[Miss Laura]

Hey guys,

Do any of you have OCD too?

I have obsessions, compulsions, hoarding amongst others. None have been diagnosed.... my therapist and I are questioning whether I have full blown or tendencies.

How do you cope?

I feel so screwed up any help will be beneficial

[Fuzzybear]

Avoiding...

Not necessarily recommended

[*Beth*]

Ha, I was just posting on the Anxiety board and on the OCD board. I have had OCD since I was a child. Intrusive thoughts, rituals. I have successfully conquered many of the "pulls" toward my ritualizing - until I'm under stress. Then it's a battle to overcome the thoughts of "If I do *this* than I'll prevent *that*."

Lately I've been wondering if some of the stuff I'm working on in therapy is actually causing my anxiety and OCD to flare up. Constantly focusing on triggers and such seems to set me up to get tangled in OCD behavior, rather than resisting engaging in it.

I have had a lifetime of coping with OCD. For the most part I cope by recognizing the obsession to do some kind of compulsion, accept that I have it, then force myself to resist following through.

By the way, no therapist has ever worked with me on OCD. I have done research on my own and attended groups where there were people who struggled with OCD. I've learned so much from them. I find it annoying that therapists don't seem interested in working with OCD. I don't know why they don't...maybe it's not an interesting diagnosis, or something.

[sophiebunny]

I have trauma-induced OCD. If I am in a PTSD episode I also have OCD symptoms. If I had OCD symptoms every hour of every day I don't think I'd survive. OCD takes over your life and brain. For me, the obsessions rule me and the rituals only create moments of relief and the obsessions start all over again. People with true OCD suffer tremendously. I'm fortunate that my obsessions don't control me outside a PTSD episode. I know someone who's OCD was so severe she almost killed herself. It wasn't until she was inpatient that her OCD got addressed. It's awful the diagnosis falls through the cracks.

[~Christina]

I’m very ocd about cleaning and any kind of clutter physically makes me feel sick. Working medical all my life I’m very aware of germs..

There’s no reason for me to change or stop my ocd because it’s also a coping skill.

[yellow_fleurs]

I have OCD. It seems to cycle with my moods and hormones, but I think I always have some of it, just sometimes gets quite severe, sometimes more in the background. I am starting ERP next week for treatment.

[*Beth*]

Originally Posted by yellow_fleurs

I have OCD. It seems to cycle with my moods and hormones, but I think I always have some of it, just sometimes gets quite severe, sometimes more in the background. I am starting ERP next week for treatment.

fleurs, what's ERP?

[yellow_fleurs]

ERP stands for exposure response prevention therapy and is a form of CBT. The idea is that you expose yourself to things you that cause anxiety, starting off slow, and work towards not responding with compulsions. It is to retrain your brain to stop seeing the thoughts/situations as threats is my understanding. However, I am no expert, that's just my understanding. Here's a link from the international OCD foundation (and there's some other info there you might find useful) International OCD Foundation | How is OCD Treated?.