- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
Call a few cognitive psychologists in your area and ask what kind if experience they have dealing with OCD and ERP therapy. Someone who has a background in it or a lot of experience with it will be able to tell you definitively. The more they’ve dealt with it before, the better equipped they’ll be to help you if you wind up being diagnosed.
- Date posted
- 6y
I would recommend meeting with a psychiatrist, because their main role (at least where I’m from) is to diagnose and also prescribe meds. While a family doctor can prescribe meds, a lot of them don’t have the same knowledge of mental health as a psychiatrist. Most therapists aren’t able to prescribe meds and as far as I know some don’t even provide official diagnoses. I had a 40 min meeting with a psychiatrist for the first time, and she was able to diagnose me just from that. They do it every day and know the DSM-V front to back, so if you’re just looking for a diagnosis and meds at this point I think that would probably be your best bet. I hope this helps!:)
- Date posted
- 6y
Unfortunately it may take some time before you find the right therapist (I tried several over the years), but when you do its so worth the search. You can do this! ?
- Date posted
- 6y
I’m so nervous to go to therapy because it was such a waste of money last time but I know if this doesn’t subside I’ll have no choice! If i don’t have ocd then what could I possibly have? Just repetitive thoughts? That’ll mean I’m such a toxic person for what I’m doing to my boyfriend through compulsively confessing every ROCD thought. Honestly there’s no way I don’t have some kind of mental disorder the way my life has been affected.
- Date posted
- 6y
I’d still try and find an ocd specialist, it’s definitely worth it. I understand your hesitation but really believe it is the best way to get help. Let me know if you have any specific questions regarding treatment or anything, happy to help!
- Date posted
- 6y
One bad experience with a therapist doesn’t mean you’ll always have bad experiences. You just have to find someone that is a better fit. I agree with what was suggested above. Good luck!
Related posts
- Date posted
- 22w
Its been around a year now that ive struggled heavily with intrusive thoughts. I haven’t noticed it in my other years, aside from when i was a young kid. I want to get diagnosed with OCD or try to see what my therapist will say. Ive been summing up the courage to speak about this for months now and i have an appointment on the 26th. I feel like im ready to finally talk about it will someone, yet one thing is holding me back. The doubt. I started struggling HEAVILY with OCD symptoms around march of 2024. I mean rumination, compulsions, shame, disgust, etc. It was one of the worsts points of my like and it cared on from January-Late august of 2024. I was literally in distress everyday of my life. I had constant intrusive thoughts that would go away, and unbearable anxiety. Yet around september hit they started getting EASIER to mange. (remember that, they didnt go away, i just wasnt as effected) I was quite happy i could live a little without pain and that carried from Sept-December 2024. But then January hit again, and everything just seems to flow right back to me. I cant stop thinking about how i used to feel, the pain i was in. Everyday my brain wants me to remember the anguish i was put through. I finally decided i will talk about this to my Therapist. My only doubt is that, everything is much easier for me to deal with, and my anxiety isnt as strong. I still have intrusive thoughts and suffer with performing compulsions, but i dont ruminate anymore. That should be a good thing but my brain tells me that means my feelings arent valid, and i dont have OCD cause things are better. Im sorry for this long read, i just need to get this off my chest. How do i talk to my therapist about wanting to get an evaluation, when most of my main hard aspects in OCD are in the past? (AKA the past i suppressed and shut down)Any help is appreciated. 😕
- Date posted
- 21w
I don’t have an official OCD diagnosis, but I will be asking my doctor tomorrow if I can get referred to a psychiatrist to get an official diagnosis. The way I came to the conclusion that what I’m dealing with is OCD is because a month ago I just started having the most horrible disturbing intrusive thoughts that go against all my values and beliefs and attacking the stuff/people I care about the most. Mind you, I have never had anything like this happen in my life. I feel that I have always been someone with a peaceful mind and one of the worst intrusive thoughts I can ever remember having before this happened, was “what happens if I cut my finger right now” while I was cutting fruit. That’s pretty much it. After this whole horrible intrusive thought spiral started happening I was so scared because I have never had such awful intrusive thoughts like this that were the complete opposite of me, it just quite literally started out of NOWHERE, and that’s what was so scary and terrifying. It was like my whole life got turned upside down because of this and I’ve been mainly isolating in my room, feeling so much anxiety and dread and guilt/shame. I get four of the same thoughts and one intrusive image repeating over and over again even if I would not try to think about them, and it caused me so much distress and anxiety that I would be so anxious and cry everyday just thinking how I could ever possibly think such horrible intrusive thoughts like that. It’s caused me insomnia which I’ve never dealt with before and I went three days in a row without being able to sleep no matter how hard I tried (even while taking melatonin). Other days I struggle so much to fall asleep due to the intrusive thoughts being much more present at nighttime, and even when taking melatonin that doesn’t do anything because of my mind being so active and having so much anxiety. Is this what they call an OCD flare up? After constantly looking up all the symptoms of ocd (the more and lesser known ones alike), I noticed there were some symptoms of it that I displayed in childhood when the ocd could’ve been more dormant or mild you could say (skin picking), because once again I have never had such horrible intrusive thoughts like this out of nowhere and constantly repeating in my mind that felt like they were out of my control. I noticed that these intrusive thoughts started on the second day of my menstruation when I was in a lot of pain and was feeling very emotional/stressed. One of the things I’ve heard a lot is that during the menstruation cycle is when ocd flares can happen more often due to the increase in hormones during that time, and I wonder if that’s what happened to me? I’m also overall such a big over thinker and have been for as long as I can remember. I also have had anxiety and depression since middle school as well. Any insight would be very much appreciated 😭
- Date posted
- 12w
Hi I’m currently undiagnosed but am so sick of the way I’m living that I’ve decided I seriously need to get help. I need advice on 1. How to tell my parents that I need help and 2. The process. The first part is hard because a couple years ago I talked to my mom about having OCD but she brushed it off and said “everyone has anxiety” so I just never brought it up again. I’m also a bit ashamed for some reason, I don’t know why, to bring it up to them and I feel scared. For the second part what’s the process of getting diagnosed and getting medication and therapy. Where do I get diagnosed and do I have to start therapy before getting medicated? Thanks so much for the help.
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