. If my boyfriend and I have a fight I worry that he will dump me. I used to spend most evenings worrying about my job to the point where I didn't get any sleep. I don't question why I'm worrying about these things. With my OCD I worry about whether I will go mad and harm someone or myself. I have thoughts about doing it and these thoughts cause me a great deal of anxiety. I don't know why I'm having these thoughts and I used to spend quite a considerable amount of time questioning them.

The therapist who took me for my assessment told me my intrusive thoughts were GAD related but the girl that takes me for my CBT recognises that I do have OCD as well. If you feel the diagnosis you've been given is wrong, go see someone else x

[Guest hope*]

i feel you definitely should get another diagnosis. those particular thoughts you mentioned are definitely ocd. dont be worrying that they are not. treat them like they are ocd or you will have a hard time with them.. accept them, dont fight them, dont analyse, distract, stay in the mo. i have ocd and there isnt a drop of gad in me - people say im the calmest person they meet. i never worry about day to day stuff thank god. ocd is enough!

i know im not qualified to give a diagnosis but it could be another while before you get cbt and you cd do alot of suffering the meantime thinking they are not ocd. they are!

good luck and take care

n

[KaKop]

I was councelled by a psycholgist who confirmed my OCD. Since I didn't make real progress and paid him by myself I decided to go to a psychatrist to get a referral to a state health fund paid psychologist. The psychatrist also confirmed OCD. I looked for a specialized OCD psychologist - who was recommended by an OCD sufferer organization. I was totally astonished since he said that I don't have OCD but GAD - according to him I have too many worring topics. Since his therapy is ACT based, which I'm confident to be helpful for me, I decided to stick with him. In the second session he asked in more detail and after answering that there's an inner voice that tries to seduce me to perform checkings and the stress created by not following this voice he got convinced that it's OCD. Have you told what exactly happens in your mind during an OCD 'attack'.

Kakop

[CJay]

Hi Vickii,

I know it's difficult, but please don't feel too disheartened. Diagnosis of mental health illnesses is mostly clinical and although they have diagnostic tools to help them, it isn't always straightforward and of course there's always the possibility that you have both GAD and OCD.

Have you been seen by a psychiatrist? If not, then I'm wondering if maybe asking your GP for a referral to a psychiatrist might be helpful. Although counselling, or clinical psychologists are usually doctors, they're doctors of psychology whereas a psychiatrist is a medically trained doctor who specialises in mental health and the latter is perhaps best qualified to give you a definitive diagnosis.

[Guest sarah1984]

Hi Vickii,

My official diagnosis from the psychiatrist is "severe generalised anxiety disorder with depression and obsessive ruminations". I've never been diagnosed with OCD per se, probably because my intrusive thoughts don't fit with the "classic" themes of sex, violence and blasphemy. I came to the conclusion that my symptoms fit more with a diagnosis of OCD than GAD after reading articles by the psychologist Steve Phillipson on intrusive thoughts. I agree with what all the others have said about there being an overlap in symptoms between the two conditions. I'm also a very calm person like Hope and I don't worry about day to day things that are actually happening to me in the here and now. However, I would stress that mental health diagnoses are very subjective. Medical professionals make their diagnoses according to check lists of symptoms in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) so it's very much a case of ticking boxes. That's why I've simultaneously been diagnosed with GAD, depression and obsessive thinking. I've met many other sufferers who've been diagnosed with OCD and GAD. At the other end of the scale, I've come across someone who has been given three different diagnoses of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder by three different specialists. My psychiatrist even told me that he's not keen on giving patients labels because of the subjectivity of diagnosing mental health conditions.

I don't mean to confuse you further but your fears about cancer could also fit with a diagnosis of health anxiety disorder. The good news is that regardless of whether it is GAD, OCD or health anxiety disorder, the treatment is the same - CBT. My one concern would be that if you are diagnosed with GAD instead of OCD, the therapist could spend a lot of time getting you to look at your intrusive thoughts and consider more rational alternatives, which has the potential to develop into a form of reassurance seeking. I would also be concerned as to whether the therapist would include exposure response prevention work (ERP) in the treatment programme which should be the focal point of CBT for OCD. I would certainly enquire about the possibility of a second opinion on the NHS before you even start to consider shelling out for private therapy. If you're seeing this psychologist again, I would ask her what she proposes to do in therapy and whether she could teach you techniques for dealing with intrusive thoughts.

Good luck,

Sarah

[Vickii]

If I go back to my GP, should I ask to see a -

• Psychiatrist
  
• Psychologist
  

x

[Guest legend]

If I go back to my GP, should I ask to see a -

• Psychiatrist
  
• Psychologist
  

x

preferably a pyschiartrist

[Vickii]

Yes I think so. I just hope my GP listens.

Thank you

[Guest sarah1984]

It depends - psychiatrists have to qualify first as doctors and their area of speciality is psychiatric medication. It might be difficult to persuade your GP to refer you to a psychiatrist if you're not currently taking any medication or if you're satisfied with the medication you are currently taking. Psychiatrists can make diagnoses but they then refer you on to your local psychological services team who'll carry out an initial assessment to determine what kind of treatment you require. A psychologist can also make a diagnosis but they are not medically trained and therefore can't prescribe medication. Initial psychological assessments are normally carried out by clinical/counselling psychologists who'll then hopefully refer you on to a CBT therapist.

Sarah

[CJay]

I'm sorry, but a psychiatrist's area of speciality is psychiatry - a branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental health conditions.

[Guest legend]

I'm sorry, but a psychiatrist's area of speciality is psychiatry - a branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental health conditions.

true, and a good gp./ or a nurse can also diagnose ocd . :original: the important part, is getting the correct treatment for it, cbt and erp.

[CJay]

Absolutely, but I think you're more likely to get the right treatment if you have the right diagnosis.