Question for those that are recovered.

[Bodger]

Polar bear - Could I ask what medication has worked for you?

Franklin12 - Do you consider yourself recovered?

Edited October 10, 2017 by Bodger

[Franklin12]

Well I still have an obsessive personality, I just know how to not indulge the 'bad' obsessions. I would say that the vulnerability will always be there, and because I always got triggered by a million different things it's not like I have overcome one big fear and that's the end of it. 

I wouldn't be 100% certain that I will never get another episode again, if circumstances came together (life stress, new surprise fear catching me out). But I'm in a good position now and I have learnt the tools to deal with things if they were to flare up again so I'm hopeful that I wouldn't let it get so crazy out of control again. 

[Bodger]

Thanks Franklin, that makes sense. Well done for getting to such a good place!

 

[PolarBear]

2 hours ago, Bodger said:

Polar bear - Could I ask what medication has worked for you?

Franklin12 - Do you consider yourself recovered?

I'm not going to answer the question. I used to but I've learned the answer is pointless. My reaction to the combination of meds I'm on us unique and may not work for others. You've got to try them on your own.

[Bodger]

If we still get intrusive thoughts (even if they no longer bother us) we practise therapy everyday and need meds, to me that is not recovered from OCD, but is well managed OCD?

I don't wish to be negative, but am wondering is full recovery is possible??

My OCD is well managed, I would love to be recovered, but is this an achievable goal??

 

[snowbear]

1 hour ago, Bodger said:

If we still get intrusive thoughts (even if they no longer bother us) we practise therapy everyday and need meds, to me that is not recovered from OCD, but is well managed OCD?

I don't wish to be negative, but am wondering is full recovery is possible??

My OCD is well managed, I would love to be recovered, but is this an achievable goal??

 

I would say that if you are still having to practise therapy every day then you aren't yet fully recovered. You are - as you say - managing your OCD and doing well, so perhaps that should be referred to as partially recovered?

Whether you take meds or not is irrelevant to 'being recovered'. You can have no OCD symptoms and choose to continue with medication for other reasons, or continue meds to maintain well-being and prevent a recurrence.

Everybody gets intrusive thoughts. People without OCD don't react to them, misinterpret them or become distressed by them.

So I define recovery as reaching the point where intrusive thoughts occur (as for 'normal' people) but we no longer apply the disordered thinking response of OCD to them. In other words, recovery is where you are sufficiently well-practised at thinking normally again that you don't react to, misinterpret, or get distressed by your intrusive thoughts.

In recovery you have the CBT tools available to deal with a recurrence of symptoms should it happen, so you could quickly nip any further OCD in the bud, but recovery means you're not getting OCD symptoms any more because you've stopped applying the disordered thinking that is OCD. 

Yes, full recovery is most definitely possible.   

[Franklin12]

Also it depends what you mean by 'practicing therapy'. Do you mean seeing a therapist, or doing exercises? If so then yes it sounds like the problem is still there. But to me, 'therapy' involved learning how to think in a healthy way. If your natural instinct your whole life is to, say, avoid fearful thoughts, then even after formal 'therapy' ends, you may need to remind yourself every now and then to face your fears. I would call that part of personal growth, which everyone should be doing their whole lives. I personally wouldn't get hung up on definitions of 'recovered'. If you still feel your life is under a cloud of OCD then I would say keep on working, because you can get to a stage where you forget what that was like. And like Snowbear says, it's about how you respond to thoughts/situations/emotions that counts - are you going to spiral into an anxiety cycle if you go on holiday and have a sudden thought that you might have left the door unlocked? Or can you get on with your holiday? No human will ever be at a stage where thoughts don't pop into their head. But you should be aiming to be able to be responding to each thought without a whole lot of effort and anxiety. 

 

[PolarBear]

Just to be clear, i do NOTHING about intrusive thoughts. I dont do any kind of therapy. I don't pull out tools learned in CBT and apply them. I don't manage or work at dealing with intrusive thoughts. 

I continue to take meds because of anxiety and depression issues. I am very stable now.

[Izzy2017]

Reading all this is really helpful and as one of you said about the anxiety been worse at the minute mine is.  I'm trying to not think about the thoughts when they come into my head, which is hard, but the stomach pain, feeling sick and tingling of arms I am finding harder today. Does anybody have a good coping strategy for this? 

[Franklin12]

Exercise - burn off some of that cortisol. I always find exercise in nature/the outdoors especially good for a boost in mood.

[Bodger]

Thanks Snowbear and Franklin for the replies.

By practising therapy, I mean as needed during exposures to progress in life. I don't mean receiving therapy.  If you can do the basics in life without the thoughts bothering you with no anxiety, is this recovered, or is it dealing with anything life can throw at you.

Not getting hung up on recovery, just working out where I am at, to give me something to aim for!!

[snowbear]

11 hours ago, Bodger said:

dealing with anything life can throw at you.

That's a good definition of recovery, I think!  As you say, something to aim for.

Meanwhile getting on with life is a good way to be, gradually moving from just doing the basics to being unlimited.   

[Bodger]

Thanks Snowbear - Yes that is a good definition.  I used it because I had cancer earlier this year and my OCD got really bad.

Recovery is a good thing to aim for!!!

 

Edited October 13, 2017 by Bodger

[Guest David green]

On 10/9/2017 at 19:26, Gary.p said:

Yes Ashley, I can’t ever remember being “calm” other than when I’ve been on diazepam or drinking alcohol.

im always on edge, as you say. I have good days, but never had a day that I don’t feel anxious.

I like that one diazepam or alcohol but i do get where your coming from lets hope we get there one day.

[Gary.p]

On 14/10/2017 at 19:31, David green said:

I like that one diazepam or alcohol but i do get where your coming from lets hope we get there one day.

Sad but true David. 

You have to live in hope that we do get there !!!!

 

[Guest David green]

Yeah i know ive been much better but that anxiety has always been with me even before i had ocd.

I will hope and try what i can and you all will know when im good again because i will be having a laugh and cheering people up on the forum.

[MissSparrow07]

I found medication helped me greatly, sertraline. I also had 6 sessions of CBT with the best therapist ever who I can't find now

But it took me a good year or so, I still do get OCD moments as I call them, but I find that it has become easier to go okay, this is OCD, move on. It doesn't always work but from crying and having hundreds of thoughts a day, I'm now 9 years down the road and have maybe 1-2 bad episodes a year  

The future of bright, even if it doesn't feel like it.