Ocd attack

[Fizzle]

Just wanted to share some thoughts as I am new on here. I’m 28 years old. I have a beautiful baby girl. I’m a qualified teacher. But I suffer with horrific ocd and anxiety. After the birth of my daughter I became really unwell and I was put on lots of different meds. Eventually I became well but I moved house 11 days ago and had a horrible attack (even though I’m on meds) I was having uneasy feelings and thinking thoughts like:

am I real? 
what am I doing? 
man I hallucinating? 
Is everything around me dead? 
 

just horrid thoughts. I ended up breaking down To my family and the doctor put my on a higher dose of citalopram. It’s been about a week and I feel a lot more mellow. The thoughts are right at the back of my head and the anxiety drifts away. I just want to reassure everyone including myself that whatever you’re going through, all of it, is just an illness. It will go away even if you feel like

it won’t and that you’re in the middle of an attack. It’s a horrible invisible illness.

[Hdigtts]

Thank you for sharing this. I seem to have a lot in common with you, with the teaching and the recent house move. I’m hoping I’m going to be able to deal with the move ok but I know from past experience this is a time that is really going to test me. 

[Fizzle]

 Wish you all the best with everything. Any kind of change is a trying time

[Hdigtts]

It is, move has gone through ok, now for the tough part...

[malina]

Hi @Fizzle, I have had these kinds of thoughts too and they are really awful! In fact, I think this "the world isn't real" fear is one of the first obsessions I ever experienced, when I was maybe 7 years old. And it always stuck with me, it's not my main problem but it has been around for a very long time. I think that OCD likes to cling onto uncertainty and I suppose we can never have 100% proof that our perception of reality is true. But this is true for everyone and most other people don't worry about it. In fact, as my therapist has reminded me, some people like philosophers enjoy contemplating it. I, on the other hand, absolutely hate it, but I think the way I coped was to accept uncertainty and say to myself that I can never know for sure, so might as well not worry about it.

I think you're just going through some stress, even though moving house is positive, but life changes can make your anxiety spike a bit. The key is not to worry too much and engage with your therapy. You'll be alright!

[Fizzle]

On 01/12/2020 at 00:15, Hdigtts said:

It is, move has gone through ok, now for the tough part...

Hope you are ok  

[Fizzle]

On 01/12/2020 at 15:31, malina said:

Hi @Fizzle, I have had these kinds of thoughts too and they are really awful! In fact, I think this "the world isn't real" fear is one of the first obsessions I ever experienced, when I was maybe 7 years old. And it always stuck with me, it's not my main problem but it has been around for a very long time. I think that OCD likes to cling onto uncertainty and I suppose we can never have 100% proof that our perception of reality is true. But this is true for everyone and most other people don't worry about it. In fact, as my therapist has reminded me, some people like philosophers enjoy contemplating it. I, on the other hand, absolutely hate it, but I think the way I coped was to accept uncertainty and say to myself that I can never know for sure, so might as well not worry about it.

I think you're just going through some stress, even though moving house is positive, but life changes can make your anxiety spike a bit. The key is not to worry too much and engage with your therapy. You'll be alright!

Hi! Thank you for this. Since upping my medication I feel a lot better:) I hope I stay this way! 

[malina]

1 hour ago, Fizzle said:

Hi! Thank you for this. Since upping my medication I feel a lot better:) I hope I stay this way! 

That's good to hear, I hope you continue to get better!

[Hdigtts]

1 hour ago, Fizzle said:

Hope you are ok  

Doing well thank you