[steviep43]

Hi everyone

I've been working with a therapist for the past 6 months as I've been struggling with my mental health again. Over the years it has manifested itself in different forms from OCD/hoarding, germ fear, contamination fear, weight loss/eating disorders, I could go on. It peaks and troughs and normally emerges after a period of stress.

Working with my therapist we've finally come to the bottom of something and believe it stems from separation anxiety disorder as a very young child. I was incredibly clingy and didn't spend a day away from my mum until I was 15. Never stayed over at friends, never went away on trips, trouble sleeping, didn't want to be left alone etc. Classic SAD which unfortunately my parents didn't recognise and didn't nip in the bud.

Fast forward 37 years and we believe this is likely at the root of my ongoing issues. My question is how do I resolve this? Clearly I don't have SAD from my parents anymore so how is it resolved? I've tried treating the symptoms directly such as OCD as and when they manifest with limited success but something always re-emerges and I want it to stop. I meditate, take herbal anti-anxiety supplements, write poetry and talk it through with my therapist but really want to tackle the underlying issue head on. Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Steve

[Skeezyks]

Hello Steve: I see this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to PsychCentral! I hope you find the time you spend here to be of benefit.

I'm sorry I cannot be of help with regard to your concerns. However here are links to 2 articles from PsychCentral's archives that may be of some interest:

https://psychcentral.com/disorders/s...rder-symptoms/

https://psychcentral.com/lib/treatme...iety-disorder/

I don't know, of course, if you're here simply seeking advice with regard to this particular concern or if you plan to hang in here with us. However, should you be planning to continue on (we hope you do)... may I suggest you introduce yourself over on PC's New Member Introductions forum? Here's a link:

https://forums.psychcentral.com/new-...introductions/

There's a lot of support that can be available here on PC. The more you post, & reply to other members' posts, the more a part of the community you will become. Plus there are the chat rooms where you'll be able to interact with other PC members in real time (once your first 5 posts have been reviewed & approved.) So please keep posting!

P.S. One other thing I can offer is that trying to stop something such anxiety, intrusive thoughts, etc. is, I believe, pretty-much generally recognized not to work. In fact, it tends to make matters worse. There is a practice that is referred to as "compassionate abiding" wherein one simply allows one's anxiety, intrusive thoughts, or whatever to arise & fade at their own pace without reacting to them or fighting against them. You mentioned that you meditate. Compassionate abiding would fit in nicely with that practice. Here's a link to a description of the practice:

https://mindsetdoc.wordpress.com/201...e-abiding-101/

May it be of benefit.

[ken9018]

I was in the same boat as you. Always with my parents as some point or another. Up until college I had very little friends and didn't really hang out like most teens should. In college it did get better. I started being more social and more away from my parents. I still struggle with anxiety, ocd and depression, but its much better. You said it re-emerges... is something that triggers the symptoms to re-emerges? When that happens to me, usually say I'm having a setback and I try find what triggered my setback. Finding the source then helps me realize what I fears and triggers I still need to work on.