Hi, this is my first time posting here, though I have been looking at the app for support for a while already. I have pretty bad social anxiety which unfortunately extends to even being in forums online as well, so I have been putting off sharing on here. I am in my early 40s and have struggled with OCD in various forms since I was a child. In my mid-teens it exploded into very tormenting Pure O. It is complicated by some comorbidity with other diagnoses — social and generalized anxiety, depression, and CPTSD. The sad thing is that I’ve actually experienced so much harm over the years at the hands of uneducated mental health professionals who didn’t have a clue about OCD or how to work with it, and i feel like I carry this extra burden of shame and trauma from those bad experiences on top of the grueling daily struggle I have with my mental health diagnoses. I am set up to have an initial consultation appointment soon with a therapist who is a psychologist in private practice. They seem kind and very knowledgeable, and so I am very hopeful that we will be a good fit for working together. But I am still haunted by those past bad experiences, and so the whole process of starting with someone new is nerve wracking. Has anyone else had bad experiences with therapists who didn’t understand OCD or who had only a superficial understanding of it? Thanks for reading!

"Pure" OCD

Esosa

Date posted: 5y

I had a bad experience with therapists about OCD. Two of them actually shrugged it off when I brought up the possibility that I could have OCD. I deal with SO-OCD and other pure O themes like incest and pedophilia so when I told them that I had excessive thoughts about my sexuality, they were like “that has nothing to do with your OCD” even though it did. They had good intentions but they were just misinformed. Luckily, I found a good OCD specialist a year ago and I’m still working with her now and the thoughts have gotten a lot better! It takes time to find someone good and a lot of patience and trust. I think going to the psychiatrist with an open mind is the best thing you can do.

wishingstar

Date posted: 5y

Thank you for your reply! So glad you’ve found a specialist who is helping you and that things are getting better. I deal with sexual intrusive thoughts as well and yes, it seems like some therapists who don’t really get OCD in the first place especially don’t understand that type of OCD.

TreyMan24

Date posted: 5y

I am very new to my ocd diagnoses. I deal with POCD and HOCD. One of the psychiatrists I was dealing with said I was psychotic. Try dealing with that...she basically turned my worst fears into reality, while sometimes I feel like I am psychotic, everyone around me assures my I am not (for example my therapist, and my girlfriend who has a psychology degree). I guess I was just lucky that the next psychiatrist I spoke to was familiar with OCD and all it’s various forms.

wishingstar

Date posted: 5y

So sorry that happened to you. That had to be frightening. I am glad you’ve found someone now who knows about OCD.

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