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So I got diagnosed with severe ADHD inattentive and hyperactive last month. They tested for depression and anxiety and the results were that I had those too. The therapists said its a common diagnosis and should not be worried. He said that anxiety and depression are caused by Adhd and that treating the cause (adhd) will eliminate both. I have an upcoming appointment with the head of the medical center for medication on november. After the diagnosis I started to notice the depression and anxiety more. I also had panic attack the previous year. But I was under so much pressure and stress I just brushed it aside. During these days I wonder of the medication which most prolly be adderall or ritalin will work. I read so many stories of getting amazing results for 2 weeeks and then back to square one. Can someone share there success story with the medication. Especially long term. I always get used to medicines and get tolerance really quickly. Is there any hope. I’ve heard that dr. richard berkely stating that ADHD is the most treatable disorder in psychiatry and its the diabetics of psych. Please post your stories of managing your adhd with medication longterm. That would be a great relief for me. I can answer more questions if more details are necessary. | ADHD |
Not for myself, mind you, but for my son. He's 12 and it's his first year in middle school. That means lots of homework and \*gasp\* the dreaded P-word.
Planning.
I'm 43, diagnosed at 36. Standard 'very bright, would excel if he only applied himself more' ADHD-type. Struggled through school and college with subpar grades. Planning? Making summaries of textbooks? Couldn't plan a trip to the mailbox to save my life. And now I, of all people, was expected to help my son plan his way through education. Luckily, my wife is both very structured and a teacher, but she already picks up so much of my slack. So I've taken it upon myself to take some weight of her shoulders when it comes to my son's schoolwork and let her enjoy some well-deserved extra me-time.
So my son has a biology test next thursday and he needed to make a summary of the current chapter. I first let him read it out loud. Then I questioned him about what he thought were the most important points and wrote them down. It fitted on one page. My first ever summary! It's never too late to learn, I guess. Apparently, enhancing the chances of success for my son's educational career releases more dopamine in my brain than it did for my own. External stimuli FTW!
And it was fun! My son's of the chatty variety, so eventually we spent two hours of quality time at the dinner table talking, even though the summary took us only 30-45 minutes. | ADHD |
I’m so tired of being afraid of everyone and everything, I want to love and feel love but I can’t trust anyone and even if I do trust them somewhat they say something that makes me terrified I’m going to end up in the same situation
I know I’m an adult now but I still feel so trapped by my past and by what was done to me
Last time it happened I actually tried to stand up for myself and he didn’t care I’m worried he thought I was playing hard to get I said I didn’t want to and I said no I know I did those things but I wish I could have screamed and hit him and told him to leave but I was just so scared
I’m meant to stay at a friends house tomorrow night and I’ve tried to explain I’m not comfortable sleeping around other people but I shouldn’t be so scared of doing it and I shouldn’t be so scared of telling people something makes me uncomfortable and I’m not going to do it
I try to be strong but I just want to know what is safe and Right now it feels like nothing except for my bed I feel like I can’t move on from this and even if I think I’ve made a step forward something happens and my brain just goes back to panic mode and I shut down
I’m so tired of being stressed out and I’m so tired in general I just feel like I never got the chance to learn what normal was and it’s only now that I see how other people live and it’s not me I can’t relate to their idea of future or pride or anything im just pretending to keep it up until I can go back to bed and just shut my eyes
I feel like I’m losing it I’m so sorry for this rant | ptsd |
I just feel like a shell, and it doesn't feel like there is anything to fix it. Atleast nothing I can get or even feel like I can get up to go get. There is so much coming up right now and i feel unprepared for it because it doesn't feel like there is actually anything going to happen. | depression |
I haven't started taking any OCD/Depression medication yet, just holding on to the prescription before I understand how would it work in my case.
Any of you who are diagnosed with ADHD but are taking OCD & Depression medication, how has your experience been?
Should I also get a second opinion on my condition with another Psychiatrist and see what they have to say?
And could you also tell me what OCD medication are you on?i.e if you have ADHD too. | ADHD |
THATS IT
I HAVE CHECKED LIKE THOUSANDS OF TIMES, I DID EVERYTHING I COULD DO BUT OCD IS ONE BIG FAT PIECE OF SHIT THAT MANIPULATES EVERYONE INTO SHIT
SO NO MORE OF THAT, NOPE! NO MORE COMPULSIONS NO MORE CHECKING. IF I GET ANY THOUGHT THAT I DONT LIKE I WILL LABEL IT OCD AND THROUGH IT RIGHT IN THE TRASH CAN AND TAKE OUT THE TRASH AND MAKE SURE IT IS NOT RECYCLED BUT BURNED BECAUSE FUCK
i open my eyes and start obsseisng, but im going to change this shit ONCE AND FOR ALL | OCD |
As in diving deep with certain bands and everything they've released?
I do, and I never tire of it. Dave Matthews Band, Frank Zappa, King Crimson, to name a few. Music seems to be my biggest stimuli. 🌝🌛 | aspergers |
Hey guys,
I’ve been aware of my ADD for the last 6 years but haven’t done anything about it until recently. My gf and I both have pretty noticeable ADD and I’ve been learning a lot about it because of her. She takes medication to help her with ADD, but I’ve never tried to take meds. I do feel like I suffer from my ADD at times, especially in regards to university. I find it hard to be focused and can’t concentrate. Now I’m considering taking meds, but I’m scared to start. Will my mood change? Will I have nightmares? (I had alot of nightmares when I was young) Anyone willing to help me with my choice? | ADHD |
(23F) Since before I can remember, I’ve had anxiety and have generally felt uncomfortable being outside of my home. Then about 2 years ago, my best friend and I got into a severe car accident resulting in her passing away. I don’t specifically remember experiencing this before then, but now when I go out, especially to big stores, I feel as though I’m on auto-pilot. I’m not zoning out necessarily. I know generally where I am, but I don’t feel like I’m completely in control of my body, thoughts, or decisions. I feel like I’m just going through the motions to appear normal. My mind goes a thousand miles per hour like I’ve just had 10 coffees. Often times when I get back home or to my car, I realize that I either bought a bunch of random stuff I didn’t really need or I completely forgot to get the main thing I went in for even if I went with a list. I’ve been doing research on disassociating as well as agoraphobia and PTSD, but I haven’t found anyone else talking about this. I know this is something I need to talk about with a doctor or therapist. Unfortunately, I don’t have the money right now, so if you relate to this and/or have any knowledge of what this might be, that would be greatly appreciated.
Also I’m not sure if this is relevant, but I’ve already been diagnosed with generalized and social anxiety, depression, adhd, and ptsd.
Thanks in advance (: | ptsd |
this doesn’t quite fit in the subreddit, because what I am now is something so far beyond ocd. however, I’m posting because all of this is the result of what began as an intense and true episode of ocd (constant intrusive thoughts). before that episode started, I was a good, decent person. after a year of it, i turned into someone else.
Sometime earlier this year I lost my empathy and everything changed. My thoughts are not intrusive and haven’t been for a long time. my personality changed completely. I have what most of society would think as evil, monstrous beliefs/feelings/ideas/thoughts. I have a near constant feeling of wanting to be evil, which entails: intense hatred of people, wanting horrible things to happen to people, wanting to be evil against people (wanting to be able to hurt people just for the sake of it, etc), wanting to force myself to do/be evil against people. not seeing (and not wanting to see) things as evil/wrong that most people do (the things most people would think as vile depravity). I constantly think why can’t I just be/think this way without being considered evil/wrong?
Everything I can find says people can’t just become sociopaths, but that’s exactly how it feels. My family are really the only ones I can still care/feel for but even that is getting more difficult lately.
I feel anxiety and distress over not having distress about how I think/feel/believe now or for not wanting to stop. This is not like most who have intrusive thoughts and fears they might be bad but don’t actually think/feel/identify with their thoughts. I actually actively think/feel/believe this way and want to be this way and can’t make it stop. When I think of trying to be good and right again I get angry and defiant, it feels repellent. The distress comes from knowing and remembering that this is the opposite of who I used to be, I was an empathetic soul to a fault and the only thing I wanted was to be and do good. I can’t even make myself want to entertain that thought seriously now. The only way I could see it ocd related is because I'm so obsessive about it, but again I think most would be given a complete personality shift like this.
Further, that I’m basically living a lie, and that everyone around me would disown me for being a monster if they knew what was inside of me. I try to at least think of them, as a reason to stop, but it almost never helps.
Is there anyone else like this? Or that used to be like this? The tiny fragments of who I once was seem to be slipping away more each day, I never could have imagined becoming the type of person to believe/think this way. I try to fight against this but it’s a losing battle, all I feel is an urge/pull toward darkness. I really don’t know what to do anymore | OCD |
i hesitate bfr every good damn move
i hesitate which food i eat like for 30 min +
i hesitate to tell people things they should have heard long ago but i am pussy for now
i become coward when it comes to give some jerks a wrath | depression |
I want to tell stories with comics more than anything, I’ve tried telling stories with just words but it just doesn’t spark the creative love I have for art. But I just can’t sink my teeth into it, maybe it’s the ADHD, but it’s honestly like the more limitations I put on myself, the more likely that I can’t even finish a page.
I want to tell medium length stories, I like my stories wrapped up in a trilogy. There’s some that go way beyond that, but those are later on projects. However, I want to start small since I have little social media coverage, but by limiting myself, I lose all interest immediately.
For a while it’s been stressing me out and I’ve even told my followers I’m going on break for the rest of the month (honestly with how slowly they’ve been responding back, I probably lost them for now…). I thought I could ask for advice here since I’m on the spectrum. | aspergers |
There are plenty of horror stories about people who may have been asperger's/HFA being committed to facilities and administered brutal and debilitating treatment, or of people who didn't fit in or raised suspicion in their communities being burned/hanged/killed by stoning as suspected sorcerers and witches. Even today, people "on the spectrum" are likelier than most to find themselves in a real life "Monsters are Due on Maple Street" situation when cultural, political, or religious authorities decide to whip up a moral panic.
However, it's also pretty common to speculate that certain famous people or even some not-so-famous people might have been "on the spectrum" by today's readings: past artists, poets, monks, philosophers, storytellers, scribes, and scientists, whether famous or obscure, are occasionally read this way.
What type of situation do you think you would have been in? | aspergers |
My husband found out he was bipolar in March which had an spiraling effect on our lives , though I won’t go into details of what happened but it was very traumatic , I am struggling with my ptsd very badly. I don’t leave the house, my anxiety is horrible I’m gaining weight and I’m irritable, we can’t afford counseling rn so I’m looking for some help, can anyone give me some tips? | ptsd |
I have to make a 4 hr drive in a few days. I keep having what are either panic attacks or spontaneous highs and it’s making me very concerned to drive. Does anyone know if its even truly possible? I smoked a few times maybe 10ish days ago. Ive heard of phantom highs but I cant seem to find people who have strong/bad ones. Meditation and coping strategies seem to calm it down but sometimes feeling spacey lingers. I have been under a lot of stress which has triggered something like this in the past. I just dont want to put myself or anyone else at risk. | OCD |
My work hours rn are very weird and will be for a while. I work evenings through the weekend and have a half-weekend in the middle of the week. I call it that because it doesn’t truly feel like a weekend.
I also have a class I go to early AM twice a week which always messes up my sleep schedule since I often stay up late in general.
I have several important projects I’m working on… but I’m always afraid if I make a schedule I will become old and the next thing is death. I will loose my spontaneity.
Plus I am shit at scheudles.
Advice? | ADHD |
So I have schizoaffective and bpd and now ocd. Schizoaffective is enough stress already but the ocs makes it worse because I HEAR my intrusive thoughts. Any tips that you guys learned to cope? Thank you | OCD |
I stim quite a lot personally but it’s often like my whole body is shaking, obviously I can’t control it either. After doing it for a while, I get a bit of a headache, is this normal? Has anyone else here had this before? My stimming can sometimes be a bit aggressive, if that’s the right word for it, it also can be quite out of control at times, not painful but certainly uncomfortable. Thanks. | aspergers |
I suffered from HOCD from the age of 10-12/13 and i thought that was the end of it, i’ve had several severe OCD themes since then but lately i’ve been using THC for sleep. I’ve been doing this for months no problem then a few nights ago i smoked and started having HOCD thoughts and “fantasies” really wracked my brain but when i think of something HOCD to test wether it’s true or not, i sometimes get a groinal response and that worries me. I have nothing against Homosxual people, i just want to be straight so i hope this is OCD | OCD |
Believe me when I say I dont want to be rude to you. I do wish I could satisfy your need for eye contact and correct tone of voice and body language. I'm sorry you have to interact with such a rigid, awkward, cold human being. This is not something I want for you or anyone for that matter. I think just by being forced to walk by me and acknowledge that I exist I cause you to experience negative emotions. I actively make your day worse by existing in your presence.
When I walk up to you and you are standing right in the middle of the doorway having a conversation with someone, I try my best to be as tactful as I can so as to disturb you as little as possible. Its awful that anything I say always seems to sound quietly angry when I dont mean it to. So when I say "excuse me" in the nicest voice I can muster and you blatantly ignore my prescence, I don't get angry. I just stand there silently until you are done talking. I recieve your glare and the roll of your eyes with no response and try to continue on.
I know I am unpleasant and devoid of social grace. Its these little moments that remind me of this every so often and cause a brief trip outside for some fresh air and to swallow some tears and then I force myself back into the world I don't seem to belong in. | aspergers |
I’ve been dealing with OCD ever since I was a kid and recently started to try and combat/cope with the symptoms. It comes out in many ways, but the main thing recently has been an obsession with keeping my possessions as new and orderly as possible. It’s affected my ability to buy things, both online and in person as well as receive gifts. I have the fear that I will be able to get something with less flaws somewhere else if I don’t buy it now. And if I receive something damaged I have to return or replace the item to feel at peace, even if it’s a gift. It also prevents me from moving and lending objects and tends to result in obsessive checking. Does anyone have any good articles or advice to deal with this? I don’t know a good term for it so I haven’t found anything good on my own. I just want to be able to enjoy things again and not obsess over the flaws. | OCD |
I recently posted here about the success I've had with Adderall in my mid-30s, following fifteen years of prescriptions that didn't work. Now I have focus. Now I have ambitious but realistic goals that take time management into consideration.
My twenties were lost. I drifted for the entire decade. I keep thinking about how I could have a PhD by now, or several masters degrees, or 10,000+ hours of photography experience. Or a lucrative tech career. Or how I could have monetized my wildlife education efforts as a small business, if I'd been organized enough to really get into the nuts and bolts of content creation and marketing and how to draft a realistic business plan. I could have a house or a condo by now.
How do you mentally and emotionally find peace with your underperformance in the past? How do you talk about those lost years when people ask or wonder about why you're only now hitting your goals and accomplishing significant things in your late 20s or your 30s or 40s? (An interviewer might want to know. My work history is... not stellar.)
Adderall didn't give me superpowers. I still have bad habits and considerable issues with executive functioning, procrastination, and hyperfocusing on whatever catches my interest. Self-discipline is something I have to consciously practice on a daily basis. But life has become an order of magnitude easier.
I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts and your own stories and experiences. Even just reading a short "I can relate" comment from other members of this sub would make me feel a lot better. | ADHD |
Hey, so I have been in a bad place, been waiting weeks for a psychiatrist to take my referral from my family doctor, it's been hell. I have been on a few things venlafaxine, lorazepam, aripiprazole, olanzapine, and citalopram hydrobromide. None of them felt like they did anything positive for me, just wanting to know what any of you experienced that worked.
Edit: when I said help with it I just meant help you be able to feel better/ that you were able to tackle those intrusive thoughts. Currently I spend hours worrying if my friends hate me when I am triggered by them, I have stuff that helps me with the thoughts but it tends to come back soon after because my anxiety is still high | OCD |
I was triggered in class. I spent a year A YEAR in recovery from this fucking disease. I thought I was holding it together so well when my professor came to check in with me afterwards. I didn't think she would notice. But how can't you notice when I'm twitching like I do?
​
I'm upset. And angry. I don't know. I don't know if I can do this again.
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After crying in the bathroom, I skipped my next class and went to accommodations to ask for excused absences, extension of my deadline for projects and about bring my emotional support animal. Then, I came home, and have been binging Netflix for, like, 5.5 hours. I've had two white claws, half an edible, and ordered Mexican food - food that breaks the diet I'm on to manage my autoimmune symptoms. I haven't done any homework for tomorrow, and I have way too much.
I don't feel safe in my home. I don't feel safe in my head. I don't feel safe. I've been anxious, insecure, sad... and this, this just broke me. I just wanna give up, but I know I can't, and I hate that feeling. | ptsd |
Dear Reddit and ADHD comrades,
Anyone else have this thing where every single thing seems like a 50/50. Interests, personality traits, certain perspectives.
I cant wrap my head around it, few examples; I hate gaming because of how much time I put into it (which feels like wasted time). I also love gaming cause its a nice way to not be busy with my thoughts for a moment and let my creativity flow.
The part where this mainly bites me in the ass is work, I would love to make money, and to get good at a job. And I tend to confidently aim for jobs such as sales/recruiter. But I also always think I cant do it, the amount of stress it gives me beforehand is killing, and that same stress makes me feel burnt out within a week of work.
It seems like an infinite loophole I cant really break trough lol. I'm hoping for some good advice. | ADHD |
Hi just wondering does anyone drink alchohol while taking clomipramine? If so were you ok and how much do you drink generaly?
Only people who have done this answer please dont want any lectures :)
Thank you :) | OCD |
so i have discovered that i have a new trigger that gives me flashbacks and all that stuff. When ever i hear a sudden loud noise (balloon popping or doors being shut loudly for example) it triggers my ptsd however loud noises were never apart of my trauma and it's only a new development that i've recognised. i was diagnosed with ptsd late last year and only in the past two weeks i've developed this new trigger. could someone please explain why this is the case? loud noises were definitely not apart of my trauma so why is this a new trigger and why has it developed so late in the piece? | ptsd |
**tl;dr:** Contamination OCD—particularly as it pertains to COVID—dominates my life. My sense of normal precautions vs. compulsive behavior feels utterly warped. How can I learn to differentiate between contamination OCD and legitimate COVID fear?
For background, I have checking OCD and contamination OCD. Usually, I know when a thought is based in reality vs. OCD torturing me. It may be hard, but at least when my partner says, "You know the answer to that" as a response to my reassurance-seeking, I usually *do* really know, and it's just an exercise in accepting discomfort. ERP, yada yada.
But... so help me god, not so with COVID. I don't know enough about viruses to actually understand what's possible and what isn't possible in terms of virus spreading from object to object to object. Plus it's all been so politicized—like were we really ready to drop our mask mandates, or did my state's governor just want to escape his recall?—that I'm scared to trust anyone. It makes it really hard to place the line of what is okay and what isn't anywhere except the extreme. I have no idea how to fix this, because reading the news clearly isn't it. I'm vaccinated, but I feel just as scared as I did before. I don't know how to differentiate strong precautions from absurd compulsions.
I do know this isn't working for me. When I leave the house and see another human (or sometimes even when I just walk where someone else walked a few seconds ago), or if literally anything touches me, and certainly if I enter a building of any sort even for a moment, I dump my clothes in a quarantine pile or laundry and take a shower. I spend ages spraying things with alcohol, washing my hands if I touch something that touched something that may have touched something else, and panicking. My hands are often peeling, my hair looks horrible from all the over-shampooing, the house is a hot mess of quarantine piles, and I am constantly fatigued. The worst of it is that I'm scared to touch my partner until she showers (she doesn't do any of what I do when she comes home from the store or whatever). I know that's not reasonable- but I don't know how to stop. Every time I think I can try to expand the OCD-cage I'm living in, there is a new variant, or a spike in cases, or whatever it may be.
To make matters worse, I recently had to switch from 100% telepractice to much of my caseload being home visits (I work in a rehab field) so now I do my absurd shower routine DAILY. I am losing my mind. I just sit there after sessions and freak out in my car, pouring alcohol on everything, thinking about how long I will need to spend decontaminating until I feel clean enough to sit, eat, etc. when I get home. I am terrified of infecting my partner. I can't tolerate seeing my parents for fear that I would contaminate them. I've lost a ton of weight because I'm constantly too anxious to eat and am nearly underweight now. I barely sleep. I don't leave the house on weekends because it's the only time I ever feel safe. I waste nearly all my free time after work on my compulsions. I don't have a work-life balance. I have a work-OCD balance. OCD is my second full-time job.
I can't quit my job and try to find all telepractice because of licensure reasons, and I'm too junior to avoid in-person anyway. If I quit now, I'm basically throwing my graduate degree away. I already went into a specialty I didn't like as much because I was too scared to do a rotation at a hospital during COVID. I don't want to lose my whole career. I'm probably too overqualified to do anything else, anyway...
I feel so discouraged. I don't know what to do. Has anyone else also struggled with COVID-related OCD? And... even if not. Thank you for reading this. | OCD |
I’ve heard many times that people don’t like adderall bc it made them lose their personality. I was on TikTok a few weeks ago and someone said adderall made them laugh less. Then I got to thinking- it’s always bothered me how people laugh so easily, I feel like I never do unless I am by myself. I’m 30 and I’ve been on adderall for two years. I have a very long history of childhood trauma, abusive relationships, etc. so I’m just not sure if I don’t laugh because of the adderall since I can’t remember my personality before it or if it’s just my trauma history. I need the medication to function. Ive always had unstable emotions, ive yelled at coworkers, among other things that the adderall has helped with. I just can’t stop wondering if it ruined my personality | ADHD |
i’m just having really REALLY horrible thoughts, it’s one of the worst themes i have and it went away/quieted down for a while but now it’s back. i can’t even talk about what they are because it’s genuinely just bad and i can’t even bring myself to tell anyone, and it’s making it worse that i can’t directly talk about it. i also feel like i’m forcing myself to think these things and it’s like they aren’t completely intrusive which is also making this way worse. i don’t want to think these things but i am… on purpose?? like why?? i can’t even tell anymore
if i were to explain to what my thoughts are to anyone without OCD they would be absolutely disgusted by me, and i can’t stop thinking about that and it’s also making me feel so much worse
i don’t know what to do because i feel so disgusting and just horrible, i’ve turned into a monster like i just don’t know what i’ve become, i can’t even describe it i just really don’t know what to do with myself. i don’t deserve to feel happiness or empathy because i just feel like such a terrible person. and now i’m worried that this all sounds manipulative and me saying it sounds manipulative, ALSO SOUNDS MANIPULATIVE AND UGH. literally fuck this i can’t | OCD |
i just cannot fall asleep without keep thinking and worrying over certain traumatic events and just being anxious abt when theyll happen again. its bad throughout the day but it gets so much worse at night before i sleep so i keep distracting myself amd trying to get sleepy fast so i wont feel completely shtty again. its so hard and my problems keep consuming my thuoghts its so tiring im so mentally drained. | ptsd |
i’ve got hardcore panic issues. they’ve toned down, but it’s still at least one panic attack, lasting maybe six hours on average, per week.
i have major depression, with two suicide attempts under my belt,
and ADHD that’s increased in severity to the point that i can no longer actively pursue my profession.
i’ve been almost entirely useless for two years now.
i was prescribed Adderall for maybe about fourteen years before all of this fun stuff. i’m pretty sure i’m going to have to get back on it to—y’know—do anything.
i was wondering if anyone here had any experiences with it. | ptsd |
I've posted about this before somewhat but tl;dr I think I have a combination of SO-OCD and religious OCD (maybe not but the symptoms certainly sound like it). I know I'm gay and nothing can change that bit my mind is trying to convince me that it's possible to "change" that through conversion therapy, despite evidence of the contrary. I keep getting these "urges" to go the dark corners of the internet (and YouTube) to prove that it is possible. This seems very much like a compulsion but I've seen other people talk about how feeling like that just means your denying the truth (I don't think they have OCD and I wrote it off initially because of that, but you know, what if?)
What's the proper way to move forward with recovery? | OCD |
I'm about to open a channel on YouTube and I usually look away from the camera because I feel uncomfortable | aspergers |
Hello I really need help finding this website that I saw a while ago. I saw a TikTok on it and it really interested me, it's basically where you join a a video call with someone to do your chores, homework, or something that needs to be done while the other person on the call does the same. You don't even need to talk to the other person at all you can just have them on the background. You can even schedule appointments with people. I know it sounds a bit weird but having someone just being there *really* helps me with my chores. I tried googling it but it didn't understand what I was looking for. If you know the name of this website PLEASE let me know | ADHD |
Hey everyone! I hope that everyone is having an amazing day!
I wanted to share some quick points that have really helped me with my OCD. I’ve struggled with OCD for over 4 years. It’s been EXTREMELY debilitating, and discouraging. I’ve struggled with contamination and checking OCD. While it’s been a very challenging journey, I’ve recently noticed some BIG changes in my mood, attitude, and OCD in general. I’ve been much more successful with exposure therapy too!
There are several things that have really helped me to make significant progress recently, and I wanted to share them with all of you:
1) Practice exposure therapy consistently. I used to always practice exposure therapy, but I would do it in a more passive way. For example, I would try to resist compulsions whenever I would encounter one, instead of ACTIVELY practicing to reduce my behaviors every day. I have been practicing exposure therapy on my own for about 2 hours every day. For me, I can’t take a day off. For me, this is like a job. I put 100% effort into my exposure therapy every day, along with the exposure therapy that I work on with my therapist. This has EXTREMELY helped! Practice, Practice, Practice!
2) Patience: There have been MANY days when I felt that I have made no progress at all, or very little progress. For example, I know that there are many obsessions and compulsions that I still need to complete and master, but even when I have made SOME improvement, it sometimes has felt like it wasn’t that significant. That’s wrong!! Any practice or progress that you make is huge! Every day that you do your best is amazing! OCD is EXTREMELY debilitating and challenging. Unfortunately, it takes A LOT of work to defeat OCD. Always remember to recognize all your hard work, and remember to be patient. It takes a lot of time and practice to see improvement, but even a little improvement is big improvement!
3) Positivity: It can be VERY difficult to be positive when you’re dealing with OCD. Managing obsessions and compulsions can be very frustrating. There are some things that have helped me stay positive though. Here are some examples:
-Working out: I can’t emphasize how important this has been in my journey. When I workout, I feel very motivated, determined, and positive. I feel like my mood and attitude is much better, especially when working on exposure therapy.
-Reframe your thoughts. When you have a negative or discouraging thought, reframe the thought right away. You can do this in your mind, or write down the thought. Next, identify the core issue. Ask yourself questions such as “Why am I feeling this way?”, or “Why do I feel discouraged?” Then, change your thought into a positive one. For example, if you’re struggling with a thought such as “I’m not making any progress”, change the thought to something like “I feel like I haven’t been making progress lately, and it’s making me feel discouraged. Even though I haven’t seen huge progress, I know that I am working hard every day, and every day that I do my best, is significant progress”. Make sure to reframe your thoughts right away. Be proud of who you are, and your accomplishments!
4) Meditation, Journaling, and Reading: together, these have created a core foundation of structure in my life. Meditation has helped me to find clarity, and have some quiet time for myself. Journaling has helped me to express how I feel. I also like to write down how my mood is in the morning, afternoon, and evening! Reading has been really helpful too. I really like learning about new topics, and I really enjoy motivational and self improvement books. Reading also helps me to find ways to improve my life. It also gives me an opportunity to relax!
5) Talk about how you feel. Even if you aren’t in therapy, I think that it’s really important to find some people that you can talk to, such as family and friends. I am EXTREMELY grateful and privileged to have the opportunity to go to therapy, and have the best support from my family and friends.
6) Gratitude. Be thankful and grateful for everything!! Even though my OCD is still debilitating, I am so thankful to have such amazing people in my life. I am so thankful to see a lot of progress throughout my journey.
My journey with debilitating OCD has been extremely challenging. All mental health issues are challenging, debilitating, and frustrating. I have so much respect and compassion for everyone that struggles with any mental health issues. It’s a challenging journey for all of us, and we all have our own journey and timeline. Even though I’m not 100% better, I am so proud of my accomplishments. During the last several weeks, I am so happy to see big improvements. It feels like I’m getting my control back. Don’t let OCD control you. We all have the strength to improve and get better. Remember, every day that you do your best, you ARE making BIG improvement. I wanted to share this post with all of you, because I hope that my journey so far can help someone else. I believe in all of you! You are all amazing! Keep doing your best, and be proud of who you are, and what you have accomplished! | OCD |
I'm trying to understand PTSD better and have been doing much research. Some examples of what I have done and learnt are:
1. I have looked up medical websites for PTSD/CPTSD survivor stories.
2. I have talked in private with people who have PTSD.
3. I currently am reading a book on the topic, as well as a comic entitled, "Trauma is really strange", which gives a friendly crash course introduction on PTSD.
4. I have also looked up stigma on PTSD and I am making adjustments to my draft so as to avoid all the stereotypes.
Here are some examples of the knowledge I have acquired in my pursuit of research:
1. Most people don't react uniformly to the same trigger. A number of factors such as *mood, whether they are on medication, and even where they currently are,* affect their reaction.
2. How a panic attack feels like, as well as night terrors. I won't go into detail, however.
3. People do not have the same symptoms, People with PTSD are not usually violent, PTSD is NOT a sign of weakness, and about four other facts to PTSD stigmas/stereotypes.
4. Trauma is whatever overwhelms our ability to cope; PTSD is what happens when the trauma is so strong that our brain and body jump in to do something about it.
5. A piece of advice I have received from a friend with PTSD, in a nutshell: "There is no need to be overly clinical nor to explain everything."
6. PTSD is NOT just immediate, violent symptoms like flashbacks and panic attacks; there are more subtle symptoms, like an adverse effect on mood, screwed-up sleep cycles, etc.
**I've gotten a ton of help with getting a more in-depth, general understanding of PTSD, but I have this one specific question that I hope the wonderful people in this server can help me answer:**
**What happens *after* the following scenarios?**
**1. A flashback** ( I understand that flashbacks are experienced as emotions and sensations, so I would also like to know exactly what it feels like, if that's alright? )
**2. A panic attack**
**3. A flashback and panic attack combined** | ptsd |
Hi all.
Im very scared to reach out like this. I have always felt like I am just getting in the way by asking for help, or venting, or even just feeling lost so often. So I thought I'd finally reach out "into the beyond" and talk with others.
I dont even know where to begin here. I've been told to not rely on people and all my problems are my fault. And I know they aren't...but I've never had a support team to back me up... college was hard because I had such a strict work ethic built into me as a kid that I focused all on work, and I regret so much of my life. And I want to grow and become a better person. And I want to explore my sexuality and finally be confident. But I am stuck in the same environment as I was before, surrounded by the same people and surrounded by mistakes. And no one has tried reaching out to me, just to say hey, and I've been home for a month and a half. I've tried so many times to make plans and im either canceled on or they go home early... like I know im the problem, just tell me whats the problem and I'll fix it... but don't cancel on me and not talk to me... im a changed person... I've changed so much and was told how to be all my life...I DONT KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE...
I feel useless, helpless, hopeless. No I feel like (not in a narcissistic way, I promise) I'd be too much to handle for anyone to love or care for because I'm so broken... even the ancient Japanese technique of fixing pottery with gold wouldn't fix me...
Im sorry...this whole post is a bit everywhere... | depression |
Posted on r/ autism already but I find there’s more people on here w asd where as on r/ autism there’s a lot of family members. Just hoping to hear from anyone with both asd and ocd or people who thought they might also have ocd but turned out it was in fact just their asd. Was there anything that made you sure you had both or didn’t? I seem to have a lot of ocd symptoms but am worried it could just just be my autism. For example my food cannot touch, when I was younger I would have a meltdown now I get distressed and won’t eat it. This comes up in both asd and ocd so I don’t know how to differentiate. There’s other examples but I don’t want to go overboard as I often do so feel free to ask any questions. Just to be clear I am not asking for an ocd diagnosis which is why I didn’t post this in r/ ocd I’m just looking to here from others who relate as most information online is written by medical professionals (which can be very helpful) but autism (and ocd) isn’t the same in everyone and they tend to oversimplify or split people into two specific categories but as a female with asd I find a lot of information is more prevalent to autism in males. | aspergers |
I turnede 27 two weeks ago and I feel like a failure in life. I have nothing to show for my life. Some of the reasons I am so unsuccessful are ADHD-related but others are entirely my own fault. I only just moved out a year ago and haven't made much progress in furnishing the house because I am so poor at money management. The idea of budgeting just exhausts me. By the way, does anyone else get tired when they have to budget? Anyway, I am graduating this year after 5 long years in college (this is the school administration's fault, not ours as students) and I am working a shitty job that only allows me to pay my bills. I am so frustrated. My peers from middle school and high school are doing so much better at life. I feel like such a loser. 27 is so ancient. I am supposed to have my own house now or at least have a job that can allow me to even THINK of saving for a house someday. I feel so old. My family makes snarky bitchy remarks about how I've accomplished nothing. Any thoughts are welcome. | ADHD |
21F. On medication for OCD. I recently had a party where I was little tipsy. Not too much. Some of my friends were properly drunk. I am not really a dancer, but watching others dance really made me feel like it too. However, while dancing I was being super sexy, like shaking my butt alot, dancing with some of my guy friends and even shaking my butt at them (like grinding but there was lots of space between us). I am now scared that I assaulted one of them. | OCD |
So I’ve hungout with this guy a couple times and he told me his nose was really red and bothering him. It partly looked swollen. It hurt to touch and his eye was tearing by the end of the night involuntarily.
Basically he told me he popped a pimple in his nose. I started reading articles and I came across some discussing the “triangle of death” on the face. Essentially it allows for infection then the veins around form clots to contain infection which put pressure on brain leading to paralysis or even death. (Paraphrased from a few different articles)
Now I’ve convinced myself he’s going to die because of this and I’m panicking because it really didn’t seem good. I’m freaking out and basically ordered him to see doctor ASAP tomo | OCD |
Ok so backstory I am 15 and i have always struggled with trauma related issues and as had a lot of my close friends. So one evening i was with my friend on a call as they were having a very rough night and they were feeling suicidal, so they were venting to me. They then at some point pulled out a pistol (i think?) and just shot themselves in the face right in front of me. I don't know why and i feel so guilty i feel like i could have prevented it and it's hard to talk to anyone about it. I got a therapist and he had me diagnosed with PTSD but that didn't help a lot. I relive that moment constantly and it's getting harder and harder to keep going. i gess i jst needed a place to vent. | ptsd |
Pretty much what the title says. The mental health system in my country is absolute garbage and serves to traumatise you more than actually bother to help you. I literally had a therapist who wouldn’t call my OCD ‘OCD’, despite having an on paper diagnosis for it and displaying severe symptoms. When she assessed me for ADHD, she took my test and changed my answers because she thought I was exaggerating and was convinced that I was just looking for an excuse to get high. When the results came back marginally subclinical (because of course they did, when she literally took my test and changed my answers), she yielded and told me I had ‘mild’ adhd, but still wouldn’t get it written because she didn’t want to prescribe me meds.
Sorry, this is just a vent. I got a referral to an adult clinician from my GP a month ago, I’m just hoping to hear back soon. It’s just really frustrating knowing that I could have had access to the resources I needed by now if it wasn’t for my family denying the existence of mental health and the shitty therapist that was ascribed to me when I was 16 who kept pushing schematherapy for my OCD instead of treating me with ERP like she was supposed to. | ADHD |
Hi, i dont know if this is the right place to ask this but can someone please help me with a problem i have? My eyes feel hollow and i have really bad ocd and it affects how i feel and how i perceive things and it makes me feel bad and when it happens i dont enjoy watching anime or other things anymore. Its like my eyes are empty or hollow and i would really appreciate some help. It has affected my ocd in so many ways and if this isnt the right subreddit to ask in then please direct me to one if you can. Many thanks. | OCD |
I've done so many disgusting things in my life that I knew were wrong but did anyway, hundreds of times over the years. I hate the things I've done and who I am.
I hate thinking about the things I've done in life and the people I've hurt, pissed off, and scarred. I'm always scared these people will take revenge on me, but I don't blame them if they do. Quite frankly the world would be just a tiny bit better without me and I'm willing to make that sacrifice for the world. | depression |
I just started with therapy and medication, and my psychiatrist explained to me that the medication won’t show clear effects until a month or so and i was like: okay so im just gonna wait a little longer for it’s effects to come along. And so, I obviously started my treatment with the initiative of treating my adhd, however, and this week i got the sudden *urge* ( i think many of u can relate) to start random new stuff and this time i decided to start a Course certificate program of a company that would bring me hugeee CV experience, this course was supposed to be divided into 5weeks!!and as you can imagine i finished it literally in one and a half.
I got my certificate and im so happy :) but now i am so unsure if i should continue with my ADHD treatment. I want ur advice please:( | ADHD |
Hi there! I was recently diagnosed (finally) with ADHD in adulthood. Female, 29, all the signs were definitely there but I've developed so many effective (but exhausting) coping mechanisms to 'function' and fly under the radar.
I've started on 30mg of Vyvanse and I've found it incredibly helpful, still working through some of the side effects but overall I'm astounded at how easy 'basic' things have become that I would struggle with for months - I'm getting things done that have been sitting in corners for years.
I don't take Vyvanse everyday per my doctors recommendations, I try to take it 4-5 days max - depending on my schedule at work and my list of things to do at home. This last week I had a really busy week and lots of things (still so many things!) to get done, so I ended up taking the Vyvanse 6 days in a row. Yesterday, my first day off in almost a week, I forgot my keys at home and didn't realize until 9 hours later when I had to call my roomies to be let in. I also forgot my purse at the restaurant I was at, luckily remembered when I was just half a block away, but both these things are behaviors I thought I had managed to overcome with coping habits (obsessively running through my phone/keys/wallet/bag checklist every time I leave anywhere, etc.) I'm wondering if I got so used to not having to make the extra effort while on meds that my coping mechanisms I've developed are less of a habit now? Curious what other peoples experiences might be, if you got diagnosed later in life.
**The tl'dr** \- I'm curious if anyone has noticed their ADHD symptoms being worse than before they started meds on off-med days? Could have just been a chaotic day, but I'm curious what other people's experiences have been. Thanks! | ADHD |
I live in a townhome with my coworker, We have been living together for a few months now. I furnished pretty much the entire house and spared no expense in decorating since it would be easiest for me to make sure I felt at comfortable and at home and nothing would drive me to compulsions when it was out of place or didn’t match. I have pretty good neutral taste and definitely expensive taste, I get tons of compliments on my decor style from others. My roommate has added things from the start here and there (colorful fridge magnets, pink towels, additional things on the counter tops) and they truly make me feel very triggered. This morning before work I noticed she placed a blue and yellow plate on the counter under my utensils holder. I had recently decorated for fall and our black and white kitchen had neutral pumpkin theme but I generally keep our counter space clear of clutter or colors. This irked me to my core. It not only makes a clanking noise constantly but blue and yellow damask are not fall or a color scheme that matches our house. I can’t stop thinking about it and I am struggling to figure out how to get past this. My ocd tells me it can’t stay and I need to move it now. However doing so would certainly cause an argument. I don’t know how to explain to her my discomfort because In the past she has gotten defensive about things when I tell her how my skin crawls and I lose sleep when she changes things I meticulously decorated. Am I just trying to control her or do I have a good enough reason to bring it up to her to move it? | OCD |
So I have OCD and as a result, it can be impossible to do my schoolwork. I overthink assignments or get so lost in thought that can’t even begin them. The worst are opinion or research papers, I can’t form an opinion on anything because I have to consider every possible argument or circumstance. By the end of it, I can’t choose a side at all.
Another concern is attendance- some days I cannot leave my house or drive because I am so anxious or disturbed by my intrusive thoughts & I know there’s no way I can go to a crowded lecture and pretend to be ok. Sometimes class is too much for me because I get so lost in the lesson. I get wrapped up in hypotheticals and try to make sense of things that really shouldn’t be of concern. I’m always reminding myself that it’s not that deep and to just accept what the professor says without thinking about it too much.
My therapist and psychiatrist have both acknowledged that my struggles in school are a result of my OCD. I am in treatment and am working to find the right dose of meds. Used to be on Prozac but now on Zoloft. Currently working on upping my dose, I’m on week 4 of 75mg. My question is- are there academic accommodations I can receive for OCD? When looking it up I read that there are accommodations for students with ADHD but I didn’t see anything that suggested OCD is a valid “disability.” I think I could benefit from some of those same resources. I’ve tried explaining my OCD to my profs but it makes little sense to them. Once I say I have OCD it seems like they expect me to be the most organized and perfect student, which couldn’t be further from the truth. If I can’t receive accommodations, do you know of any other resources for OCD student success? | OCD |
I wanna see Spider-Man No Way Home, I can't see it until 2 weeks after release and I absolutely can't handle this. I NEED TO SEE THIS!
Advice people give me: "Just don't think about it, do something fun to pass the time until you can see it."
I CAN'T, IT HAS BEEN MY OBSESSION FOR MONTHS AND THE FACT THAT PEOPLE WILL TELL ME HOW AWESOME IT IS WHILE I HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET WILL BREAK ME.
yes I know it's just a week and 1 day but in my head it's 2 weeks
Thanks for reading my rant :) | ADHD |
I (25 years old, male) have lost interest in doing things and trying out new things in life. But I am also incredibly lonely and think a girlfriend might be able to make me feel better. I just want some intimacy and physical touch to make me feel more alive. I have found physical touch (even hugs) is very important to me, but I don't know many people I'm comfortable touching. It's like a catch 22, I want more physical interaction and a girlfriend, but I have no interest in normal activities. It is very difficult to have casual conversations with people when I feel like I have nothing to talk about and my mind just feels numb most of the time.
I think I need to do activities to have things to talk about with women, but I have no interest or motivation in doing things. I also haven't really dated in the past and feel like everyone is so far ahead of me. I feel stuck, while everyone else is moving ahead. | depression |
I develop method to change your mindseti n a minute
Tell yourself I am easy person i choose to laugh on things
is change the mindset in a minute and you dont react bad anymore to bad experience that happen to you.
if bad experience happen tell yourself this and see.
​ | ptsd |
I've been diagnosed with middle-severe depression and anxiety. I've been going to counseling sessions provided by the state. Its usually once a month. I've realized that I get tired of talking about my issues/anxieties every time with the counselor. Like sometimes, I do feel quite ok and manage to go about my work, but when I'm feeling a temporary high, I feel sadder to go to counseling sessions because it makes me depressed again. It's like I want to avoid getting help because talking about it makes me depressed. Does anyone else feel that way? And what do you do in such situations?
I really want to feel better but talking about it so often in therapy doesn't help me. | depression |
Backstory [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ptsd/comments/hk7d15/could_this_be_ptsd/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)
I've started seeing a therapist a few weeks ago after my mom witnessed a panic attack/ emotional flashback? When I was over at one of my aunt's house, my other aunt and uncle were there aswell and that triggered me a lot as they take care of the man who molested me. I wasn't expecting them at all and I started panicking and feeling very hopeless, scared, disgusted and I wanted to cry while my mom tried to calm me down. I'm pretty sure it was an emotional flashback. I have dreams about men doing things to me for a few nights after I get triggered really badly, but they usually disperse overtime.
I want to talk to my therapist about what had happened to me and how it's effecting me to finally free myself from that situation but I never said what happened to me outloud ever, it makes me very anxious and fearful. Even when people describe emotions like shame, disgust, fear etc in topics of sexual assult or rape I begin to feel very fearful, uncomfortable and tearful. I want to talk about it but I find it so hard to open up about it. | ptsd |
I suffer with OCD & anxiety, mainly.
I am currently on Clonazepam, but it feels very short acting for me. I’ve been prescribed Sertraline 25mg (and would probably split the tablet in half to begin with. It’s 11:45pm, the night before I do a 3+ hour drive and do some visiting of places. Do you think I’d be ok to take this amount and not suffer intolerable side effects that would affect my day? Or should I wait until I’m back home and not risk it? | OCD |
After months depressed with several anxiety during the day, the last month I decided that I don't want to live like this anymore. I'm tired of ruminating, anxiety hitting me hard, not being able to enjoy simple things in life.
I want to get my life back, or just create a new one for myself (and so should you). I don't care how hard it may be, I just want to do it.
I started to take care of myself (sleeping better, exercising, studying, eating better and exposing myself to my fears little by little).
Yes they may be baby steps but that's fine! Even when my brain tells me I'm unworthy and a terrible human being I still do it!
Even a little walk in the morning can change your mood, anything that makes you feel better, you should do it. Coming out of your comfort zone is key.
There is always a hope out the window, I want you all to tell me which things do u do thst make you feel better♡ | OCD |
So I’ve been struggling with this for a long time. I have contamination issues, and I’m afraid of fecal and trash germs. My sisters take care of me, and with my mental habits, it’s definitely difficult. I use tons of paper towels, antiviral wipes, hand soaps, water bill, etc.
I understand that taking care of me is NOT their responsibility, but they are the only ones that choose to do so. Aside from my bullshit intrusive thoughts, everything with our relationship is really healthy. When I use these materials, understandably they get upset, and I always make sure to apologize and if it’s something I can pay for, I do. (Save for the water bill as I don’t have a steady income source). However they always guilt me for it, and when I say something along the lines of “I can’t help it, I’ll pay for another if you would like” (it sounds like bullshit, but I’m sure many of you have felt this),they get an attitude with me and say some shit like: “you’re making excuses.” as if I’m bullshitting them and making this stupid fucking shit up. I’ve also had a heart to heart with one of my sisters about this, telling her that I’m trying, and even though no significant progress has SEEMED to have been made, I’m still trying to progress, and many things I struggled with I don’t anymore. She seemed to have understood, and I apologized, but today she said something similar after I used a lot of her soap and offered to replace it. New obsessions and methods and certain aspects of obsessions pop up and change often, so it’s very difficult to get a good hold on it.
I’ve also recently started going back to therapy to see if i can learn from what I’m doing wrong, and grow
Both of them claim to have “struggled” with ocd, but the only ocd symptom I’ve heard that sounds plausible from them is that one of my sisters used to check the door multiple times before bed (I used to do this too.)
We have been through many tragedies, losses, and doubts, so we’re all stressed out and very tired.
I DEFINITELY understand their anger, there is enough going on in all our lives, and they are taking on responsibilities they don’t need to take on my practically raising me. But I’m trying. I’m fucking trying, I apologize, I try to pay for what I can but it’s just never enough and idk how to cope. I can’t just cold turkey quit my obsessions, I’ll stress out so hard if something dosen’t feel right to me.
What do I do? I’m all ears, ANY suggestions are helpful. | OCD |
TW: POCD
Hi, there is something that I did that I’m really worried about. I have POCD along with other kinds of OCD and my biggest issue is that after months of having this theme again, my sexual responses (arousal) and the thoughts have paired together often. For example, I will get some intrusive thought about my theme and then I will feel arousal come in. I know that OCD can create this pairing in individuals so even real arousal occurs.
However, this happens constantly and I feel an arousal feeling at almost all times. Even if I’m not actively thinking of an intrusive thought the feeling still stays present. Sometimes I just want to get rid of the feeling or actually feel good by masturbating, so I do. But then I spiral and feel enormous guilt because I know oftentimes the moment I originally got aroused (even if I don’t actively masturbate to the thought) is when I had a POCD intrusive thought.
This has happened about three times so far, and I feel like I did something terrible I can’t take back. Worse, I feel like I already have a very repressed sexuality from a very religious upbringing and I’m worried that the only way I won’t be tinged with shame and actually to be able to enjoy my sexuality is to “accept my true nature” - which I’m really scared is actually pedophilia. I recently realized I was bisexual, which is how the thoughts came back after a couple years of not having them. I started wondering what if I’m latently a pdophile the same way it took me so long to realize I’m also attracted to women? And then the thoughts spiraled from there. Even now I feel like I have the arousal feeling and I want to masturbate to deal with it but the thought of doing so makes me anxious bc I know at one point earlier in my thoughts I had a POCD intrusive thought which caused me arousal.
Did I do something really bad by doing this? I feel like I did something awful I can’t take back and that’s it’s actually really bad and beyond OCD and shows I have an actual paraphilia problem :/ Does what I did count as me acting on them? | OCD |
In the worst
I don’t even know where to start, but I’ll just say that I recognize that I’ve been depressed most of my adult life.
It’s been a growing issue for years but I feel I’d going to now take a turn for the worst. I’ve been so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities that I have that I can’t even keep up anymore.
I have to juggle everything between my demanding job, graduate school, family relationships, and my partner. In each of these areas, there have been issues building up for quite some time now. It’s getting to the point where everything is incredibly tense everywhere I go.
There’s absolutely no escape from the constant stress that I feel. I can’t feel safe at work due to the EXTREMELY toxic workplace management and the long work hours I’m now going to be exposed to. Not to mention the large workload that keeps piling up to no end.
I don’t feel comfortable with my university’s complete unprofessionalism. I have had to teach myself everything I know about my field while balancing their unreasonably high course load. I am part of their first cohort, so they have been developing their program as we go along. Just as I thought I was about finished with my masters, I am one week away from graduating, but there has just been a terrible miscommunication that may prevent me from graduating after my years of hard work.
I honestly have no time to meet up with my friends, and I feel like I may have lost them. The time periods between us hanging out is getting longer and longer and even when we do meet up, things aren’t the same. We’re childhood friends who have been close for years, but I can feel myself drifting apart from them.
There has recently been a divide in my immediate family and I’m caught in the middle. My family dynamic that I grew up with is never going to be the same. It’s gotten to the point where I feel like I’m going to lose everyone involved. So After I leave a toxic the issues from work and school, I’m coming home to an incredibly tense and stressful home environment. I can’t even relax at home, I feel like I can never let my guard down. I’m always overthinking and over analyzing uncomfortable situations that I’m in, even with my own family in my own childhood home.
On top of that I recently lost my amazing grandfather, which has affected me deeply. Out of all the grandchildren, I was the closest to him by far. Losing one family member is tough, I can’t imagine losing anymore. My home life is about to be broken and I don’t know what I should do.
Then there is my relationship with my amazing partner, who usually does well to help me deal with issues. I love her more than anything and she has been incredibly supportive. But I keep on slipping up and making small mistakes, and I can tell they are adding up. They are leading to arguments and conversations that we normally wouldn’t need to have. On top of that, I can’t rely on her to manage my stress, it wouldn’t be right. I want to protect her from the negativity in my life, not expose it to her for her to deal with. That wouldn’t be fair. I feel it all adding up and can feel myself starting to lose her. I will be lost without her. I honestly don’t know what I would do if that happened.
I’ve been finding it incredibly hard to manage my emotions and keep everything contained. This has never been a problem for me before, I’ve always been a calm rational person, but now I can’t help it. I now get extremely overwhelmed with emotions that I don’t know what to do with. I’ve never had to deal with them before. I really am on the verge of having a complete meltdown and I feel like no one is noticing. I’ve been suffering with my mental health in silence for a while now and no one seems to notice it care at all. Not my family, friends, or anyone. No one ever reached out just to ask how I’ve been or if I’m ok. That alone would go a long way but I doubt it will ever happen.
I’ve always done things on my own and have been able to figure it out. But at this point, I don’t know if I can. I just can’t foresee a solution for any one of these in the near future. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel. My hands are completely tied for the moment, there’s nothing I can do to correct anything.
I just feel like life has me trapped and there’s no where for me to go. I feel like almost every aspect of my life is working against me and I don’t know what to do. I’m at a complete loss.
I’m starting to genuinely hate myself at this point. I am the absolute worst for letting myself get into this position. My past, self-confident self would be disgusted with who I am today. I’m not enjoying my life anymore. I’m a constant letdown to myself and others and I honestly feel like giving up. I keep on telling myself that this will get better but honestly I just can’t see it. | depression |
Super embarrassing, but soliciting advice. This month I was prescribed desvenlafxine and I went from crying every day to functioning normally almost immediately. It felt like it was a god send.
The meds wore off at night and I occasionally took it at night to not sink/yoyo. I looked today and I double dosed nearly a week’s worth.
From what I looked up, this is non addictive & it really helped me over the hump. What do I do? | depression |
Full disclosure: never been diagnosed for OCD but I have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder before and I've had symptoms of what feels like OCD around driving.
Has anyone had the experience where minutes after doing something, seconds even, you'll have completely forgotten whether or not you did something? I've had this happen to me a lot lately, where even if it's just been a few minutes after I've done something I have to go back and double check that I did it right. I'll have completely forgotten whether I did it right before and that allows the thought of, "Well what if you messed up??" to crawl in. | OCD |
19 years old, just joined this community. I have always felt different, not purposely choosing the opposite path or direction of my peers to piss people off or "stand out" but genuinely because that's what I wanted to do. Only in the past year of my life, have I realized the potential of me having autism through my relationships, interests, daily tasks, routine, and my hyper brain. I get it now, why I can become the best at something I do. At least, that is kind of cool. But of course, there are many things I must practice daily in order to maintain a well balanced state of mind, such as a morning routine with exercise, nature (engaging with the world), and meditation. Let me know if you relate. I want to get to know your personal stories. Let's talk! :) | aspergers |
I will try not to be specific so as not to trigger anyone. I'll speak in generalities.
I can still remember pretty much every gross thing I saw as a child and how it made me feel sick dread in the pit of my stomach, and took forever to diminish enough to be able to function again. My parents could comfort me to some extent but it was still tormenting. The things themselves, although icky, were not severe by most people's standards and most people would've gone "Ewww, gross" maybe, and gone on with their day. I was just extremely squeamish. It gradually became less powerful as I grew up, and tried not to let it bother me, and I suppose everyone gets somewhat desensitized or none of us would survive.
When I was very young I couldn't even deal with mild cartoon "violence" (we're talking Bugs Bunny!). In high school I got into Star Wars and sci-fi so I became less sensitized. By adulthood I could watch a spy thriller etc. Or classic horror but nothing extremely gory. I tried watching a show my friend liked about the FBI and serial killers but that was too dark, because it took the viewer inside twisted minds. So I kind of know my limits.
Although paradoxically, every now and then I'll get careless, and my curiosity will lead me to read some clickbait story of true crime online, or flip through a book at the library (my hometown had a notorious killer who was finally apprehended, so now and then a new book about him pops up). When I read something that is too much for me, I want to kick myself, because I know there's really no such thing as brain bleach, so then I just have to deal with the consequences of my own stupidity in reading the material, e.g., being haunted by knowledge of all the evil people are capable of, until the immediate memories fade enough. Which can take some time.
When I am drawn to read about horrible stuff, it seems to be a combination of morbid curiosity and genuine concern about the world and human suffering, along with a testing of my capacity to "handle" that sort of content. I generally don't handle it all that well. (Which is one reason I have philosophical disagreements with much of the premise of ERP, but that's a TED Talk for another day.)
What about you, fellow OCD sufferers? Were you an easily disturbed child? As an adult have you found any ways to get hold of brain bleach when you need some? | OCD |
Things aren't going well in therapy. I've done EMDR on several traumas. I'm struggling with flashbacks of one. Therapist says the EMDR should have worked.
I'm struggling with body image. I know I'm a healthy weight but I have so many feelings of wanting to be thinner. She told me to get some excersise dvds and do sit ups. I dont think thats helpful.
My depression has been extra bad lately. She tells me I should be happy because I have a good husband and a job with good benefits. I know I have those things. It doesnt stop me from being depressed.
I don't know if I need to be forward with her that lately she isnt helping . I dont even know how to do that. | ptsd |
Hi, I’m (32m) taking anti depressants for the first time. I’m about a month into trying new meds and idk how much more I can handle. My doctor had me on Paxil first and the drowsy side effects were too much to handle, so she moved me over to an SNRI Venlafaxine and I felt amazing. I was still a bit drowsy so she changed me to Lexapro. I’ve been on lexapro for 4 days and last night I had the worst panic attack of my life.
My question for you is, has anyone experienced rough transitions between drugs? I more-or-less just want to hear more stories about y’all’s experiences. My friends don’t take medication so I’m a bit in the dark here.
Also new to using Reddit, so please be nice. | depression |
What do I do right now? I want to work on some architecture renderings. I CAN'T. Why? Because there's no point in working on them since;
1. I'm starting a new job tomorrow.
2. It won't help me get a job in my field since none of my other renders have helped me get a job.
3. "Architecture firms don't want to see renderings they want to see your technical skill" Yea I know that and I DO show my technical skill but a client doesn't want to see the technical stuff.
4. I'm moving 8 hours away in April for school so it doesn't matter if I do get a job, I'll have to move away anyway.
So what should I do today instead? Chores? No they're done. Video games? No that's not productive, I don't feel like it. Watch a show? Same thing.
I hate this. Why do I HAVE to do something productive. Why do I have to feel like garbage if I'm not working on something or getting something accomplished. | ADHD |
I just returned from a weekend trip where I visited my girlfriend. I noticed I was getting more comfortable around her at her place, with her family, etc. That was causing me to slowly ruminate and spiral as far as ROCD.
But then, like clockwork, I always expect her to like make the most of an alone moment with me and I want to do sexy stuff. And I will get so achingly disappointed when I do. But then I feel angry with myself because sex is not everything and I don’t want to ask to do things in an instant where I know she’ll say no and then make her feel bad.
I’ve been sexually assaulted multiple times and I still struggle with what happened to me and the role I played. I don’t EVER want someone to feel coerced or forced with me, it’s not okay.
Basically, her adopted father was in the hospital (he just passed but this was before) and I got the vibe she may not want to with that going on. Completely understandable.
But then, it’s like I couldn’t help but notice she wasn’t touching me. I cried myself to sleep. The next morning we had a conversation and she finally told me no I don’t want to do things with him in the hospital and I got so rejected. But I also felt like such a fucking weird, perverted dumbass for even trying or getting emotional about it because of course she wouldn’t. So I took my hand away mid convo and I went to go shower and just get it together.
We didn’t talk for an hour and then she started to tell me how she feels. She was crying and raising her voice and told me “This is the second time you make me feel like shit for not wanting to have sex with you!” And I hate it.
I can’t stop replaying it. I don’t wish to be abusive. But I also don’t know what to do with her not communicating about our dry spells.
I don’t know if I’m severely traumatized from all my past experiences and only feel valued through sex. But I don’t want to waste her time, break her heart, or be a shit person.
Idk if I should end things. | OCD |
opinions on inpatient stuff? I;m not a danger to myself but feel my options closing in on me. Always had the impression inpatient treatment is too traumatic itself to be worth it. feeling like I need a total institution though. or to be in treatment for more than just therapy sessions. where the fuck do I go???? anybody try anything I don't know about? save this soul pls | depression |
I don't know what I'm worth. I barely have any friends, I hate myself to the max, my mom never cared about me until just recently, I never had a girlfriend, I've done terrible things in my childhood that has greatly affected me, I have social anxiety badly, everyone ignores me and no one acknowledges me and my father emotionally abuses me.
I don't know what too do with myself anymore, I feel worthless as a human being. What is wrong with me? | depression |
For several years now, one of the main OCD themes I've had is contamination. But I feel like the specific type of contamination OCD I have is rare because I can't seem to find anything about it specifically and it's way more complicated to try to treat than any of the several other OCD themes I've had in the past. It's basically about bodily fluids/substances, but it has nothing to do with a fear of illness. It's not even really about the specific substance itself. It's about sort of "personal" contamination. Basically it feels like I'm being violated by a person if I feel like I've gotten any of their bodily fluids or substances on me. This makes it nearly impossible for me to do exposures because it doesn't feel like I'm just facing a feeling of disgust or fear (not that that's easy either), but in my mind, doing exposures feels like allowing myself to be violated by people's gross bodily fluids and by the person themself. It feels degrading. I just can't bring myself to do things that feel personally violating and degrading to me, like I'm not just getting physically dirty or contaminated but am being personally violated by people's fluids getting on and in my body, almost like some kind of sexual assault or something. It only bothers me with men. I don't really understand why. How can I get myself to do these exposures? | OCD |
I have severe ptsd. Anyone find success while using weighted blankets for help with sleep/falling asleep? | ptsd |
fiction, nonfiction, are there any books that had a therapeutic effect on you ? | OCD |
My depression is such an amorphous thing. Usually it feels tired. Lately it’s been lonely. This week is felt like a heavy pressure weighing me down. I was depressed for so long that I didn’t remember or even know what it meant to not be. Then it went away. It was sudden. It was amazing. I felt content. It’s not even happy but just content. Like you can make it through the day and know that the next one is coming and it doesn’t feel like a chore to live. Then it creeped back in and with it came all my old coping mechanisms. I sleep. I eat. I sleep. I think about how nice it would be to not exist. To be free. But I haven’t forgotten that content exists and somehow it’s worse? Maybe it’s better? I’m not always sure. I’m hurt. I’m tired. I’m alone. Sometimes it feels like I don’t matter to anyone then I get a reminder that I’m an annoyance which is worse. I want to be okay again. Sometimes I think about killing myself. It’s a constant job hazard. It’s literally everywhere. Constantly advertised to us as an option and we pretend like it’s not. I haven’t thought about it in a while. I know it’s the stress. The stress is so heavy. I need to be stronger. The stress won’t just go away. How do I get stronger? Knowing that I am expected to be perfect but it’s impossible while still feeling that everyone else in my profession is perfect except me. | depression |
I know that it’s common for CBT to be ineffective for OCD or make the symptoms of it more severe, but I feel so stuck! there are no OCD therapists in my state and my insurance doesn’t cover NOCD or any out of state provider. The therapist I am seeing has little to no experience with treating OCD but she is doing the best she can to help me and she honestly has in a lot of ways with other mental health issues I have, I just feel like I’m failing myself bc I either let OCD rule my life or dissociate all the time bc at this point there’s no grey area to find where I could actually get proper treatment. Trying to combat my thoughts just makes me feel like I’m not all there, disassociating pretty much, and I’m honestly fed up that most therapists aren’t aware that CBT doesn’t help people with ocd in most cases. For me personally at least, asking me to learn to ignore my thoughts is like asking me to forget my arm is there, even if I’m not physically looking at it or thinking about it, I still know it’s there, and so no matter how consistent I am with it, I only feel like I’m ignoring the problem and not actually coping with it. | OCD |
I didn’t know how to succinctly put this in the title but it didn’t *just* trigger me, it also gave me a somewhat positive sense of like, solidarity in a way because I could relate to it.
I started listening to this true crime podcast about a camp for troubled teens and although I never went to one, there was a surprisingly lot of individual things that I could relate to in terms of my own traumas.
I have a lot of feelings about it, and my therapist is on maternity leave still until Sept 17 so I feel like I’m treading water kinda.
I didn’t know what to flair this because I don’t really know what I hope to get out of posting this. I just wanted to see what y’all had to say about it. | ptsd |
So IDK where to write this but here seemed like the right place. Lately I've been remembering something from when I was younger and I'm not sure why or how to make it stop. Basically, this is what happened.
When I was four, my dad had gone away for jury duty. The only people in the house where me (4), my brother (nearly 1) and my mom. We where going down the stairs when suddenly my mom slipped. She tossed my brother onto the landing so that he wouldn't fall. I was already halfway down the stairs and my mother crashed into me. My mom sort of cradled me while we fell and that combined with all her extra weight from having been pregnant sort of cushioned the fall for me. Except that my hand had been sticking out and hit each one of the little spokes that hold the railing up. We fell all the way down and crashed through a metal baby gate. My mom landed on her back on hardwood floor and couldn't get up. She couldn't even move. All the could do was talk. She made me run and get the phone and call 911. My mom helped me a bit with the call like telling me what our address was, but I did most of the call. Then we just sat there and waited until the paramedics arrived. My brother was still stuck at the top of the stairs. When the paramedics got to our house they brushed right past me and went to my mom. Then they told us I wasn't allowed into the ambulance. When we asked why they said that I was not "Seriously injured" and that I was a child and wasn't allowed on, which is absurd. Also spoiler alert I had twisted my wrist and opened the back of my head and it was bleeding. So then my mom made me go and call all of our relatives to see if they could come. We couldn't call my dad he was at jury duty, and nobody was picking up their phone. In the end my mom made me call my grandfather. She had been holding off on doing this since he worries and already has some health conditions and didn't want him to suffer from this. But nobody else was answering so we called him. The speed at which he came to our house is astronomical. My grandparents lived about 20 minutes away in light traffic and he got to our house in about 5. The paramedics took my mom and my grandfather stayed to watch us. Later that day, the hospital discharged my mom despite the fact that she *literally couldn't walk.* My grandfather wasn't satisfied so he took us to our family doctor. They found out I twisted my wrist and opened my head and they helped fix that. They also found out my mom had broken multiple ribs and could barely move.
Anyways thats what happened. Lately I've just been remembering it. Like I'll be doing something and I'll just think about it. This has never bothered me before. The most effect this had on my is that going downstairs is a bit scary and I have to go down slowly and hold onto something. But I was never just thinking about what happened. I don't really know what to do to make it stop and I'm kind of confused as to why it's happening. What should I do? | ptsd |
Do y’all have a need to always touch something? For example I always touch the side on my phone case rubbing my fingers against it or if I touch one thing with my right hand I have to touch the same thing with my left hand (or vice versa) | OCD |
Im 30. Been depressed on and off since i was about 12-13. Considered ending it multiple times. Tried therapy. Tried pills. Now its just alcohol to feel nothing. I actually have a good job. Decent life by all standards if you look at it from the outside. Idk why I feel this way. Maybe born with a defective mind. Cant see things ever getting better. Only worse. | depression |
I just got prescribed vyvanse/elvanse last week. Was put on 30mg and my doctor said that 30 would likely not benefit me much. Said very few of his patients feel like that dose is helpful.
He said to try 30mg for a week and if I don’t think it’s doing much, to take 60mg (2 pills) and see what that does.
I feel like its a bit extreme to be put on 60mg after a week???? Shouldn’t you up the dosage slowly? Like 30mg to 40 to 50 to 60? Or at least once between 30 and 60? Should I follow his advice? I’m afraid I’ll feel high or super anxious.
I’m a 20 year old female of average body weight and this is my first time on adhd meds. | ADHD |
So I’ve noticed I’ve asked family and friends a question and they say “what are you on about?”
When I think back I’ve realised.
I was thinking something and then asked a question as if my previous thoughts had been spoken out loud. Is this a common thing and what is it called? | aspergers |
Title says it, honestly.
I'm a smart person. And the reason I say it so bluntly is because it's huge for me to even be able to let myself say it at all. Ever since I've been very young I've been insecure, because consistently doing stupid things when you're supposed to be smart makes the stupid things you do define you more than they otherwise would. And I was undiagnosed, so I had no choice but to blame myself for every little way I let myself or other people down. I got so good at it, by high school I would flinch every time I managed to think something like "I'm smart" or "I did a good job" or anything good about myself at all. I hated thoughts like that because they felt like lies, and I hated being told I was smart because the first thought that came into my head was "if only you knew".
I have never once felt like a smart person. Simultaneously, I can never stop comparing myself to smart people who don't deal with what I do. It's more than a habit, it's a compulsion to have some kind of standard I can turn to as proof that I'm not the stupid person my OCD keeps telling me I am. I don't like doing it, but I *have* to.
The impetus for this blurb? I met a person who has my life goals and did the kind of early advanced stuff in high school I've always wanted to do, but never thought I could or even should try. But I couldn't stop comparing myself to this other person's achievements and thinking, "that should have been me" and that I'll never get that sort of chance to explore what I love at a young age because I couldn't even think coherently at times. I'm in college now, I shouldn't be stuck in that rut. It's just that I keep flashing back to high school and seeing my teachers' disappointed and confused faces when I couldn't perform or engage in class, and how I could have been so much more confident without ADHD. Things are somewhat better now that I'm diagnosed and medicated, but I still have moments when I'm reminded what I could've been, and what I won't be able to be because of some bad genes and some other bad luck.
I don't mean to wallow in self-pity, it's just one of those moods and I had to vent. I hope someone understands. | ADHD |
OCD is way more crippling-paralyzing-debilitating-petrifying than you could ever imagine, and you have no idea how much it is hurting you professionally because you feel like you don't deserve/need accommodations. You FUCKING DO, and SHAMELESSLY ASK FOR IT, every single time. | OCD |
I (40 M ) have been diagnosed with ADHD for a few months now but I feel that my doctor doesn't understand ADHD as much as most of us here. He has just put me on atomoxetine and I dont think it is working, although it showed some results initially. I need my executive dysfunctions to be fixed as I have struggled with it all through my life. Initially was treated for anxiety and depression for year and half although I had mentioned I believe I have ADHD. The diagnosis is not done on any test but the old school way of on on one communication and was told that the test is just for conveying info between two doctors. Now since a month and half he thinks I may also be bipolar and hence I am on four medicines now. My concern is that my executive dysfunction is not being treated. I have a feeling that if ADHD is treated almost everything else should fall in place. So need your help if I should find a new doctor or talk to the current one and what are the questions I need to get answered. I am losing my patience and contemplating whether I should continue the treatment. I have changed positively a lot since I started and have come a long way but somehow feel that I have lost the track.
Forgive me for my english as it is not my first language. | ADHD |
I have to take four different medications every day. I’ve missed doses a few times because it was too many steps to open four bottles, pour out the pills, take them, and close the bottles. I also constantly forget whether or not I actually took them that day, because I have the memory of a housefly.
Front-loading all the effort is so much easier, and if today’s box is empty, it’s concrete proof that I took my pills. | ADHD |
I've been meaning to use a notebook to write down what traumas I've endured just to get them out of my head. The thing is I feel almost like I'm doing something I'm not supposed to. As if I am over reacting to things in my past that "aren't a big deal" because thats what I've been told.. I'm so tired of keeping everything bottled up to the point I have a huge breakdown when unwanted memories flood in. It's like I'm reliving them over and over... The past two weeks have been hell mentally because something that happened in my childhood resurfaced to my memory and has traumatized me all over again. I've only managed to get a page in and I haven't even covered the first trauma I've endured. I'm thinking about just finding the right place to post instead of journaling on physical paper. I'm too afraid of it getting in the wrong person(s) hands and then being judged and misunderstood. | ptsd |
My psychiatrist was the only person I could talk to about everything. I can’t find any replacement near me and I’m just trying to hold it all together.. | ptsd |
I was diagnosed with OCD around 8 years ago. It’s been an uphill battle. Aside from the compulsive thoughts and obsessive behaviors, there is one phenomenon that sticks out: the meat thoughts.
I should probably clarify. Sometimes, when I zone out and start tapping my finger (an obsessive behavior), all I can think about is flesh. More so the idea of flesh than flesh as it exists in concrete reality. Does anyone else get the meat thoughts? | OCD |
when ever im having a flashback ill read something really disturbing or music that makes me feel horrible to dissociate more. how do i stop this habit? | ptsd |
Who else has noticed more creeps/predators preying on your vulnerabilities due to trauma?
Before I processed my trauma and realized I had PTSD, I would always put on a fake face and be really confident, positive and social around others in college (I was in my higher self a lot). I remember feeling like a lot of men respected me and it scared away many creeps and predators looking for an easier target. I mean yes, I still experienced creepiness but I also felt many were scared away because I was popular.
But after college, then i started facing the reality of my trauma and now 8 years later, I am allowing myself to "go crazy." Like I am not being fake with anyone. I allow myself to feel my different emotions in public, like being sad or angry at work. I've told people I have PTSD. I avoid people, eye contact, self isolating,
am not as confident and secure. One thing I have especially been noticing is I have been being creeped on more and I think it is because these predators can sense my vulnerabilities now more. They choose me because I am an easy target where they can get away with abusing me because no one will believe me since they think I am crazy.
I was harassed at a support group several months ago and I can't stop thinking about what happened. I was stuck in a room with men who sexualized me by getting boners, stared, leered at my legs and butt, then one stared at my legs, ran out of the room then creepily waiting for me while I was alone to walk me to my car and ask where I lived. At parties, men would touch my body at parties because they couldn't "help it." The last two times I was in the ER, the health care providers unnecessarily flicked my breasts while they put a strap on my arms for an EKG. The doctor sexually looked my body and legs. A male nurse leered at my body as I walked to and from the bathroom. While I was in school internships, I was sexually harassed by two leaders. One stalked me, leered at me, controlled me, intimidated me, wouldn't take no for an answer, and was angry whenever I spoke to men. The other one followed me around, became aroused around me, and told me I remind him of his wife and if he had another son, he would have him marry me. This creepiness from men has been happening all my life starting with my dad and I am tired of it. I don't even do my hair anymore, lost weight, wear baggy clothes and avoid men so I can avoid potential sexualization and creeps.
I spend most of my days dissociating and replaying traumatic memories. It has taken over my life. I feel so stuck and I am struggling to get out. I also think because I am so stuck in my trauma, my vibration is low and my victim mentality is attracting these predators.
Who else relates and has noticed more creeps have been coming out due to your vulnerabilities related to trauma? | ptsd |
I've been struggling now with depression for about 6 months. My doctor initially started me on Lexapro, which I didn't really respond to. My depression was making my performance at work progressively worse, and straining my relationship with my fiancee.
My doctor then decided to change me over to Effexor-XR. In the transition period, I took a couple of weeks off work, and spent most of the time intermittently crying all day long. With the help of my clinical psychologist, I've managed to repair my relationship with my fiancee a little in this time.
I'm feeling a little better as I slowly up my dosage of Effexor, but so far I'm finding taking on any activity to be extremely overwhelming. Often bringing me to the edge of tears as I struggle to find the motivation and emotional energy to put in any effort. What has helped other people pick up the pieces of your lives and slowly rebuild things? | depression |
While I was struggling with my OCD thoughts, I came up with an idea (a few days ago) that totally calmed my OCD. I asked it on Reddit if it can help, and the answers were: "Yeah, it can totally help" but I was not really aware of the real benefits of this strategy.
I called it "The Stopwatch Strategy" (I am not the only or first one who uses this strategy and I didn't know how to name it). It consists in turning on a stopwatch and simply avoid compulsions (mental and physical). I also suggest doing things you enjoy but not only. Also be present when you do them.
Every time you do reassurance, every time you interact with the thought, every time you do a physical compulsion, you stop the stopwatch and write down the amount of time you have resisted any compulsion (when I started this, a few days ago, it was usually about 10-30 minutes). That means I resisted mental & physical compulsions for about 10-30 minutes. I suggest you to do a graph so you can see your evolution. This will force you to beat your record every time (BUT DON'T CHEAT!). So I started this strategy 2 DAYS AGO, and from 10-30 minutes without compulsions I managed to get to 6-7 hours! And all of this in just 2 days (Yeah I know, it sounds like a TV Shopping Commercial).
I must mention that I have undiagnosed OCD but faced great obsessions in the last month, and I think this strategy is very helpful for everyone who wants to calm their OCD. Remember that every time you do a compulsion, your OCD becomes stronger. But every time you resist compulsions for hours, your OCD becomes weaker.
Hope this will help you.
EDIT: I managed to get to 10+ hours. | OCD |
Greetings my fellow Aspies.
Ever since I was a kid, I noticed I have exceptional imitation and language learning skills. Is anyone else able to relate? Namely, with the imitation of accents and ease of picking up foreign languages (at least easier than non-Aspies)?
My theory is that Aspies obsess over new words to nail down pronunciation (i.e., listening to the same word or phrase over and over again until you get it down perfectly). | aspergers |
My ocd is a prison and i am trapped inside my brain. I cannot escape | OCD |
My ocd has made me depressed, anxious and suicidal but I still somehow manage to hold on. I adopted a cat recently, and I already love him but one thing I never knew would happen, happened. He’s triggering my ocd too. Now I think I’d be better off dead so neither me or others will have to go through the trouble of dealing with my problems. My dreams my everything is ruined. I can’t function like a normal person. There was a time I wished things to get better but now I think the worst thing that could ever happen is this. I wish I didn’t have such an illness and I wish it upon noone. I would fix everything I just need this to be gone and I’m just venting here. I’ve got a lot of help but nothing ever helped anyway. I’m just wishing for the best now. And I don’t want to hold on anymore, I want to be dead. | OCD |
TW suicid*
The weather has been fantastic these last few weeks. Cloudless sky, sun shining, hot but not unbearable, and some nice breezes. Perfect for a relaxing day at the beach, right? So I went (technically was dragged along). Twice. Only it wasn't relaxing. I was screaming in my head the entire time.
For the past 3 years my life has been hell ruminating over things I did/thought as a teenager, and I feel as though I'm putting up a facade whenever I interact with people. Like I'm some awful criminal with terrible secrets I need to hide. I hate myself.
Logically, I know that what I did wasn't *that* bad, but I just can't convince myself. It doesn't work.
So I finally reached out for help. I started therapy and was diagnosed with OCD. The psychiatrist I saw put me on Zoloft. But now I'm 7 sessions in and nearly two weeks with the meds (on a relatively high dose), and nothing has changed.
Do I have any chance of overcoming this and why shouldn't I just give up?
Why not just hug my parents one last time then quietly end things?
I'd like to hear some success stories (specifically with real event OCD and dealing with your younger self). In case it's relevant, I'm male and in my early twenties.
Also, I don't want this post to cause anyone else to give up. So if this resonates with you and you haven't gotten help yet, please do so. Even if you feel like you don't deserve it or that you're a lost cause. Unsurprisingly, it really does the majority of people. And if you can't afford it, there are lots of good books and resources online. And talk things over with your family, even if it's difficult.
Thanks. | OCD |
Why did I help her , her name was LEO she was from China, she needed a ride so I kindly offered her one , after we stopped at petrol station to get some food she insisted on driving so I let her and 20 seconds into the highway she hits a six wheel truck cause guess what !! She wanted to commit suicide in that exact moment , and now 2 years later I just got diagnosed with ptsd because of the accident which I barely survived by the way after being in a comma for some time .
This is my story and I would love to hear yours especially any recovering cases , cause to me I'm absolutely not optimistic, my memory is really bad like its unbelievable., and I feel like I'm living in someone else's body and just watching his life . | ptsd |
I started telling people way back when I got my diagnosis, but quickly stopped doing it after many thought it meant I was retarded. Many also did jokes about me being autistic.
What is your approach towards letting others know? | aspergers |
My ocd got very bad after a traumatic event two years ago and gets worse when i am under huge amounts of stress. Can anyone relate with this ? | OCD |
I’ve been on 60mg of Prozac for 10+ years (21 years old, F) and I’m interested in tapering off of it. But I’m terrified that my entire personality and who I am will change. I’ve been on it for the better half of my life and my entire adulthood, and I’m scared that I have no idea who I am. I’m also terrified that my boyfriend may not love me for who I become when I’m off the Prozac. Does anyone have any experience here? | OCD |
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