Re: OCD help

[Guest guest]

it can take a few months or more to feel better. Your dose

is very low for OCD. But OCD responds as well or better to therapy.

I think many detailed oriented people will notice things that are

out of order etc. But then it can cross the line into excessive worry, stress,

anxiety or trigger OCD.

The best advice I can give is to see a therapist you can talk to and have a

positive relationship with. The actual use of language will change the way you

think, feel and act. Writing it won't.

Thinking alone won't. You need to communicate.

Isn't that amazing. The human use of language changes the way we think feel and

act. You just can't read about it here and then

do it and be done. You have to express your thoughts to someone that

you can trust to let it all out.

Dr. Stanley Greenspan has written a lot about this process of how language is

essential to regulating emotions. Amazing isn't it.

Here is some advice. It is unlikely to change the OCD

but it is just motherly advice.

1. For handling " germy " things. Tell yourself you will follow standard safety

procedures and that is good enough.

Your concerns are valid but they need to be kept in reasonable bounds. There are

probably professional

standards for what to do after handling chemicals or other

materials. Follow those procedures but don't overdo it.

If there are not procedures ask a teacher or someone to help

you with safe handling procedures. After you touch something

" germy " follow the procedure for clean up and then any thoughts

after that are excessive. Label it as such. I am being excessive.

You need the help of a therapist to help

you with " stop thinking " and other techniques to stop excessive

patterns of thought.

2. For noticing safety issues: Call the local police to alert them when you

notice a safety issue. But make sure it is a valid problem. A power line down is

valid. A coin on the ground is not. Label what you see. I see a safety issue. I

see poor judgment being used or I am being excessive. You may notice people

using poor judgement. It is not your job to help everyone use good judgment

(except at work, or it is a family member, a close friend) If the person is

doing something criminal call the police otherwise look away. I saw a young

couple take their baby in a hot tub, both my daughter and I were shocked but we

left the area rather than confront them. The baby looked happy and they were not

drinking. We are very cautious and would follow the rules posted (no small

children). They did not follow the rules. It was in the grey area. But what they

were doing was not breaking a law. It was just perhaps " poor judgement " .

3. Realize that medical school and college is very stressful.

You are under a lot of stress and perhaps not eating well, or sleeping well. You

may not have enough social support.

You have to improve your social network. All anxiety disorders

tend to drive us to withdraw. You may want to fix this yourself. That is a

problem. You need others for this and all through your career. We all do.

3. In the end I think dealing with this will help you be more compassionate with

your patients. Coping with any medical issue triggers feelings more or less of

grief. There is a loss of health to cope with. You will have to go thru this

process too if you haven't already in your life before. A therapist can help too

with this.

Expressing your own feelings of loss of study time, etc will be so helpful to

your own recovery.

Beware of OCD self help:

The problem with OCD is that a lot of what is calming becomes

rituals. This group is not so much self help. We are sharing strategies to use

with our children. The relationship is

as important as the things we try to say or do.

I really hope you seek a trusted therapist to be a partner in your

health and recovery. Anxiety disorders can be very isolating and lonely

disorders to cope with.

Pam

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> Good day friends.

>

> I am writing this e-mail to ask help or suggestions from the members of this

group.

>

> I have recently been diagnosed with OCD for almost a month now. My OCD mainly

revolves mainly on the thought that I could hurt other people because of the

consequences of my actions. Some of these include fearing that someone would get

hurt when I wasn't able to clean the broken glass on the floor, someone might

get sick because I forgot to wash my hands when I handled fungi in the

laboratory, etc. Recently, I have acquired a new fear for formalin. I am in a

med school and we handle cadavers during our dissection. When I use my anatomy

book, I sometimes handle it with gloves. I fear that if someone touches my book

he may get cancer. Because of this, I wiped my book with alcohol. Yesterday, I

handled cadaver without gloves and used my pen after. I placed my pen in my

pocket. I wiped it with alcohol after. However, there are some coins in my

pocket which may have touched the ballpen. I feared that the coins may cause

harm to the person who handles those coins. Another instance occurred in the

mall. I noticed a coin on the floor. For fear that someone might slip, I picked

it up. I was on my way home already but somehow, my OCD told me to go back and

pick it up. Another instance occurred on my way home when I saw a wire hanging

from the street light. I feared that someone might get electrocuted because of

that. So, I told the traffic enforcer about it. What wonders me is that

thousands of people pass by it and I am the only who notices it that way. Why?

>

> I have talked to a psychiatrist regarding this. I take sertraline, 50 mg every

day. I have been less focused on my studies because of OCD. I have been

bothered, inattentive in school and sometimes just plain quiet because thoughts

keep on storming my head. Can anyone help me on this? How long does it take

before the medicine takes into effect? Can anyone PLEASE suggest concrete CBT

steps? I realized that I am the only person who can help myself more. The

strongest therapist I have is no one but my self for I can help myself the best.

I won't give up on myself until I get back my true, happy and peaceful self.

Let's help each other.

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