- Username
- Andrewspriggs
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I'm hearing a lot of doubt and uncertainty in your post. You're already grappling with distrusting a diagnosis, so much that you're not going to a professional to get one in the first place. It may help to remind yourself that you don't need to know what exactly you're dealing with to go to therapy and find it helpful. All therapy starts with assessment. That's precisely because clients aren't expected to be able to put all the puzzle pieces together on their own.
Thank you. I want to go talk to someone to get help but I guess I'm afraid that I'll find out that there's nothing wrong with me (psychology) which means all the bad things are true. But I guess getting diagnosed would be a good place to start even if thats true
@Andrewspriggs *psychologically
@Andrewspriggs People without diagnoses can still get a lot out of therapy
You said you were worried that going to a therapist would show a distrust in God. Here’s another way to think of it: God has many tools that He acts through. He doesn’t always just wave his hands and poof things are better, sometimes we have to find the tools that God left for us, and doctors and therapists are one of those tools. Another thing, from experience, if your suffering, then you deserve help and should seek it. Don’t wait for things to get “bad enough” or for proof that it’s an clinical issue. If it hurts you, it matters. Also—even if they don’t diagnose you with something, as someone who studies psychology, diagnosis are just tools and don’t cover every issue a person could face and just because you don’t have a diagnosis doesn’t mean your problem isn’t real. Plus, like Kaitie said, therapy can still be extremely helpful even if they don’t diagnose you.
Aw...I wish I could give you a hug. You haven’t really pursued therapy for OCD yet. That said, you seem like the kind of person who tries to solve/fix things, which makes me think you’ve tried ways to solve this. How’s that working out for you?
Well... not great. I've tried to practice mindfulness and my own version of erp and sometimes they kind of work but not for long (of course I don't have a professional guiding me or anything and it hasn't been a very long time) and also talking to my friends and family helps and praying and going to church but maybe I just struggle with fully trusting in Jesus and believing he can change me. But sometimes I feel like I am trusting in him and then the next day I'm back to my old mindset. So no I haven't really fixed anything yet 😂
Hey everyone. This is my first post here and it’s probably going to be a long one because I guess I feel comfortable enough to be open here. I need help. When I first got diagnosed with OCD, I figured it only impacted a small part of my life. I thought I was only affected with compulsions and obsessions that dealt with contamination, tangible perfectionism and the obvious intrusive thoughts and that’s it. Well, I’ve come to realize that most of my thinking has been impacted by OCD. At this point the only way to describe how it feels to me is a forest of thorny vines growing in place of my mind or maybe through and around my brain constantly growing every-time I give into this type of thinking (which is basically all the time because I wasn’t aware this was OCD). I’ve definitely felt it more recently, but I know it’s always been there from what I recall from past memories. I got diagnosed not so long ago with OCD and I was happy to because it explained this thing I knew was wrong with me but I didn’t know how much it will and has impacted me in the past. So, I think I’ve created a matrix in my mind or strengthened the OCD thought patterns because now I feel like my OCD impacts everything I do. And I guess I’m saying I need help here because maybe you guys will be able to see it, maybe validate me and point me where I can get help. I’ve been telling the people around me, I think my thinking is disordered and I need help but I don’t think they really understand the amount it’s affecting me or grasp what I meant when I say “I Need Help”. I did have a therapist before but because of a insurance change, she can’t work with me anymore and I’m not sure when I’ll get another (just to clarify). Back to the matter, the past couple of months I’ve been in my head just thinking and thinking. About everything. To the point where my head starts to hurt or until I feel sick of thinking about it but I can’t. I find that’s my obsessions and compulsions (other than the need for order [which can also be mental]) are very mentally based and I find myself ashamed of them so I hide them so maybe that’s why the people around me don’t feel my need for getting help as much as I do. Anyways, examples of this have been, -constantly thinking about what’s the purpose of all of life and the hidden messages in life -feeling like if I don’t do everything perfectly then what the point or being very mad at myself -being obsessed with how I present to the rest of the world sometimes even in close relationships -having calculated movements and actions (having to move my body a certain way or it doesn’t feel right) -obsessing over an absolute truth -questioning friendships and other relationships - obsessing over achievements or failures -obsessing over people -obsessing over decisions and outcomes because I want to make the perfect decisions I could go on and on but basically it’s just a lot of thinking and ruminating and obsessing to the point where people tell me I look like I’m some where else all the time. And I’ve started to feel like I find comfort in it now. I’m also diagnosed with depression and anxiety and I feel like it’s all just OCD. And same goes for my dissociation. I feel like they all root from my OCD. I’m so tired of feeling like this all the time and without my therapist I feel like I’m stuck here. I can’t make decisions, I’m never present, I can’t make or keep friendships/ relationships, everything impacts me deeply because I create a emotional obsession to it, I can’t just be without questioning everything and I’m constantly in my head. I’ve also started getting high all the time because I feel like it’s the only way to escape my brain but I’ve felt like it’s getting out of hand. I’m starting to lose in any type of hope of getting better. Does anyone have an advice for working on OCD by yourself or identifying when it’s OCD (especially mental obsessions and compulsions) so I can start to chip at this boulder that’s weighing down my life and energy?
I got diagnosed with OCD a few months ago after getting plagued with intrusive thoughts last November. It’s been present in my life since I was younger but didn’t become truly debilitating until last November. I’ve been in therapy since May, and I started an SSRI. I’m a Christian, and I’ve struggled a lot with my faith since this started. I’ve had a hard time with ERP because I fear it’s not going to help and actually make things worse. I have also had a lot of emotional turmoil from family trauma and marriage issues. I’ve become so hopeless and numb and desensitized that I don’t know how to continue forward. I don’t feel like I’m able to talk to anyone about it because it’s taboo, so I feel like a fraud and like I don’t deserve to do things I enjoy or hang out with people I love. I do want to get better but I also have a fear that I don’t actually want to. I feel like my whole life is ruined and that I’ll never enjoy living again.
Hello, I’m very new to this and have never confessed the fact that I struggle with severe scrupulosity (religion ocd) to anyone before. I am not officially diagnosed but I have spent countless hours researching and know that I am dealing with this horrible mental illness. I can’t function anymore. The intrusive thoughts are getting so bad. The moment I wake up they begin to pop into my head & I can’t even sleep because they are just running all over my mind. The thoughts are so bad that I don’t want to repeat them but they mostly are blasphemous bad thoughts. I avoid praying and religious services because it triggers my bad thoughts. I cannot control anything and I have no access to therapy because I’m so scared to ask for help and don’t know how to even describe to my family what I am going through. It’s so debilitating and I just keep repeating these scripts to myself to try and relieve my mind but it just starts all over again. It’s non stop and I know I cannot keep going like this. I don’t know whats real or isn’t, I just want a break. I’m so scared of everything and it’s interfering with my life more and more. If anyone could share some words of encouragement or tips it would be greatly appreciated.
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond