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OCD and the toilet


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So I think I am coming to realisation that I actually have OCD (I am 30 and previously said to my family I suspect I have ocd but went to the doctor for anxiety and as such have been subscribed Beta blockers but issues are still prevailing)  

For a long time I have struggled with what I have call 'thought crime' which are thoughts of doing crazy things which I then get nervous I am going to do like driving my car into traffic, hurting people, hurting myself, having children and acting inappropriately, melting down in work presentations or running away from the alter at my impending wedding etc which scare me but I tend to be able to distance myself from those thoughts fairly quickly albeit they reoccur!!

I also for a long time struggled to leave the house quickly because I'd have to turn sockets off, touch the oven to make sure it was cold and ensure my door was locked (I still check the door and get my other half to watch me do it, it's very tiring but he accepts I don't want to do but need to for my peace of mind). 

One of the biggest issues I experience though that I see so little written about it is an obsession over the urge to go for a wee and my subsequent trips to the bathroom. Whenever I find myself out of the house or without a toilet insight my thoughts start going into overdrive telling me I won't get access to a toilet when I need it or that that I'm desperate for the toilet and as such I become very anxious, I subsequently have to go to the toilet multiple times before I leave the house and will go everytime a toilet becomes available. I also avoid certain situations where I can't control my access to toilets like I won't let anyone else drive on long journeys because I freak out and I will avoid using buses, public transport etc as my thoughts make all of these situations feel very threatening. 

Has anyone else experienced that type of thought and does anyone have any tips to manage it? I want to avoid the medication route if I can as I want to start a family soon and worry about the side effects. 

 

Thanks! 

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I suffer from a variation on this problem and for me I think it is down to a type of perfectionism. So if I am going out somewhere I want to be and feel as 'perfect' as possible - makeup, clean clothes, feeling good, looking good and part of feeling good is not having something like needing the loo annoying me. I sometimes become really worried about making sure I go to the toilet multiple times before I leave the house, before a meal, before watching a movie etc so that needing the loo doesn't 'ruin' something from feeling 'perfect'. It is something I am working on as I have this perfectionism streak about lots of things - CBT is helping. 

There are also people who are scared about having an accident and so go to the loo multiple times before they go out to try and make sure this doesn't happen. Or people who have fears around using toilets other than the one in their house. I guess my point is you might need to think behind the obsession a bit to try and work out what aspect of OCD is invoking this fear in you, then it will be easier to get help for it.

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Hi Reg,

Welcome to the forum:)

I've experienced the same worry over getting caught short in the past...I wouldn't be surprised to be honest with you if it's actually quite common, but one of those things people don't really talk openly about. Where OCD comes into play is the degree this is affecting you and the lengths you're going to to manage it. At its root is a fear of losing control (so much of OCD is) mixed with publicly embarrassing ourselves isn't it.

The solution's going to come down to bit by bit working on cutting down on what you're doing in response to the thoughts...so you could resolve only to use the toilet twice one day before leaving the house instead of three or four times. Similarly, when you spot a toilet try to resist the urge to pop in..but if it's too strong resolve not to use the next one. The same goes with travelling...try to start making short trips again on public transport. You could even hop on a bus or tube for just one stop...the key's to gradually start sitting with the anxiety and 'what if' thoughts and not giving into the urges.

It will take time, but those CBT exercises will gradually pay off in the long run. When you had a word with your doctor, did they mention CBT at all to you as an option other than medication? 

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On 03/03/2021 at 15:16, Hal said:

Hi Reg,

Welcome to the forum:)

I've experienced the same worry over getting caught short in the past...I wouldn't be surprised to be honest with you if it's actually quite common, but one of those things people don't really talk openly about. Where OCD comes into play is the degree this is affecting you and the lengths you're going to to manage it. At its root is a fear of losing control (so much of OCD is) mixed with publicly embarrassing ourselves isn't it.

The solution's going to come down to bit by bit working on cutting down on what you're doing in response to the thoughts...so you could resolve only to use the toilet twice one day before leaving the house instead of three or four times. Similarly, when you spot a toilet try to resist the urge to pop in..but if it's too strong resolve not to use the next one. The same goes with travelling...try to start making short trips again on public transport. You could even hop on a bus or tube for just one stop...the key's to gradually start sitting with the anxiety and 'what if' thoughts and not giving into the urges.

It will take time, but those CBT exercises will gradually pay off in the long run. When you had a word with your doctor, did they mention CBT at all to you as an option other than medication? 

Thank you so much that's really useful and reassuring to know I'm not mad. It's got worse after working from home for 18 months so I am not getting the exposure I need. I have just enrolled on a hypnotherapy course of counselling to see if that will help me! 

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On 03/03/2021 at 15:01, Agrippina said:

I suffer from a variation on this problem and for me I think it is down to a type of perfectionism. So if I am going out somewhere I want to be and feel as 'perfect' as possible - makeup, clean clothes, feeling good, looking good and part of feeling good is not having something like needing the loo annoying me. I sometimes become really worried about making sure I go to the toilet multiple times before I leave the house, before a meal, before watching a movie etc so that needing the loo doesn't 'ruin' something from feeling 'perfect'. It is something I am working on as I have this perfectionism streak about lots of things - CBT is helping. 

There are also people who are scared about having an accident and so go to the loo multiple times before they go out to try and make sure this doesn't happen. Or people who have fears around using toilets other than the one in their house. I guess my point is you might need to think behind the obsession a bit to try and work out what aspect of OCD is invoking this fear in you, then it will be easier to get help for it.

Thank you and I agree. Sometimes it's really hard to know why I act so irrationally but I'll work on why I feel that way

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17 hours ago, Reg978 said:

Thank you so much that's really useful and reassuring to know I'm not mad. It's got worse after working from home for 18 months so I am not getting the exposure I need. I have just enrolled on a hypnotherapy course of counselling to see if that will help me! 

You're definitely not mad, and best of luck Reg with the hypnotherapy.

It may help with the anxiety, but please whatever you do don't overlook CBT. That's really where it's at in terms of treating OCD, and we're all entitled to it through the NHS:)

https://www.ocduk.org/overcoming-ocd/cognitive-behavioural-therapy/

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