Anyone else afraid to get help?

So i have been having ocd problems for a while. i rewrite over certen words or letters when typing or writing, (hey im doing that now..) i touch random objects a certen number of times, i reread specific sentences over and over (like at the tops of paragraphs, or last one of a chapter), and i flip light switches on and off a certen amount of times, among many many other things. i guess that stuff would be the complusive part. as for obsessive i find i have very immature and stupid random fears. i aviod or dread talking or being with specific friends or people sometimes, because i exaggerate things in my head making it hard or me afraid to be near them(this really sucks cause ive lost alot of friends this way for seemingly no reason and makes me fear getting too close/ that i have gotten to close too many people) i am also afraid of being around large groups of people in some circumstances, which makes me avoid (though its normally impossible too) going to the movie theater, walking around in the school hallways, and probably most of all the school cafeteria.(sp?) i have other fears, or i guess obsessions maybe, but none bother as much as those, or atleast at the moment.

being that i am a 14 year old girl about to enter highschool, you would probably agree things will get worse since i will obviously have to face these a heck of alot more. and though i dont know if i have ocd for sure, i am hesitant to try and tell a doctor who could confirm i have it or say that i dont have it because that would mean id have to tell parents i am having problems.

i mean on one hand, if i got help, perhaps all of this, or alot of it could go away and life would become that much better(id not be so nervious around people, be able to keep the friends i have, probably be happier). but on the other hand, i could just wait, because my fears/obsessions do eventually change as i get older ( i used to be afraid of robbers, fire, not being able to sleep) and right now, i feel like what ever they change to will be better then now..

sorry about the lengthly post, just havent spoken up til now really. just wondering if other people have problems getting help when they know stuff could that much better but are afraid of what their parents/family might think. btw if anyone has tips about being less nervious around people and such, please do share.

hey hon. i'm having the same problems and it appears that you do have ocd. hahaha not to sound like a psychiatrist or anything. but it's very very likely. i think you should get help because chances are, this is what you have, and you can get help. i just took my first step towards getting help and you should as well. well i guess the first step is talking to peers about it before a psychiatrist. so i guess i'm on my second. i think you should definitely talk to someone about it. if you ever wanna' talk to me, you can email me at natalie_dv@hotmail.com.

Guest. wrote:being that i am a 14 year old girl about to enter highschool, you would probably agree things will get worse since i will obviously have to face these a heck of alot more. and though i dont know if i have ocd for sure, i am hesitant to try and tell a doctor who could confirm i have it or say that i dont have it because that would mean id have to tell parents i am having problems.

By no means - I think that it could get better. Constant exposure to a problem in this way will make it less of a problem over time. I was so shy when I was your age and for years I was never able to walk along a street with my head up high. I only saw the ground and my feet stepping for about 8 years.


...Things will change fast for you and I think you will be very surprised.


I have some of the obsessions that you have. I am currently seeing a professional too. You should never EVER be afraid to seek help. Nobody will think less of you. What are your fears about asking for help...?

thanks alot for both of your replies. it sersiously helps alot just hearing from people about this since i never talk about it.

[quote="Chucky You should never EVER be afraid to seek help. Nobody will think less of you. What are your fears about asking for help...?[/quote]


in reply to why i dont want to tell my parents:

basically, ok well dont get the wrong idea, i have a good family, just one that has already alot of people with problems really close. bi polar disorder runs in my family so a few relatives, some really close(one of my older sibblings) have it and they have been in and out of hospitals many times, another family member of mine suffers from dyslexia( a different sibling) (sp?), and both of them have adhd, and probably other stuff, but my mom says they have to tell me on their own.

me and my sister are really the only ones that dont have "problems" like that and dont have to visit the doctor on a regular basis. me and my sister have also been very succsesful (this sounds like im bragging..but im not trying to) in school and other activities and such too. dont get me wrong, my other siblings do very well too but they arent expected as much to. so by telling parents im afraid in a way i will be letting them down. my older sister will be the only one viewed as normal and that i will be given a ton of help i dont need. my parents are very good at dealing with those problems, they would have no trouble getting me a doctor or w/e and alot more but i dont want them too treat me to the extreme they do with everything else.

aside from that my parents like me alot cause they think im very independant and dont act like my other friends or hang out with them very much.(they date and do stuff my parents think im not old enough to do) but i only act like that cause im afraid of stuff.. again id be disapointing them. i guess it sounds alot like im afraid of what my parents think, but most of this would apply to what my friends and family would think as well.

Heya


Reading that post it sounds like you're carrying a weight on your shoulders. Like, you feel that you are free from the other problems that your family has and must be successful because of it. I don't know - It just appears to me that you are going to end up becoming very stressed out. Maybe you already are, as shown by your OCD.


I don't think it's my place to advise you either way on whether to tell your parents or not. One thing I can say is that I feel if you told your parents it could make things worse for you. If you don't tell them well then you are on your own and must battle the OCD on your own. What about this other sister that is also successful and stuff? She seems like the best person to talk to this about.

thanks for the reply. talking to my sister about it might not be a bad idea. only problem is she lives about half way cross the country at the moment, but maybe when she gets back..

anyway, even though im sort of scared as hell about school starting, it think your right ( i think it was you that said something about this) that once i face my problem it will become easier to face and get better for me, cause i dont see how it could be much worse at the moment. then, after school starts i think i might talk to someone about it.. it might be hard though, im not a very open person at all about certain things. but i probably will anyway, cause i seem to go through phases, and it might be easier to talk about when im better.

i have a question though, does ocd ever make memories strange? or more what you remember? because during certain times or just just randomly i remember certain stuff. like conversations from a year ago where i had said something i wish i hadnt, or things i had done i wish i hadnt, or instintances where something bad had happend or i regret what happen, and it just replays and replays in my mind so vividly and so often. it makes me sick to my stomach when i think about these things. im not sure if it does have anything to do with ocd, but sometimes when i think of these things it leads me to automatically do something complusive.

sorry if all my questions annoy you guys...

As an OCD sufferer, too, it's not easy to stop the compulsions.

Have over tried to stop them completely?

Do you get, anxious and feel you have too keep doing it if you stop?

OCD is an anxiety disorder. What's weird is, what are you really anxious about? Not high-school? That's a new anxioety

Complusive acts are governed by obsessive thinking. You probably don't even know that you are doing it! It's a buffer for someother anxious thoughts

The question is? What are the thoughts that make you anxious, so you do repeative tasks (rituals)?

That's why it's called Obsessive (something that sticks in the mind, Compulsive (something that relaxes you) disorder!

How was junior-high! Did having OCD make you feel "odd". If not? I don't think there would a problem.

More info might help?

OK!

Get some sleep!

I was afraid of highschool...and kept worrying myself to death and had rituals...

Your not alone?

We'll see what we can all post for you?

Guest. wrote:i have a question though, does ocd ever make memories strange? or more what you remember? because during certain times or just just randomly i remember certain stuff. like conversations from a year ago where i had said something i wish i hadnt, or things i had done i wish i hadnt, or instintances where something bad had happend or i regret what happen, and it just replays and replays in my mind so vividly and so often. it makes me sick to my stomach when i think about these things. im not sure if it does have anything to do with ocd, but sometimes when i think of these things it leads me to automatically do something complusive.

I apologise from the depth of my heart for the delayed response my friend. I shall answer your question.


These thoughts that are in your head ARE actually part of OCD. These are obsessions and they are clearly upsetting you. You need to realise that when these thoughts enter your head they cannot do anything to hurt you. At the end of the day they are just figments of your imagination. You must dismiss them as unimportant and silly...Stupid even!

OCD and in particular the obsessing part to it will wreak havoc on the memory in other ways too. Obsessing a lot can decrease concentration levels and you mightn't take in as much information from your surroundings as you would normally. To you or I it appears to us that we are getting forgetful. We aren't - It's just that are brain is busy obsessing.

Memories that I have never previously thought I could remember pop into my head so you aren't alone on that front. The brain goes into overdrive so it's bound to pick up some loose scrap memories along the way!


If all else fails, give yourself a hug.
Kevster

One thing for people who have a worrying problem with OCD is that they can't stop!

A simple "trigger" that a person knows will never amount to something can become a great catastropshy!

A person with out OCD would probably "shrug it off their shoulders", where a person with the disorder can not. The thoughts happen so fast that it means disaster!

It's hard, but, you can isolate those thoughts with therapy and realise what your're doing.

An example:

After an arguement, the person you are having it says, "I don't even know why I even talk to you!"

After the anger subsides, most people can say to themselves, "I can't do anything about it now, so, I'll worry about it later."

OCD thoughts are like this. Everything will go wrong unless I have control over the situation so I can correct the problem. MURPHY'S LAW!

If I won't be talked to, I'll lose the relationship.
If I can't keep the relationship, then I will never have one.
Then, I'll be lonely for the rest of my life.
I will have no friends.

Since you can't find control (for you can never predict the outcome of something in the future), you automatically find yourself trying to, until you get exhausted!) That makes it worse! Severe anxiety and depression.

This is one that hit's me all the time.

If I am working, a supervisor criticizes my work.

(This person is probably having a bad day and is just singling out just one thing and finds you an excellent employee)

But...instead of shrugging it off your shoulders and putting the (problem) aside, you will do this.

I am being criticized! (gain control..no?)
I am a bad employee, then...(Still trying to gain control with thought!)
I will be fired!
I will be out of a job!
I will be homeless!
I will die!

The thoughts happen so fast, you can't stop and the exhaustion takes you to a point where you get sick...no sleep...throwing up..diarehea...

You actually call in...which makes it worse and adds to the hamster wheel and you quit for you "feel". you can't do your job. A spark makes a fire, but you never seem to be able to put it out because the thoughts go so fast you never relealise that you are thinking...

Just feeling the constant anxiety.

This server of OCD puts you on SSDI!

What's worse is you can imagine "shrugging it off your shoulders"...but you can't!

A therapist told me a good anology of what happens in your brain!

You have two ways of thinking.

1 is a wellworn highway. The other, a small hiking path going up and down a hill.

The path is the way to shrug off worry. The highway is what you do and it's an EXPRESSWAY! IT's the least resistant...

The more you try the hiking path and less the highway, the better it gets. The more you realise that the "world doesn't come to an end" the better off you are of over coming this.

It takes therapy to help yourself to use the hiking path, until it's worn enough where you don't do it anymore and take the path to "shrug it off your shoulder!

And, it's not easy... or I wouldn't be having this problem!

Worryworts, like me, worry about anything. Meds do help Seritonin Re-uptake inhibitors.

What! Medications that help with OCD. Paxel, Luvox, Anaphrinal...


What they do is keep a heavier level of Seritonin in your body! I good hormone...makes you feel good. Why such a fancy name?

To do this, you have gland in your brain that soaks up this hormone. It regulates the amount that is released. The gland re-uptakes the hormone...(by taking it up it means you don't have it!) So, the meds...inhibit or stop that from soaking it up and leaving you more with Seritonin to feel better.

Thus, it's used for anxiety and depression too. Want to feel good?

Paxel...widely used for many things and is what I am on. What does it make me feel..."I know I am nervous, but I don't care!"

Anaphranil...The old stand by! What does it make me feel? "Narrow minded. I think of now.. not the past and stick to the present... not as much worry..but... makes you "buzzy..dizzy..and mixed with alcohol...yikes!...high! Be very careful!

Luvox is in the same "family" as Anaphranil!

Lot's of side effects that go away and some that don't...acid reflux...take maalox or pepcid AC...terrible dry mouth..drink lot's of fluids and have them handy!

So, that's the scoop!

Hopefully, your OCD is not as severe as mine.