Radiation-very severe OCD

[Robin43]

Is OCD recovery possible for those with severe radiation OCD? I spoke with a Psychologist this week who was dubious. He said to me the problem with my type of OCD is that if you don't do the conpulsion then you don't see the results. For example with salmonella OCD if you eat something, don't do compulsions, after a few days you will see you have not took ill with salmonella, however with my OCD you never actually get to see if you have taken cancer or not. My OCD is extreme-I cannot function and hearing this has left me with no hope. 

[DRS1]

21 minutes ago, Robin43 said:

Is OCD recovery possible for those with severe radiation OCD? I spoke with a Psychologist this week who was dubious. He said to me the problem with my type of OCD is that if you don't do the conpulsion then you don't see the results. For example with salmonella OCD if you eat something, don't do compulsions, after a few days you will see you have not took ill with salmonella, however with my OCD you never actually get to see if you have taken cancer or not. My OCD is extreme-I cannot function and hearing this has left me with no hope. 

You can recover from OCD regardless of the theme you deal with currently. There is realistically no difference in recovery from your theme or any that anyone else has because ultimately the theme doesn't matter and it's actually the same mechanisms of OCD underneath

[howard]

29 minutes ago, Robin43 said:

Is OCD recovery possible for those with severe radiation OCD? I spoke with a Psychologist this week who was dubious. He said to me the problem with my type of OCD is that if you don't do the conpulsion then you don't see the results. For example with salmonella OCD if you eat something, don't do compulsions, after a few days you will see you have not took ill with salmonella, however with my OCD you never actually get to see if you have taken cancer or not. My OCD is extreme-I cannot function and hearing this has left me with no hope. 

Yes but you could have your skin on your fingers tested for damage and your blood. They could just take a small sample of each. But this isn't physical.

I think this theme is difficult for you, because of how you view radiation sources, but there's a vast difference between a small alpha emitting source and living in Prypyat.

I had a problem trying to decide how to get rid of my old smoke detectors, I didn't know what to do, but kept them in my cupboard.

I'm not sure the OCD is any different to any other either, it's just the way this theme has embedded itself in your mind.

[determination987]

13 minutes ago, DRS1 said:

You can recover from OCD regardless of the theme you deal with currently. There is realistically no difference in recovery from your theme or any that anyone else has because ultimately the theme doesn't matter and it's actually the same mechanisms of OCD underneath

I agree,

I would get stuck on the past and trying desperately to figure out whether or not I’ve mistakenly done something. Or checking to ensure that nothing could possibly go wrong in the future. None of this is actually possible but that doesn’t mean that I can’t move on from it.

It’s about learning to tolerate uncertainty and living life anyway despite what OCD wants us to do. The compulsions don’t change or give us any of the answers that we seek but just serve to keep us miserable and in despair.

Building up your confidence in this is really helpful and taking steps towards cutting out the compulsions. I found that building this up with small steps has been really helpful and reminding myself that compulsions don’t change anything. 

[flourella]

I have a similar fear regarding something which invariably causes death, can remain dormant in the body for decades after infection, and for which there is no test even after a person has started to display symptoms. If it makes you feel any better, when I was assessed by the specialist OCD service at Springfield a few years ago I told them all about about this particular issue of mine and they still thought that I could improve with treatment there. I ended up declining the place due to my own very severe (and varied) fears of contamination making it impossible go on to the ward, but they gave me some hope (for a while!) where I had previously had none. I do have comorbidities that apparently really do reduce my chances of meaningful recovery regarding my OCD, but that specific element of the OCD itself was not deemed to be insurmountable by experts in treating the condition, so no reason to think it would be in your case. I don't know what treatment you are having, and where, but what you have here is the opinion of just one psychologist.

Edited August 8, 2022 by flourella

[Ashley]

1 hour ago, Robin43 said:

I spoke with a Psychologist this week who was dubious. He said to me the problem with my type of OCD is that if you don't do the conpulsion then you don't see the results.

I would personally sack this psychologist immediately, as they clearly do not understand OCD or how to do their own job!  If they are NHS put a complaint in (to help them get better training to improve their skills and help other patients).  There are many types of OCD, some of which it is impossible to do actual exposure exercises with, but there is so many creative ways good therapists work with patients to help them overcome their OCD, and people really do overcome OCD, regardless of type

 

[Robin43]

Thank you all for your replies.

@Ashleythank you, yes they are NHS and I already have made a complaint though not about that. I have been with a team which are called "Psychosis Prevention". I was with them several years, then I sought a private appt with Prof Veale who says I have severe OCD, but the NHS team are adamant some of my thoughts are psychosis/delusional type and they do not believe ERP type therapy is suitable for me. On top of all that, I am in a terrible place at present and last week this team said they felt they can no longer help me, they are referring me back to the CMHT to get re-referred to Psychological Therapies service-essentially putting me to the back to the queue with a several month waiting list and leaving me in limbo with no Psychologist to talk to even though I am in a really bad place. On top of all this I have already been to CMHT, PTS (who said they could not help me) and then was referred to this "Psychosis Prevention" team. It is a nightmare.

[malina]

I think this kind of advice from a psychologist is just ridiculous and I can see why you'd feel hopeless and upset. I'm sure that many people with OCD are afraid of getting cancer or another type of illness that doesn't show up right away. I would argue that a lot of fears are things we can't see the outcome of in a short period of time. People could be afraid of getting cancer for a different reason, these people would be at increased risk and could actually develop cancer, yet they would have to learn to live with this possibility and not suffer all their lives about something that could happen. I have a family history of skin cancer, I am actually waiting for a referral to get an atypical mole looked at. These things happen, people have very rational reasons to believe they could have cancer, yet they live their lives regardless and do not obsess over the possibility. So what is this therapist's answer for people with such worries, that they can't live normal lives because they can't prove that they won't one day develop cancer? If that were the case, a vast majority of the population would be in complete turmoil, just like you. So if they can learn to live with this uncertainty, knowing that they have a certain level of risk, so can you. I would stop wasting your time and money on this therapist and find an OCD specialist, he seems useless.

[DRS1]

2 hours ago, Robin43 said:

Thank you all for your replies.

@Ashleythank you, yes they are NHS and I already have made a complaint though not about that. I have been with a team which are called "Psychosis Prevention". I was with them several years, then I sought a private appt with Prof Veale who says I have severe OCD, but the NHS team are adamant some of my thoughts are psychosis/delusional type and they do not believe ERP type therapy is suitable for me. On top of all that, I am in a terrible place at present and last week this team said they felt they can no longer help me, they are referring me back to the CMHT to get re-referred to Psychological Therapies service-essentially putting me to the back to the queue with a several month waiting list and leaving me in limbo with no Psychologist to talk to even though I am in a really bad place. On top of all this I have already been to CMHT, PTS (who said they could not help me) and then was referred to this "Psychosis Prevention" team. It is a nightmare.

Personally if you have had an appointment with Dr David Veale and he has said its OCD, I would give that more weight than what anyone else says considering the sheer amount of experience he has had in treating and diagnosing OCD over a possible psychosis development. I definitely agree with everyone else especially after reading your latest reply that you need to get a new therapist. Treating a condition that you might not have (in psychosis) or badly treating OCD won't help anything. I'm sorry you've had to go through this but I would definitely enquire about having another therapist and particularly someone who is more experienced in treating OCD.

[Lynz]

I'm sorry but this is ridiculous. You could apply that logic to practically any OCD theme as with the majority of them you wouldn't know the outcome of not doing any compulsions. I have health worries with my OCD. You could argue that if I didn't do any compulsions relating to my health worries then I would never know the outcome, as I can't see into the future to know if I'll become ill or not so what's the point in trying to get better?

Thankfully it doesn't work like that, and how you overcome these worries is that you stop doing the compulsions, and you also learn to be able to tolerate uncertainty and tolerate not knowing the answers. Like others have said, the theme doesn't matter at all and you can recover from any theme if you apply the principles that you learn in therapy.

[Handy]

I’ve gotten cancer from radiation several times.  I just got 4 more biopsies In July.  So I can’t say it doesn’t happen but it’s important to protect from radiation sources that are real not imaginary. 

[howard]

12 hours ago, Handy said:

I’ve gotten cancer from radiation several times.  I just got 4 more biopsies In July.  So I can’t say it doesn’t happen but it’s important to protect from radiation sources that are real not imaginary. 

How do you come into contact with radioactive sources? Is it cellular damage they are examining in the biopsies.

I know the US gov tested devices in America, but the only people they told were photographic film manufacturers because it was damaging the film stock, but that was back in the 50's. If people live above granite bedrock the radiation is low level, and at the dentist it's directed, low level and is only supposed to pass through the teeth. I think other physical scans are to be avoided as much as possible.

But a very low emitting source like those in fire detectors is also directed and is blocked by the materials surrounding the source used as shielding.

I wonder if Robin43's concerns, in his mind are exaggerated by fear. Fear can be an irrational emotion.

@Robin43 although the source is real, it's too weak and too well shielded to cause you physical harm.

[northpaul]

1 hour ago, howard said:

How do you come into contact with radioactive sources?

Is the sun a radioactive source?

[howard]

20 minutes ago, northpaul said:

Is the sun a radioactive source?

I suppose the sun could be seen as a beneficial radioactive source. But again low level.

I think one of the problems with industry is that they mine these substance from deep in the Earth, then they extract the pure elements from ores or compounds. It's often those that are dangerous.

Although Americium is obviously man made.

 

[snowbear]

@Handy @northpaul @howard Hi guys, I know you mean well, but discussing radiation like this isn't helping Robin.

Let's keep the thread on track - the fact that you don't always have to do direct exposures to whatever your OCD topic is about in order to overcome OCD.

[Angst]

I feel the same as Snowbear here.

[Lynz]

I agree with Snowbear. Veering the discussion off into radiation itself isn't going to help I don't think. Most people wouldn't even think about radiation sources or worry about them at all. The fact that you are all discussing it in this way suggests that you may have some OCD issues with it. I can say right now hand on heart, I have never worried about radiation making me ill once in my entire life and I have worried about A LOT of things.

[howard]

I wonder with some people's obsessions that are particularly embedded in people's minds and means they keep focusing in on it, and when it is particulary resistant to therapy, if a more open minded approach or a more radical thinking is needed.

So rather than keep focusing on that narrow understanding of radiation, look at a more objective wider view.

So all life on Earth only exists because of the sun's radiation, it doesn't just have negative consequences. In dentistry it's useful. In power production it's useful.

Even in smoke detectors it's useful and they use that man manufactured form because it poses as little threat as background radiation which doesn't cause us any harm.

Edited August 9, 2022 by howard

[Robin43]

Thanks everyone, but it doesn't really matter what people say because I still feel radioactive and I cannot get over what this therapist done on me and I doubt I ever will

[northpaul]

On 08/08/2022 at 16:30, Robin43 said:

Is OCD recovery possible

Just to take you back to your opening words in your thread, I will answer with a simple yes.

[snowbear]

14 minutes ago, Robin43 said:

I cannot get over what this therapist done on me and I doubt I ever will

  That sort of thinking keeps you stuck.

There's absolutely no reason you can't get past this if you want to.

Why would you want to stay as you are? Are there big payoffs for you to hold onto your OCD? For some people that happens, staying stuck feels safer than getting well again or there are hidden behefits to being/ seeming to be anxious all the time. So they tell themselves they are different/ an extreme case and that therapy won't help them. Unsurprisingly, if you tell yourself that then therapy doesn't work!

So start talking to yourself about the day you'll be well again instead of telling yourself it won't happen. 

You just have to want to get past this and you will.

[howard]

23 minutes ago, Robin43 said:

Thanks everyone, but it doesn't really matter what people say because I still feel radioactive and I cannot get over what this therapist done on me and I doubt I ever will

I can understand I think, how you feel about that particular therapist, would it be betrayed. But that's a seperate issue.

You did mention at the beginning that you'd thought of getting physically tested, but I think you know that would come back negative.

So you know this obsession is in your mind. Do you think therapy will help you with that?

 

 

 

[howard]

@Robin43 The reason I asked you that last question. I was wondering if something like hypnosis or hypnotherapy(sometimes available on NHS) would help you with your obsession. I believe both can help with stress and anxiety, and it might help with a specific issue like yours.

[foreverobsessing]

Robin, I too struggle with intrusive thoughts about radiation. It is a struggle still for me so I am unable to offer you any helpful advice but I wanted to let you know that you are not alone in this. 

[PolarBear]

9 hours ago, howard said:

@Robin43 The reason I asked you that last question. I was wondering if something like hypnosis or hypnotherapy(sometimes available on NHS) would help you with your obsession. I believe both can help with stress and anxiety, and it might help with a specific issue like yours.

Hypnosis is not recommended for OCD. Nowhere is it medically suggested for OCD. In 8 years on this forum, I can't ever recall a single person who said hypnosis helped their OCD.