OCD procrastination and avoidance, depression and ADHD?

Therapists or advocates here, or anyone else far along in their treatment who have OCD, depression and ADHD, asking for your help bc I feel terrible and dysfunctional. : I have OCD, depression and ADHD. I am in ERP therapy, therapy for depression and take pills for ADHD. I saw a Jenna Overbaugh video on Youtube about procrastination and OCD called "Can OCD cause you to procrastinate?" and all of it resonated. I don't know what's what though. And I understand that OCD wants us to "Get to the bottom of things", and I am not trying to do that: I legitimately need to know if I need to up my stimulant medication of ADHD, or if because that medication is making OCD so much worse, and I am depressed, that I am procrastinating more. (And I am not able to take an SSRI, Stimulant combo FYI.) How do we know what is OCD that needs more help, or ADHD? Or what's OCD vs Depression? I'm trying all the things, but I don't know which area needs more attention.

ARTnotOCD

Date posted: 2y

Why don’t you bring it up with your therapist?

Mreow

Date posted: 2y

@ARTnotOCD I did, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with also asking the community here. To get a nice variety of feedback. I mean, it was kind of pointless bc no one else responded but I thought I would ask.

ARTnotOCD

Date posted: 2y

@ThisIsNotTikTokOrTwitter Fair enough. I was just hoping your therapist might know better based on the specifics of your meds, dosages, etc. In general, I find it hard to distinguish OCD from ADD/ADHD in certain situations and easy in others. And if OCD or ADHD caused or helped cause the depression, it’ll be hard to handle that separately. There’s a lot of comorbidity with ADHD and OCD, and if my memory is based on current research, then the two affect very near and similar parts of the brain. The two can get so confounded that my dad just calls mine “OC/DC, AD/CD, or AD/DC”. Like he has trouble discerning them. 😵‍💫

Mreow

Date posted: 2y

@ARTnotOCD I love that he calls it that. Not that I love that you struggle with this too, just that the name makes so much sense. Thanks for sharing. Makes sense they live in the same part of the brain. They feel so tangled up, it’s hard for me to function, not knowing how to tackle this big yarn ball of executive dysfunction. My life seems to be a hamster wheel witb some OK moments thrown in here and there.. relative too to how much coffee I drink and when I took my adderall. Btw how’s your sweet dog?

ARTnotOCD

Date posted: 2y

@ThisIsNotTikTokOrTwitter Yes to all of that! Don’t know if this will be helpful or might just be another thing to juggle: years ago I switched to only the short-acting Adderall. Especially as I got to focus a bit more on artwork or writing and the creative process, I realized I needed my mind to wander a little. I also like that I can gauge a little more and weigh more immediate consequences of how the Adderall might make the OCD worse, and which I need more at that moment. Of course, it means I also need to consider that coming off of it makes me hyper because for a lot of ADD people it’s a bit paradoxical in some of the effects. Doggo just had a great day! Yesterday it was rainy and he couldn’t join us when we visited *his* friends—but luckily he sleeps through the rain, so it wasn’t like he was bored while we were out. But today we went to a doggo event with a walking trail, treat stations, where he charmed extras from most of the volunteers, ice cream for people and puppers at the end, new doggo friends, and on top of it all, he just ran out of his kibble, so his dinner was chicken, brown rice, and vegetables. He sends a happy Awooo your way. 💜🧡🐶

RememberWhoY...

Date posted: 16w

Medication and shame?

Anyone take medication for OCD? The only medication I take is adderall but I had to stop due to heart issues so now my anxiety and intrusive thoughts are also back and adhd symptoms. My psychiatrist recommended I take antidepressants for my OCD like lexapro. The thing is I never ever thought I would take medication in my life. Here I am suffering from these mental illnesses which is also something I never thought would happen to me. I notice people that have OCD say that they wish they have taken medication sooner made life easier too but idk I’m still hesitant about it. How long do I have to take it for? Do I or should I take medication for OCD with therapy? Overall no adhd meds rn and man I feel so low and depressed lacking motivation and also overwhelmed thinking of doing other work related things.

ConfusingWha...

Date posted: 15w

OCD and Executive Functioning. Any Tips?

Hi Everyone - has anyone else had problems with executive functioning - forgetting things, multitasking, attention, not following directions closely, etc. ? If so, what do you do to help? I brought this up to my therapist and she mentioned that I wouldn’t need a therapist Or specialist/coach to work on it - as it would be skills we know to do (take notes, put on reminders, etc). However, I’ve been struggling with OCD for years and none of these “tips” have helped enough. I have had trouble multitasking/ remembering details/forgetting things with jobs and had to quit. It even applies when I am at home - one thing goes in one ear and out the other. I also do not have or been diagnosed with ADHD or any other disorders (just depression from OCD). Does anybody have suggestions? Is it just to manage my OCD better and these things will get better with that? I don’t recall how I was when my OCD was “good” or in better shape (Up until age 18) to gauge this as I didn’t have a job or other life responsibilities. Only thing I can think of is maybe I am so caught up in my head that is causing these issues, aka the severe OCD. Thanks!

truetrev

Date posted: 13w

Generic advice

I see a lot of “general” advice on here from people who have conquered their OCD, and i dont often find that advice helpful. How do i identify compulsion when OCD is bad? Its a whirlwind. Nothing makes sense. I’m pretty sure i have something in addition to OCD but modern science is not good enough yet to let me know. At times like this I need medication. I am weening off Zoloft to try Clomipramine or maybe Vyvanse. I’ve been on Zoloft for 6+ years so decreasing is causing quite an uptick in symptoms. I feel very impulsive lately, i say and post things i dont mean to and it causes interpersonal issues and doesn’t represent who i really am. Is it impulsion or compulsion? I’ve asked this before and only got textbook answers, not personal anecdotes (what im looking for). What does ADHD and RSD feel like? I think i have both ADHD and OCD, even though scientific models show these having opposite activity in the same areas of the brain, leading one to wonder: how can someone have both conditions simultaneously? Science contradicts this but also acknowledges a large population of people who have comorbid OCD and ADHD.

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OCD procrastination and avoidance, depression and ADHD?

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