I'm going insane!

marisco_2

Do you drink or smoke? Alcohol temporarily reduces anxiety and worry, but it can cause anxiety symptoms as it wears off. Similarly, while it may seem that cigarettes are calming, nicotine is actually a powerful stimulant. Smoking leads to higher not lower levels of anxiety and OCD symptoms.

sausageandbeans

marisco wrote: »

Do you drink or smoke? Alcohol temporarily reduces anxiety and worry, but it can cause anxiety symptoms as it wears off. Similarly, while it may seem that cigarettes are calming, nicotine is actually a powerful stimulant. Smoking leads to higher not lower levels of anxiety and OCD symptoms.

I don't smoke. I also am not a heavy drinker.In fact I haven't drank for 3 months before tonight. Today however I had a pretty rough day and I've had a few drinks tonight. Maybe that's why I feel so open about it tonight.

sausageandbeans

Brenny wrote: »

I recently bought the Kindle version of "Introducing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. A Practical Guide by Elaine Foreman and Clair Pollard" to try and help my dgd who is on autistic spectrum. I think that someone who has the self awareness that you appear to have would find it very helpful.

I have just bought a book called Brainlock but I'm happy to try anything. I really hate all this.Thanks

marisco_2

This organisation www.mind.org.uk may be able to offer you lots of practical help and advice.

I am glad to read that you have a copy of the book Brain Lock, it is meant to be very good.

~Chameleon~

sausageandbeans wrote: »

I have just bought a book called Brainlock but I'm happy to try anything. I really hate all this.Thanks

I can recommend The Chimp Paradox.

LondonGal

Sorry, I thought I'd posted a reply, but it's not showing, I must have done something wrong.

I assume you have a Consultant Psychiatrist for the illness you've described. Have you ever seen a psychologist? They tend to be better with your type of illness, so it would be worth asking to see one if you haven't already. They will give you fairly swift access to practical help in terms of CBT and Mindfulness.

Sadly there is no quick fix, but these things will help you learn to live with the condition so it doesn't impact so badly on your daily life.

sausageandbeans

LondonGal wrote: »

Sorry, I thought I'd posted a reply, but it's not showing, I must have done something wrong.

I assume you have a Consultant Psychiatrist for the illness you've described. Have you ever seen a psychologist? They tend to be better with your type of illness, so it would be worth asking to see one if you haven't already. They will give you fairly swift access to practical help in terms of CBT and Mindfulness.

Sadly there is no quick fix, but these things will help you learn to live with the condition so it doesn't impact so badly on your daily life.

I've never seen either. A therapist. An outreach team when my doctor felt I was at risk and lots of pills and sleeping tablets. These fears even surface during the night - hence the sleeping tabs.

~Chameleon~

LondonGal wrote: »

Sorry, I thought I'd posted a reply, but it's not showing, I must have done something wrong.

Post #14 is yours.

ani*fan

Hi there

I'm sorry to hear about you problems. Just wanted to add my thoughts about OCD and ideas about what to do.

OCD is a way of managing stress. If you don't have other ways to manage, the human mind develops its own. This is true of us all.

Ironically, OCD makes things more stressful, for example if you're stressed about being late to an appointment but need to clean the sink 50 times before you leave the house, making you late. So when life gets more stressful, symptoms increase, which makes life stressful, and there you have a vicious circle.

Particular symptoms are different for everyone, and will likely start with a one off experience (OP's asbestos) that then develops into OCD. There is often a feeling that 'everything will be alright if...I just don't touch a gay person' or whatever.

Obviously the person suffering knows on some level that this makes no sense, many more straight people live with HIV than AIDS. Which is why, like yourself OP, you feel like you're going insane.

In the NHS, OCD is well understood and successfully treated. You are not insane, you've developed some not so helpful ways of managing in our crazy old world! Treatment can work but it's hard work and needs to happen alongside an increase in more healthy ways of managing stress.

From what you've said, it seems that nobody followed through your treatment. If something doesn't work, they need to try something else and your case holder should have been thinking about that. Not your fault, not theirs either, just sometimes things get a bit lost.

If I were you, I wouldn't try to figure out how to be a health professional or read a book and try to CBT myself. In my opinion, that's a nonsense when there are professionals out there. You just need to access them.

You can do that through your GP. Tell him or her that you're suffering from these symptoms and that you are not happy that being repeat medicated is solving your problems and that you need referral to a specialist. Describe all of your symptoms, everything, be honest. The more full a picture your specialist has once you're referred, the better.

Once you get referred, make your appointments a priority. Again, be honest. Describe everything and the impact is has on your life. Force them to take you seriously. You may not have to, but be ready anyway. And make sure they know you are in it for the long haul, or until you're better.

I wish you the very best of luck.

Violetta_2

I have a friend who has had a terrible time with his OCD ( makes me angry that some people think it's just about keeping things clean & tidy) he found the http://www.ocduk.org/ website useful.