[PhotoFreak123]

I've had many counselors and psychologist/psychiatrists, but for the one thing, none ever helped me, I never felt comfortable, and a lot didn't believe the side affects I had on medications were real (most likely because I'm a teenager and I've been on a lot of different meds.)

I decided to go back one more time last year but things never worked out with scheduling and I only went twice.

So the question is, should I go back?
I have OCD and Tourettes and it's been getting worse especially lately.
Any input would be great... thakns.

[madisgram]

hi photofreak, i'm so glad you posed this question! many of us have successfully been helped by pdocs and Ts. a lot of the majic is to find someone you feel is a "good fit". like someone who you feel comfortable with...usually you will know this pretty soon. i can't see any reason why trying a new T would be a negative thing. since the ocd and tourettes have gotten worse lately perhaps you and a T could unravel these challenges together. just me, but if i tried to do it alone i'd be in a mess. it's too complicated for me to untangle by myself.
so, yes, i'd say give it a go. one thing i had to learn about therapy was what i put into my sessions=what i got out of the sessions. it's our "job" to talk about what is bothering us and taking "ownership" of our own therapy. you say you're a teen, so that means you can do this.
i hope you will keep us up to date on how you are doing. we care about you!

[PhotoFreak123]

Thanks so much.

Yeah, I haven't ever found that match for a T before...

but on the last one I DID put in more than I ususally did, and I think I noticed some improvement..
It's always reallllllly hard for me to talk about this stuff, or to get what I'm thinking to turn into what I'm speaking.
Does that make any sense???

[emilyjeanne]

Hello,

Having the right T and Pdoc is essential. If you want to go back, do it right. Schedule appointments with several and interview each like a job. Finding the right one makes all the difference.

Good luck.

[phoenix7]

I agree that you have to find a T and/or Pdoc you feel comfortable with - as therapy has worked for you - it would probably be a good idea if you gave it another chance - but maybe with another t? take care

[Simcha]

Originally Posted by PhotoFreak123

I've had many counselors and psychologist/psychiatrists, but for the one thing, none ever helped me, I never felt comfortable, and a lot didn't believe the side affects I had on medications were real (most likely because I'm a teenager and I've been on a lot of different meds.)

I decided to go back one more time last year but things never worked out with scheduling and I only went twice.

So the question is, should I go back?
I have OCD and Tourettes and it's been getting worse especially lately.
Any input would be great... thakns.

My friend has OCD and something like Tourettes (not Tourrettes, the similar lesser version; can't remember the name).

Here's the deal--- the meds didn't help him, and stress handled badly is what would bring on the Tourrettes symptoms. Only talking with his therapist weekly has helped. Xanax and Ativan and whatever else he took didn't stop it, and only sometimes temporarily relieved it.

Have you seen a therapist who is a psychologist (psychiatrists prescribe medications, not psychologists) to talk about your OCD and other stuff?

I'm not sure what the mainstay of treatment is for Tourrettes, but I do know if you lessen your load of stress you can lessen the symptoms. Something to do with sleeping good also if I remember right.

I never stay with doctors of any kind who do not help. If a doctor doesn't believe you when you tell them side effects of medications (or anything else for that matter), then that's a big red flag that says you need to bug out of that loser's office and seek someone else.

Since your a teenager though (under 18 right?) you will need to tell your parents why you want to change and have them change your doctor. Any doctor/therapist who doesn't listen to or help their patients isn't one that you need to be seeing.

What are your OCD symptoms and are they really severe?
My friend has something with symetry and organization. His refridgerator looks like a grocery store isle.

[PhotoFreak123]

I think I might look into seeing another T.

Well, my OCD symptoms aren't really orginizational, they're kind of weird.
Like touching certian things for a certain amount of times and stuff like that?

And blinking eyes, and a lot of other stuff in my head... but it's kind of hard to explain I guess.

Thanks for all of the input everyone!

[sunrise]

Photofreak, my oldest daughter had some of the same symptoms you have. She would have to touch things a certain amount of times, often times different parts of her head, like her lips, cheeks, forehead, but other objects too, or sometimes her sister (which drove her sister nuts). Or give kisses to different objects in her bedroom, such as all the stuffed animals. And she had to do this in a certain order, etc. She had the eye-blinking bad. She would sit in her classroom and be blinking her eyes like that, really big exagerated blinks and her teachers would grow uncomfortable. With advice from her teachers, we decided to ignore the behavior completely, the idea being that if we didn't keep commenting on it, my daughter would "forget" it and the behavior would extinguish itself. Whereas if we kept commenting on it or telling her to stop doing those things, they would be brought into her conscious thought and she would do them even more.

I tell you all this because it is good news, she is 18 today, off at college, and she hardly does these things any more at all. She doesn't do eye blinking at all, and her touching is much more subtle. She can control it in public but will sometimes "give in" to it when she is alone or with trusted family members, and she will do her touches slyly when she has to, so you can't really notice them. But overall, she just doesn't do all this stuff much at all. When she gets stressed out, the behaviors become more noticeable. But overall, I would consider her "cured." She kind of grew out of it, and we learned to not bug her about it, and it fixed itself.

[Simcha]

Originally Posted by PhotoFreak123

I think I might look into seeing another T.

Well, my OCD symptoms aren't really orginizational, they're kind of weird.
Like touching certian things for a certain amount of times and stuff like that?

And blinking eyes, and a lot of other stuff in my head... but it's kind of hard to explain I guess.

Thanks for all of the input everyone!

The touching things repeatedly and obsessively thinking certain thoughts or saying things in your head repeatedly and the eye blinking are all just different manifestations of OCD.

Any time that symptoms interfere with quality of life and can not be contained very well on your own, I always say is a good indication that you need to try to see a T.