[GeeN]

How do I tell my therapist that I have OCD? I am a diagnosed bipolar but I have am also convinced that I have OCD. Should I just write down the symptoms that I have as I can truly relate to what all of you have been through, except for the fear of symmetry or HOCD. I have the fear that someone is cheating, even within my family. I do have a fixation with infidelity and sexuality and the OCD exaggerates it. I wonder about the percentages, the number of people that are cheating, the number of partners they have. I don't have any fears for myself. But with me the OCD takes apart of my personality and my issues and gives it a strange attachment that has nothing to do with my real life or the real life of my family's. Sometimes I do wonder if there is infidelity in my own family or if my father is my real father, despite the fact that I look like my dad. Sometimes I wonder if my brother is really my brother since he looks a lot less like my father than I do. It is crazy since mom has never cheated on my father and vice versa.

[Perna]

I don't think for you it is that simple?
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OCD has a complex relationship with bipolar disorder. I'm certain I've seen some patients start out looking like they have classic OCD and end up looking like they have definite bipolar disorder without OCD. These two conditions might be part of the same thing somehow, at least in some people. At least we know they are found together very often, much more so that one would expect. In one study, 20% of people with bipolar disorder had OCD, twice the number seen in unipolar depression (which is also higher than people with no diagnosis).

A group of researchers has looked at how OCD and bipolar relate. They found that whereas unipolar depression was "incidental", i.e. not clearly related to the OCD (although common), by contrast bipolar disorder seemed to be more directly related to the OCD. For example, people with religious and sexual obsessions as part of their OCD were more likely than those with other obsessions to have bipolar disorder. The authors specifically recommend that bipolar disorder take precedence over the OCD in terms of which is treated first.

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From: http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/Anxiety.htm

You could have co-morbid OCD (both bipolar and OCD) but it's probably some inter-related thing, not something one would want to treat one without the other. I'd just work with whatever your therapist was trying until it was obvious to both of you it didn't work well then try something else?

[Twizzler]

I'm not sure that your symptoms actually indicate a true case of OCD. But I suggest sharing what you are experiencing with your therapist. He or she can probably help you determine if this is OCD or something else and then help you determine the next step to take.

You can find some more info on OCD here.

Good luck!

[Randy33]

Hi Geen,

There is nothing to be ashamed about in telling your therapist your symptoms. If we aren't honest with our therapists, we are waisting our time and money. It is important to get a proper evaluation of all your symptoms and correct diagnosis/s so that you get the right treatment for them. There are different therapies for different conditions and if you aren't honest about ALL your symptoms and serious about getting better, you are waisting your time and money.

The other thing you can do it start reading everything you can get your hands on. Educate yourself, learn about the different diagnosis and the treatments for them. You won't know if you are getting the right treatment from the right kind of therapist/therapy if you don't know what it is in the first place. Some people spend years and tons of money working with the wrong therapist doing the wrong therapy.

First and foremost, it is critical you trust your therapist and are totally honest with them. If you don't or don't click with them, you need to move on until you find the right therapist for you. Everyone has different personalities and ideas about therapy.

Good Luck

[scott88keys]

I think I may have suggested this to you already. . .but your therapist needs to be one with experience with OCD and cognitive behavior therapy. Traditional talk therapy where you discuss 'how you feel' about 'infidelity' etc. isn't effective. What's been proven effective through research is a combination of cognitive behavior therapy and medication. Google 'obsessive compulsive disorder' or look up online the oc foundation.

[pachyderm]

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scott88keys said:
Traditional talk therapy where you discuss 'how you feel' about 'infidelity' etc. isn't effective. What's been proven effective through research is a combination of cognitive behavior therapy and medication.

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Personally, I would take that "proven" with a large grain of salt. YMMV.

When I told my pdoc that I had OCD...since I have DID... it took some explaining....because.. well DID and OCD... was his response... I am not questioning anything.. just explaining what I did..

I kept a journel... of what I considered OCD....and then brought it in... to show him the details...

for example... for me.. a classic was the "loop"... where I had to get every leaf off the side walk....

anyway... with it written down... he could then evaulate it better.. I tend to "wander" and am hard to follow when I see him... but that is me..

and that was my Pdoc.... not my T... so I see my pdoc about every 6 weeks...

[Perna]

I've read that when you have bipolar and OCD that they're supposed to treat the bipolar "first" which I think is what your doctors are doing?