I have a dream

[Eamonalight]

That one day those who have won the big fight against OCD will be able to share how and what they used to bring themselves back to full health. That we who have climbed the great mountain of turmoil and confusion in the bleak of darkness will be listened to and not ignored. That there will be a website for these warriors to discuss in detail the steps that brought about recovery without fear of being edited, moderated or frowned upon. That the holy shrine of SSRIs will be seen as an option and not the first line of defence and that the general practitioners supplying them offer and try alternatives where feasible.

[PolarBear]

Well i have won the fight and I've been sharing for about three years now.

Sufferers are listened to. What do you think we do here?

The website you seek is right here. Moderation is light.

The only alternative, if you want to call it that, to SSRIs is CBT. And it's not an alternative. It is the whole recovery system. Meds and mindfulness can help.

[Eamonalight]

Hi, I imagine what you have been sharing is within the strict confines of what big brother allows CBT medication etc. I never used any of those strategies. I approached my OCD from the point of view that it was a biological disorder and not a mental illness. You said " the only alternative, if you want to call it that, to SSRIs is CBT" I wholeheartedly disagree with that statement. I agree that I should not be allowed to mention the vitamins, minerals, amino acids etc that I used to eliminate my condition but I do think there should be a place to discuss alternative methods.

[PolarBear]

I don't know what Big Brother you are referring to. There are far too many doctors prescribing meds and then kicking sufferers out the door without any consideration for actually dealing with the OCD.

I am skeptical that supplements eliminated OCD. I've been around a while and have heard people taking the strangest cocktails but they all stick around because they still have OCD. 

Yesterday i was sent a link to a video where the producer claimed that OCD was caysed by overactive adrenal glands and the cure was to relax said glands. I hesitate to call it pseudoscience because there is no science involved.

We would all love for thete to be a magic pill or concoction that cured OCD. We'd all happily tell all the sufferers who come here about it. We don't because it doesn't exist.

 

[Eamonalight]

Big brother are the moderators. Yes I agree with you about the doctors. One thousand people a month die in the UK from doctors negligence each month in the UK. Your right to be be skeptical but one also has to keep an open mind. I'm sure someone was skeptical when the suggestion came up to put a man on the moon. I won't be sticking around the site because I'll be moderated into the ground for trying to tell my story of recovery. You said about the video I created "I hesitate to call it pseudoscience because there is no science involved" eight years ago I was on my knees being beaten half to death with confessional OCD and I did what's shown on that video, I have not had a compulsion since the day I discovered that technique. Scientific enough for me. Your right there is no one magic pill it was two for me, one being that technique and the other the amino acid which will remain unnamed.

[Lynz]

Why are you here then if you just want to troll the site?

[PolarBear]

I had no idea you had anything to do with the video.

The video begins with a claim that OCD is caused by overactive adrenal glands. There is no evidence given to support such a claim. It's a statement thrown out as if it's supposed to be accepted as fact. The rest of the video is all based in this dubious statement.

Look, shout on the rooftops. Build websites. Do more videos. Be active on social media. Tell us all about your magic amino acid.

You won't be taken seriously. That's not because of Big Brother but because there is nothing to back up your claim other than your own personal account.

Do what you want. I will continue to volunteer my time to help people with proven strategies to deal with their thinking disorder called OCD.

[Eamonalight]

I came here to share my story. If I can tell my story I'll happily leave lynz. I am claiming and stating the compulsions are caused by over active adrenal glands. I am not a doctor I am a person just like you except I found a way, my way of curing my OCD to the point that my yale-Brown brown score is zero. I'm not asking anyone to believe me and I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. I am merely stating what I know to be true. You said "There is no evidence given to support such a claim" what evidence would you like and from whom would you like the evidence ? A doctor ? A scientist or someone who's compulsions disappeared the second they used that technique and never returned. A very quick search on the internet will show you that the adrenals are directly connected to the central nervous system by a nerve. That the adrenals secrete a neurotransmitter called adrenalin and that adrenalin has Common adverse effects including anxiety, apprehensiveness, restlessness, tremor, weakness, dizziness, sweating, palpitations, pallor, nausea and vomiting, headache etc I have now established that the adrenal glands are directly connected to the central nervous system and release an excitatory neurotransmitter...should I continue..

[gingerbreadgirl]

People are not moderated for suggesting outlandish theories - I have seen that happen countless times.  They are however robustly challenged.  If your theory can't stand up to that then I would suggest it's not a strong theory.

Edited May 15, 2018 by gingerbreadgirl

[Orwell1984]

I've bought and tried N-Acetylcysteine before and I was still extremely ruminative. Indeed, one size does not fit all. A mixture of things seems to help. 

[Orwell1984]

But I do agree that n-acetylcysteine can help the liver and adrenal glands which can only help with getting rid of excess glutamate (which destroys the sheath around nerve fibres) allowing better electrical impulse transmission in the neurons and so better brain activity. 

[paradoxer]

OP=Weirdo. 

[Ashley]

20 hours ago, Eamonalight said:

That the holy shrine of SSRIs will be seen as an option and not the first line of defence and that the general practitioners supplying them offer and try alternatives where feasible.

I am not sure what you're on or what your purpose of posting is, but you're actually not even right.  The NHS already state this in their NICE guidelines, medications are meant to be a choice whilst CBT (with ERP) the main treatment approach.

So good news, you can now focus your dreams on something far more exciting and fun, because this part was reality for the NHS in 2005.

[Ashley]

 

1 hour ago, Eamonalight said:

should I continue.

Oh if you're going to give me lines like that ... 

[daja]

38 minutes ago, paradoxer said:

OP=Weirdo. 

If that’s what amino acids do to you I think I’ll pass.

[taurean]

OCD is a problem simple in concept, when you learn the cognitive side - how it works - but very challenging to tackle. 

It's all about false exaggerated or revulsion thinking triggering an unhelpful behavioural response. 

Changing our understanding and learning how to forge new neural pathways and stop carrying out compulsive rituals is in my opinion how to tackle it, and we do that through CBT. 

Whether substances medication or supplements help is subjective and opinionated. I personally favour the view that SSRI drugs may help some (and do help me)  by way of aiding ability to cope, easing depression and helping the sufferer engage with CBT therapy. 

I think anxiety is often a consequence of OCD - treat the OCD by CBT and you reduce the anxiety. For some, anxiety may reduce due to the work of the SSRI. 

Diet is certainly a very helpful thing, along with relaxation exercise and good sleep. 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2018 by taurean

[Orwell1984]

This thread got quite dark. Looking back to my own recovery from harm thoughts over a decade ago, and I thought I had totally beaten OCD cos it was massive that I had no more problems with harm thoughts and sensations, I thought I was cured of OCD and was really evangelical about telling everyone who would listen how to get out of the trap. I think Eamonalight is in a similar frame of mind. I don't think there's any malice there. 

However u got well, I hope you stay well and happy Eamonalight. Wish NAC had done that for me!!

[Eamonalight]

Iv started so I'll finish. The frightening intrusive thought caused by a thin myelin sheath and excess excitatory glutamate neurotransmitter activate the adrenal glands releasing the stress hormone cortisol into the body and the excitatory neurotransmitter adrenalin into the nervous system. In more primitive times the adrenalin would have been burned off by the fight or flight response bringing the adrenals, mind and body back to a state of normality. However there is no fight or flight response created by an intrusive thought and the excitatory neurotransmitter adrenalin creates its third option which is a compulsion in a vein attempt to deal with the overload of the stress hormone and neurotransmitter. (By relaxing my adrenal glands as shown in the video which was moderated) I stopped my compulsions immediately and up to this day eight years later. Be careful with supplements they are not all made equally and quality is key. It is easy to say I tried this or I tried that and it didn't work, but what was the quantity and more importantly what kind of quality was used. Doctors treat symptoms and have zero interest in the cause of anything. Goodbye, good luck and thanks for listening to my story. I do appreciate it is out of the ordinary.

Edited May 15, 2018 by Eamonalight

[Orwell1984]

I got good quality NAC and followed the recommended dose as well as inositol for hair pulling but it didn't do the job for me after a while taking it. Saying that, I had a lot of other stuff going on too psychologically so I guess it's like trying diff sorts of mess or diff approaches to CBT, diff approaches work for diff people. 

i agree that doctors are not emotionally invested. It's cynical but true. Same with anyone in power.

All the best and stay well  

[snowbear]

21 hours ago, Eamonalight said:

Iv started so I'll finish. The frightening intrusive thought caused by a thin myelin sheath and excess excitatory glutamate neurotransmitter activate the adrenal glands releasing the stress hormone cortisol into the body and the excitatory neurotransmitter adrenalin into the nervous system. In more primitive times the adrenalin would have been burned off by the fight or flight response bringing the adrenals, mind and body back to a state of normality. However there is no fight or flight response created by an intrusive thought and the excitatory neurotransmitter adrenalin creates its third option which is a compulsion in a vein attempt to deal with the overload of the stress hormone and neurotransmitter. (By relaxing my adrenal glands as shown in the video which was moderated) I stopped my compulsions immediately and up to this day eight years later. Be careful with supplements they are not all made equally and quality is key. It is easy to say I tried this or I tried that and it didn't work, but what was the quantity and more importantly what kind of quality was used. Doctors treat symptoms and have zero interest in the cause of anything. Goodbye, good luck and thanks for listening to my story. I do appreciate it is out of the ordinary.

If we dim out the psuedoscience babble what are we left with? 

Someone stopped their compulsions and is now free of OCD. Nothing out of the ordinary about that! 

The take home lesson here isn't about unproven causes of compulsions or vitamin 'cures' for OCD. It's the same message being said everywhere across the forums: - 

STOP doing compulsions and your OCD will get better!  

[taurean]

Adding to that, learn how OCD works, and how to not believe what it tries to tell us,  not give meaning to its intrusions or any false connections that it tries to make. When we do that our OCD gets better

The adrenal glands respond to a command from our brain. A "sentry"  inside our head considers the situation that confronts us, compares it with previous ones where an anxiety response was sounded, and if it finds a match, presses the alarm button - whereupon the hormones adrenaline and cortisol are released into the blood stream to create a "fight or flight" response. 

If no previous match, a new situation will be factually assessed by the "sentry".

The state of alert is OK if we are fleeing or fighting, but not if we are getting unwanted false alerts from OCD. 

To stop this response from OCD, we need to apply CBT including exposure and response prevention - and render the trigger benign. 

When this happens, no alert is raised, and no anxiety response follows. 

And because the intrusive thought is now benign, and gets no attention, it loses power and fades away. 

That's how CBT, and my own personal experience of it, overcomes OCD. 

Carrying out compulsions is an unhelpful behavioural response to OCD which keeps the disorder going. Weaning ourselves off carrying out compulsions takes power away from the OCD. 

Edited May 16, 2018 by taurean
addition

[paradoxer]

The OP has some kind of ideological bugbear - the problem is that in his zeal, the assumption he makes ... that others are taking some passionate opposing position, are off. He's got his fists raised for a brawl, and there's no one there. 

[taurean]

Good point. 

In my work as a negotiator I learned and applied what was the best way to challenge the other party/parties' positions - undeniable facts. 

An undeniable fact cannot be challenged - because it is undeniable. 

And it is undeniable that CBT is the recognised gold standard method for tackling OCD. 

 

[Guest OCDhavenobrain]

I have tried many things to relieve my OCD, because i never thought that it would cure me. Inositol and vitamins and minerals have been my biggest hope. Vitamins and minerals are not to be looked down on, because many people seems to have deficiencies today, but they shouldn't been seen as a cure to OCD. I also suspect that i was semianemic this winter, because my need of sleep have gone from 9 hours a night to 7 hours. And i feel much better overall. 

Obsessing about using those things to get cured will just prolong the suffering. 

I don't think anything will cure it and i prefer a scientific wiev on things. There is a theroy that inflammation in the brain have a role in OCD and if that case there could be a benefit from NSAID, and i think it helped me when i was really bad this winter. 

 

Treat OCD with CBT and don't let this thing about finding a cure become an obsession. 

Edited May 17, 2018 by OCDhavenobrain