Came off my anti depressants about a month ago and felt better but recently I feel like I’m relapsing don’t know what to do

Thank you, Words are appreciated, hope your well

@Gosu123 Also not seen a lot of Scottish people on here or that have ocd as well, how has your experience been especially with like the nhs etc

@Gosu123 Yep me neither! I went to see my GP after a couple of weeks when I'd done my research and realised I could have OCD. She was lovely and said it was perfectly normal to have these types of thoughts, but said it was too early to tell if I had OCD and prescribed me beta blockers for anxiety. This was after me saying explicitly that I believed I had OCD. I think in England and Wales you can self-refer to a therapist, but unfortunately not here. I'm lucky enough to be able to afford therapy privately so that's what I'm doing, but I was really shocked at how I was just immediately diagnosed with anxiety instead of hearing me and considering it might be something more. What was your experience like?

@Bimmi They stablized the thoughts but they made me feel like I was drifting through life

That was a big thing for me too. Doubting if I actually had OCD. I saw a therapist early on who was an OCD 'expert' and she told me I couldn't have OCD because my thoughts weren't ego-dystonic. This was before I really understood what was going on with me. She tried to tell me I just had normal relationship anxiety. Can you imagine? Put me back about a month in recovery.

@Lotte93 That’s awful I know how you feel, you ever need to talk especially to a fellow Scot you can always write here

@Gosu123 Thank you, and you too 😁

@Lotte93 Hey do you mind if I ask what kind of ocd you suffer from?

@Gosu123 Hey, sure! I have ROCD. How are you doing?

Not too bad thanks! It's mostly relationship-centred but I do get the occasional person-specific obsession too. It's the worst! Do you also have ROCD?

It's crap isn't it? Are you doing ERP? I just started it on Tuesday...so far so good!

How are you doing these days?

@Lotte93 Eh I feel like I’ve gone backwards tbh you?

@Gosu123 Hey. I have days and weeks that feel like that too. I'm doing ok at the moment. I think my ERP is taking too long but I'm about halfway through my hierarchy so making progress. I want to have a good Christmas and it's so upsetting that I might be an anxious mess the whole time. This thing is wild! I hope you're doing ok and remembering that recovery isn't a straight line! My therapist recommended some instagram pages and podcasts that have helped me. If that would interest you I'm happy to share 😊 take care

@Lotte93 Yes please, Glad your doing well, I felt the same about erp it’s a lot of effort to do it everyday especially if your fighting depression at the same time as ocd which is often the case. I’m sure your Christmas will be brilliant try be positive, Thanks for taking the time to answer!

@Gosu123 Hey sorry to bother you, is there any chance you could share some pages or podcasts if not that’s okay too, Thanks

@Gosu123 Hey! No worries, sorry I completely forgot to post these. Try: The OCD Stories podcast, which has great recovery stories and ERP advice. The Fear podcast, which is about OCD but less ROCD directly. Your Anxiety Toolkit by Kimberley Quinlan, which covers OCD but also anxiety in general and other conditions like depression. If you're on Instagram, also check out the OCD Doodles and Shrink Wrap. I hope these are helpful! You doing ok? 🙂

@Lotte93 Thanks for that it’s much appreciated, and yeah I guess, what about you?

@Gosu123 I should have said FearCast podcast. But my fave is the OCD stories podcast. If you look in the episode titles and descriptions, you can pick out ones that are relevant for you. There are some excellent ROCD recovery episodes, ERP episodes and I'd recommend listening to some ones about other subtypes too. I'm doing ok at the moment. I've really gotten a grip on my compulsions the last few days which has been such a relief. As always, expecting it to come back in full force!

I was hooked on that obsession for a long time. Convinced I was just telling myself I had OCD so I didn't have to face reality. This was especially bad before I got a diagnosis, but now its not really a problem. You pretty much have to admit that it could be true, and try not to work it out. It's tough!

Hey, thanks for checking in. It's actually been really good. I've been staying present and not putting too much pressure on myself to not be anxious. Not perfect but pretty good. How are you doing?

@Lotte93 I’m Glad to hear, least there’s progress! Mines has been okay I guess could be better could be worse, Enjoying the time off work, I feel like my tablets are helping but I’m not sure if it’s placebo effect or if they are actually working lol

@Gosu123 Im glad its going ok for you. What medication are you taking if you don't mind me asking? I've been considering going to the doctors about medication but I'm nervous about it.

@Lotte93 I’m on Setraline, it takes a while to kick in I’m not sure if it even has lol but I was the same I feel like there’s a bad stereotype around it, I tried to come off mine too soon I think and that’s what’s led to my relapse but all in all I would recommend I hope this helps. Trying to get an appointment with a gp is a nightmare though!

@Gosu123 Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. You're doing the right thing for you so don't worry and keep at it!