Decades of OCD..confused about my next steps!!!

I have had ocd for decades! Could I still be cured???? (Of you can call it that?) I have seen different therapists but it never had fully left me...not by any stretch of the imagination. I do want to be free of this ocd and its power over me and all the bad that it brought into my life!!! Some days I am strong and feel like I am fighting it put other days...many days...I don't get things done or if I do I take a long time to-do the things I need to get done. I feel like I know this is just then ocd stopping me and that these are just thoughts but nobody in my family understands and though they have shared my journey and hated it a I do.....it just feels like I want so bad to be the best person I coukd be but I avoid places, people, things, that have any reminder of my ocd.......and so it restricts me from getting better and completing tasks the way I used to. Now UI might go and make 2-3 trips cuz I am worried to shop at a place and therefore it takes my time up. The avoidance I do is bad! When I actually don't listen to my ocd and don't avoid something...I feel great! ,However, it happens so rarely!!! I.dont know how finding a therapist through NOCD will help me. It is not in person and two be honest I almost think I need medicine to push me along. I don't have anybsteady and consistent improvements. However, I don't think I want to be on medication for the rest of my life! I am very confused!

MichelleV

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 29d ago

Hi there. I have some perspective to offer, that may help you. No one is ever “cured” from OCD. However, with ERP, you’ll dive into recovery, you learn how to live with and manage your OCD, and how to live your life on your terms, instead of following what your OCD wants. You will build a set of tools and skills to combat your OCD. I was diagnosed with OCD at 31. I noticed symptoms when I was younger but never had the words to verbalize what I went through. I hit my mental rock bottom during the pandemic, worked with a few talk therapists, then finally got diagnosed. I’ve been with NOCD since. As you consider seeking an ERP therapist, ask yourself what you have to lose, and ask what you want to gain. ERP is not easy. But it’s so, so worth it. The confidence you can gain, and everything you can reclaim from doing the work, makes it worth it. ERP was the best choice I ever made. I understand avoidance and fears. Everyone in this community does. You aren’t alone. I take Lexapro to help with my OCD. Using that in combination with my ERP therapy helps me tremendously. I hope you make the call. So much hope is waiting for you.

Anonymous

Date posted: 29d ago

I sort of k ew using them word, "cured" would be incorrect but I did not go back and change it. Please get back to me when time allows you. Can you explain how virtual help.through NOCD works????

MichelleV

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 29d ago

@Anonymous You first call NOCD, or schedule a call, to discuss what you’re experiencing. Once you’re connected with a therapist, you’ll work on finding times that work for you, for appointments. Your therapist will help determine how often you should have appointments. The calls are through Zoom, and the link is through the app. So you’ll have your camera and microphone on, as will your therapist. I am based in the US, so I don’t know if it works the same for other countries, but I assume it is.

Anonymous

Date posted: 29d ago

Thank you so very much for your words of wisdom and for responding so quickly!!! Is the medicine you are on have any side effects? Can anyone take it? I on e was told that some medications can trigger seizures.so I cuttentyly am taking a medicine that is also used with people who have seizures...to prevent them...so I felt that was,safe though I don't know if it is the best choice. I take it a needed. Is your medicine taken every day and so you have to take it for the rest of your life or can you be weaned off of it if you and yoir doctor feel that would be a choice if you begin to feel mych better? Or is this a medicine that people stay on?

MichelleV

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 29d ago

@Anonymous I initially tried Zoloft, but I had a hard time tolerating it, so I switched to Lexapro. This was all done through my psychiatrist, and my medicine is prescribed. All medicine has side effects. I don’t remember what they are for Lexapro, but over time I adjusted well and I feel comfortable taking it. I take it once a day, in the morning, so it doesn’t affect my sleep. I’m not entirely sure how long I’ll take it for. I haven’t approached that subject yet with my psychiatrist. I absolutely suggest working with your doctors to come up with a medicine plan. They’ll have the most sound advice for you.

Andrea Wells

Date posted: 28d ago

It's never too late. It's sadly really common for people to go decades with OCD before they get the right help. I went two decades with untreated OCD. I had been in and out of general therapy and it didn't really help. It wasn't until I started Exposure Response Prevention therapy that I FINALLY found relief and freedom from these symptoms. There technically is no cure for OCD yet, but there is very effective treatment through ERP therapy and you can get to a place where you no longer meet the diagnostic criteria for OCD. Things can, and do get better! It doesn't matter how long you've been experiencing OCD. Treatment is effective no matter what.

Anonymous

Date posted: 25d ago

Thanks. Life is very hard right now and I feel very alone.😭

Anonymous

Date posted: 21w ago

A question!

Hi everybody! I started with a therapist who’s super pricey outside of NOCD, when I had mentioned that I’m struggling with OCD she didn’t seem too well versed she said oh so you’re struggling with intrusive thoughts? Lady you don’t know the half of it!! But I’m afraid of continuing because I don’t want to waste $180 a week for what is sold as someone who can treat and help with OCD then turns out to just be talking about stuff I’ve already talked about with past therapists! Anyway onto the question at hand! If I join NOCD and they don’t cover my insurance but I pay out of pocket fora real OCD/ERP specialist because I really need the help! Is NOCD going to help me? Or am I going to waste my time and should I keep trying my hardest to find ERP specialists on Google. I’m exhausted I just want to know I’m going to get help and relief from this before I put more money into therapy Any advice or honesty would help greatly! ❤️👈🏼

OCDNoThankYe

Date posted: 6w ago

Medication

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.

Beevs

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 5w ago

My Journey With ROCD

Looking back, my introverted nature and struggles to find belonging in high school may have set the stage for how OCD would later impact my relationships. I had my first relationship in high school, but OCD wasn’t a major factor then. It wasn’t until my longest relationship—six years from age 18 to 24—that OCD really took hold. The relationship itself wasn’t the issue; it was what happened after. When it ended, I became obsessed with confessing past mistakes, convinced I had to be completely transparent. Even when my partner was willing to work past them, I couldn’t let go of the intrusive thoughts, and that obsession landed me in the hospital. From there, my struggle with ROCD (Relationship OCD) fully emerged. For years, every time I tried to move forward in dating, doubts consumed me. I would start seeing someone and feel fine, but then the questions would creep in: Do I really like her? Do I find her attractive? Is she getting on my nerves? What if I’m with the wrong person? I’d break things off, thinking I was following my true feelings. But then I’d question: Was that really how I felt, or was it just OCD? I tried again and again, each time hoping I could “withstand it this time,” only to fall back into the same cycle. The back and forth hurt both me and the person I was with. By the time I realized it was ROCD, the damage had been done, and I still hadn’t built the tools to manage it. Now, at 28, I know I need to approach dating differently. I recently talked to someone from a dating app, and my OCD still showed up—questioning my every move, making me doubt my own decisions. I haven’t yet done ERP specifically for ROCD, but I know that’s my next step. Just like I’ve learned tools for managing my other OCD subtypes, I need a set of strategies for when intrusive doubts hit in relationships. My goal this year is to stop letting uncertainty control me—to learn how to sit with doubt instead of trying to “figure it out.” I want to break the cycle and be able to build something healthy without my OCD sabotaging it. I know I’m not alone in this, and I know healing is possible. I’m hopeful that working with a therapist will help me develop exposures and thought loops to practice. I don’t expect to eliminate doubt entirely—after all, doubt is a part of every relationship—but I want to reach a place where it doesn’t paralyze me. Where I can move forward without constantly questioning whether I should. And where I can be in a relationship without feeling like OCD is pulling the strings. I would appreciate hearing about your experiences with ROCD. Please share your thoughts or any questions in the comments below. I’d love to connect and offer my perspective. Thanks!

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Decades of OCD..confused about my next steps!!!

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