OCD Help

Hey guys,

I've had OCD for quite a while. It's not severe and it doesn't really impact my life all too much, but it does bother me from time to time. Now, I've tried various things to control it. Snapping a rubber band against my wrist, having something to play with, like a stone, to keep my mind occupied when a little worried, I bought some thing that you're supposed to twist between your fingers to control OCD and OCD like behaviours...so far, nothing has worked.

So, does anyone have any tips on how to stop some of the OCD thoughts/behaviours?

Any help would be good.

Here's the advice I gave someone yesterday. It sounds like your case isn't too severe, but treatment can help regardless. Number 5 may be the thing you want to try first. I never had luck with rubber band snapping or anything like that, either. This is the advice I gave to someone else so it may not all be relevant to you, but I think anyone who is suffering from OCD should try most of these things.

Here is my advice:
1. Make an appointment with a psychiatrist to get a diagnosis and see if you can start a medication to treat the OCD (or whatever the doctor thinks needs to be treated most). Keep in mind that the meds you took before may not have been at the proper dose (OCD patients generally need a high dose of an SSRI drug to get relief). You can also ask for something to take for urgent relief if you get anxiety attacks.
2. Stop the compulsions. Whatever you do to try to alleviate the anxiety, stop doing them, because while they feel like they are helping, they actually make the cycle continue of obsessing--> compulsion--> obsess again... etc. You will need to find new ways to reassure yourself that the scary thoughts are NOT yours (they are just your brain being OCD) and they are not real. You can know it is a compulsion if you feel like if you don't do it you will freak out or have an anxiety attack. Find ways to relax without the compulsions, like doing a guided meditation or go for a walk. A good psychologist can help you with this. A good book that can also help you with this is THE OCD WORKBOOK BY BRUCE HYMAN AND CHERRY PEDRICK. This book teaches you what I just explained (stopping compulsions, reassuring yourself in healthy ways, etc.) and can actually be more helpful than some psychologists because they don't all know about this technique.
3. Make an appointment with a psychologist or counselor. Even if they don't use the techniques I described above, it will help you to have someone to talk to about what you're going through.
4. If you disagree with the diagnosis, get a second opinion. I've seen BAD psychiatrists before, and they are not worth your time. It's important with OCD to explain in detail what you obsess about and what you compulsively do to alleviate the anxiety. Maybe even make a list of all symptoms and things that trouble you and tell them how often the thoughts and feelings of anxiety happen. If they don't get it and you feel they aren't taking you seriously, move on. If after a couple doctors they all agree with the same diagnosis, however, you can be more sure about it.
5. Try taking the supplement NAC. My psychiatrist recommended it and it helps alleviate the intensity of my obsessive thoughts. My psychiatrist recommended 3,000 mg a day, and it's helped me a lot. That's something easy and natural you can do before you can get in to see the doctor.

i think acknowledging it and getting treatment in the form of medicine and therapy helps. i didn't acknowledge it for a long time.

regarding my "checking things" ocd...i think the medicine helps with that a lot it just takes the edge off. i wish i had better suggestions but that's all that i can come up with. i don't think i was able to do much about it before it was just kind of part of my life.

regarding my compulsive haircutting/scalp and skin picking...i am torn between fighting it and accepting that i'm going to do it. sometimes accepting it leaves me with more peace than the idea that i have to "beat" it. i try to be easy on myself about it.