Anybody have any tips for seeing a doctor about OCD? (Or particularly real event ocd?) I am technically undiagnosed but I have been seeing a private therapist who confirms that I do have major OCD tendencies but I don’t find her particularly helpful & she isn’t trained to a degree that I would like a therapist to be trained to :( I want to go to my GP and potentially see someone who specialises in OCD but I’m worried that they won’t understand real event OCD..

How do I make them aware that I have OCD without going into too much detail? (I’m from uk btw) x

Instead of giving them specific thoughts try to tell them how the thoughts make you feel and convey the level of discomfort you are experiencing

Amazing, thanks so much guys. Would you say it’s a good idea to go to the GP about it? I have been paying so much money for therapy and it hasn’t done anything yet :( have your doctors given you a lot of support?

Thank you! :) I had a look and there’s none in my area :( I’d have to travel to the nearest city which I could try I suppose!

You don’t necessarily need to get into the details. Mine wasn’t really familiar with OCD in general. But instead she sent me a link to IAPT where you can get a referral to an OCD specialist. I’m still waiting for mine but then again I was told it can take weeks so it’s pretty normal.

I’m in the UK as well. I mentioned I have had violent and sexual intrusive thoughts and that I do compulsions to ease the anxiety. And although I was seeking reassurance there, when I asked my GP if she thought it sounded like OCD she told me it was very probable. And from there she told me where I could find an OCD specialist

I think you should cause maybe they can refer you to a psychiatrist and maybe a more suitable therapist.

My GP has been quite supportive and understanding of what I’m going through. She didn’t see me as insane or a monster, even though that’s what my brain was telling me. She’s been keeping in touch with me whilst I’m waiting to meet an OCD specialist.

How long have you been waiting to see someone? Did they refer you to a specialist or to a more general psychotherapist? And did they offer you medication?

I was offered medication but I held off on it. I’m a bit afraid of the side effects I may get but your GP will definitely suggest it if you feel like you need it. As for the referral, there’s a website called IAPT where you can refer to an OCD specialist. It takes about 6-8 weeks though to hear back from them. They send a survey during that time to keep track of your mental state. It’s been about two weeks now for me, so it’ll be a couple more till I hear back from them. In the meantime I’m attending an OCD support group, which my GP highly encouraged.

That’s interesting and helpful thank you! Is the support group useful? What is your ‘subtype’ of OCD if you don’t mind me asking?

I have POCD. Used to have Harm OCD as well. I actually haven’t attended the support group yet, as the meeting is this Thursday. From what I’ve been told, they can be really great in just finding people who suffer from the same thing and not feel as lonely. Every once in a while they also bring actual OCD specialists to give helpful techniques. Since you live in the UK, you can always check out the website OCD Action where you can find support groups near you if you’re interested.

No problem! It still might be worthwhile checking either way. :D