- Username
- eternalblue
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Giving you a diagnosis she doesn’t genuinely believe you have would be unethical and could get her disbarred from practicing. She cannot “lie” to you about your diagnosis. And the worries you elaborate here are highly indicative of OCD rumination. Perhaps you can talk with her about this paranoia and even address it with some ERP? People with OCD often doubt the validity of their diagnosis, and it can even become the center of our obsessions.
@pureolife is right. Fear of not actually having OCD is a common symptom of OCD. But let’s consider something for a second. Take someone who has OCD 100% for sure, and send them to 100 therapists for a diagnosis. In all likelihood, not all 100 therapists will agree with the OCD Diagnosis. That means that a number of therapists gave a false diagnosis. 1 therapist’s diagnosis doesn’t define you.
Although a diagnosis is helpful, it is just a diagnosis, just words that can help you figure out what interventions you need. So if ERP or ACT is helpful then that’s great. But I relate because when I saw a new psychiatrist, he didn’t seem convinced about my OCD probably because I didn’t share a lot because I wasn’t sure if I felt comfortable
thank you both for answering. rather than a "fake" diagnosis (in my country private psychologists don't give out any documents that certify your diagnosis, they only tell you during sessions), im scared that she's being vague on purpose by telling me that i have "an obsessive profile", "obsessive-compulsive mechanisms", "a primarily obsessive and anxious disorder with comorbidity", "these are traits of OCD", instead of just saying clearly "you have OCD", and uses all these vague expressions that hint at just traits to avoid saying "you don't really have full blown OCD". sorry, i should have made this more clear in the post. her vagueness with words drives me insane and im scared of asking her something like "can you repeat to me exactly what's the diagnosis" because not only it's reassurance seeking so she probably wouldn't do it, but also i would hurt her feelings because it would seem like i doubt her abilities. she said that exposure worked for some of my past themes (harm mostly, which is more under my control now), but not this one because it's really so deeply rooted in me, and every exposure attempt ended really, really badly (i have some self harm compulsions). CBT didn't work either so we're gonna try ACT as well.
You said she rarely uses clinic terms, but those sound like plenty of clinical terms to me! And not vague at all. I think she’s responding to your tendencies with very specific descriptions and I see no reason to distrust her assessments of you. If having her specifically say “you have OCD” is important to you, tell her that! People have different opinions on receiving a formal diagnosis. For some, it’s a relief. For others, it’s like a mark that they thing pigeonholes them and doesn’t allow others to see them as individuals. She may be trying to prevent you from feeling like your experiences are being generalized to be like all OCD when yours are specific to you.
@pureolife Think* not thing
@pureolife thank you so much, i followed your advice and told her about this, and she agreed to make an assessment of the situation together to have an updated full view of my issues and comorbidities rn, and to address this first and work on this obsession specifically. i cant thank you enough, this really helped me so much. :)
Trigger warning: therapy/ false diagnosis worry. Haven’t posted in a while as things have been looking up, but I went back to CBT today and the latest worries I’ve had my therapist said don’t fit into “OCD categories” and are more ‘what if’ anxiety worries or low self esteem/ self critical thoughts .... my intrusive thoughts seem most distressing and real in times of high anxiety and that’s when I struggle to let them go and take them seriously. Now I’m worried that they were all real, including sexual/ violent/ immoral ones and that I thought I had OCD and I don’t. I thought I was part of a community of people going through the same thing but maybe I’m just a monster if my thoughts don’t even fit the standard OCD pattern :( Anyone feel the same way?
Hey I'm feeling pretty hopeless right now. Before I get to the main point I'm gonna give some background info: I'm going into my third year of University and it took years of constant denial to get treatment . I originally came in for my skin picking but after multiple appointments I was told I have OCD. I never thought I perfectly fit into having it because I was never organized nor am I a "germaphobe". I later learned everything made sens From being afraid to interact with little children (afraid I would assault them just from staring too long), all the way to staying up all night convinced someone would kill me if I didn't hide all the knives in the house. It took me just one month ago to sleep in my bed alone (after I stopped my rituals with my stuffed animals as a kid I was convinced they will harm me when I least expect it, and sleep beside my mother). It even explained why I had somatic rituals when I was a child (constantly balancing the right and left side of my body with repetitive touching until it felt right). Finally, after switching from cipralex (did not help) to Zoloft (currently on 150mg) I feel as thought my life is coming back. The reason I'm feeling distressed is that my main psychiatrist referred me to a CBT waitlist in a hospital. Well I just had a virtual meeting with him today... And he basically asked if I have cleaning rituals. I said no, I told him about my previous compulsions the first time I talked to him and told him the medication has SIGNIFICANTLY reduced my anxiety and compulsions that I only do two rituals a day (~3 hours). At the end of the appointment he told me that I DON'T HAVE OCD or anxiety and suggested I go off my meds. Now I'm doubting if I have OCD to begin with, even though I fully know I do as my main psychiatrist has been so caring and making sure I recover. It really sucks because I feel pretty invalidated?? Am I overreacting or in the wrong? I don't know how to feel right now. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you
Anyone wanna help me with a little fact-checking? I had a horrible appointment with my family doctor today. She basically told me that my anxiety around my relationship and sex was not OCD, but a cry for help because I’m not in the right relationship. She said these things to me AFTER telling me she doesn’t know much about OCD and AFTER I told her I loved my fiancé and did not want to leave him. She pressured me to leave him to “find myself.” Honestly, she sounded like OCD personified. She also said that OCD is not an external force working against me, but a manifestation of thoughts and feelings I already have. Basically she said OCD is a way for me to express what I’m scared of feeling and that it’s a way to help me realize what I really feel. She said OCD doesn’t work against me from an external perspective, that it doesn’t “happen” to me and affect the way I feel and respond, but that it just brings those things to light. She said all that to say that my anxiety about my relationship with my fiancé and anxiety around my sexual orientation isn’t OCD, just anxiety because I’m in the wrong relationship and need to leave him. Any thoughts? The conversation truly sent me spiraling, and I will not be going back to her.
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