Do most of y’all see a psych doctor or a family doctor for your ocd? I see a family doctor and wonder if i should see a psychiatrist instead. Idk. My family doctor is fine but we just don’t go much into detail and all they do is write me a script for my SSRI and benzo I need. I have to wonder though if it’s better to see a doctor that specializes in mental health for meds. What is your opinion?
I always tell people that you want someone who specializes in OCD- typically this is a psychiatrist and a mental health therapist who practices ERP. Combining the two can be highly effective. I think that once you are stable on medication it is fine to switch to the family doctor-at least that is my non-medical opinion. But this is a decision you should make with your providers. I always say that I wouldn't see any ole doctor if I had cancer, so why would I with my mental health? It is just as important!
@NOCD Therapist - Stacy Q. That was really helpful! Thank you!!
Hi there! The most effective type of therapist for OCD would be an ERP Specialist. Are you familiar with ERP?
@ I am! I know that therapists can’t prescribe medicine so I was mainly speaking about who to see for meds. A family doctor VS a psychiatrist. I’m familiar with ERP I just have never followed through with it because it is intimidating. I am going to try it though as scary as it sounds because I know it works from everything I’ve researched
@Itsheathersocd - Thank you so much for sharing! I was very nervous to start ERP myself.. I understand that. It's scary to think about facing the fears you generally work hard to avoid. It can do wonders.. Please let me know if you have any questions about it! You should totally give it a try!
Hey friends, I hope you all are well. I just wanted to check in and ask people's experiences about being on medication. I have had OCD pretty much my whole life, just got recently diagnosed 4 months ago and my therapist recommended that I get on meds for it so I have a psychiatrist appointment set up. I'm a little apprehensive about getting on them, but I've realized that I do have some sort of chemical imbalance in my brain that plays a part in my OCD and anxiety. I would love to hear anyones experiences or words of encouragement. Thank you, I hope you all are well.
Medication for OCD? Hello all, 19 male here, this seems like a cool community that isn’t nearly as triggering as reddit. I have pretty severe bouts of existential thinking or fear of going crazy ( psychosis ) after some pretty heavy mushroom trips a few years ago, I know logically I should be fine but I do know what it’s like to lose it and it’s scary. Currently I deal with relationship focused OCD, it’s all day from before I even open my eyes. I want things to work out with my girlfriend badly. Also I can come close to a panic attack sometimes which perpetuates everything. Anyway, I mention the fear of going crazy because the way my anxiety/derealization makes me feel is that I’m not mentally stable cause I feel out of it or unreal. I saw that a lot of anxiety and depression medication can cause psychosis and I feel like I could use some help in getting ahead of my OCD because the compulsions are had not to give into when I’m in such distress/not knowing. Plus overall I just feel like I have no idea how I feel about close to anything. Anyone relate about that ?
This is kind of a weird question, but I recently increased my SSRI dosage and have experienced tremendous relief. It has quieted my intrusive thoughts so much and my compulsions are no longer as all-consuming. However, I don’t want to be on this high of a dosage forever and know that medication alone shouldn’t be my only fix. I’m seeing a new psychiatrist on Wednesday and am wondering if the recent decrease in frequency of my symptoms will be a bar to my getting ocd treatment? In other words, if in this present moment I’m doing better, but up until a few days ago my compulsions were taking up pretty much every moment of my waking day, will I still be classified as having ocd? I start getting worried when I feel better that I don’t actually have ocd and just use it as a defense mechanism to avoid consequences of my actions/I’m secretly a terrible person
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