OBSESSING Over Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
May 10 '03
The Bottom Line You DO NOT have to suffer with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Try this one on for size. Picture, if you will, getting angry with your boss or having a fight with your significant other. You suddenly find yourself getting angrier and more disturbed as each moment passes. Your fists clench, your teeth grind, your brows are tightly knitted. You cannot seem to stop thinking about the hurtful words that your unappreciative boss or your ungrateful partner has said to you. You keep thinking about it and seem to keep reliving the conversation over and over again.
Now, consider that this argument occurred over a week ago!
Hmmm, what do you do? Well, hopefully there are friends or family members willing to lend you an ear. This type of support is often necessary and you are so grateful for these people who are willing to hear you out. Sometimes, you are not looking for advice or suggestions. You simply need to vent.
But, after a week has passed, you are still belaboring the issue and still talking incessantly about the details of the same event to your support group as if it just happened this morning! Some of your friends begin losing patience with you and cannot understand why you simply cannot move on and get over it.
Well, the reality is that you are like millions of people who have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The intrusive thoughts are never ending for you. Things that used to give you pleasure no longer do. While taking a shower, a place where you are usually relaxing, cleansing your body and your spirit, your mind is whirling around with thoughts of your boss and her harsh words! Or, as you fall off to sleep, you are still dwelling on ”The Event” that has now taken over your life! When you awake in the morning, your first thoughts seem to immediately have The Incident in them. So begins anew another day of battling. Now what will you do?
You go shopping! Telling yourself that you need a simple and fun diversion, you head to your local mall to purchase a new pair of jeans or perhaps some new music CDs.
$300 later, you exit the mall lugging a multitude of useless items purchased because they were on sale! Yet, you know full well that the aardvark paper weight will end up thrown in a junk drawer and that multi-colored striped tee shirt will never adorn your body. So, then, why did you buy all of that crap? You probably have uncontrollable compulsions to keep performing acts that make no sense to anyone but you.
Like the time that you agreed to drive your brother to his medical doctor’s appointment but you caused him to be thirty minutes late because you felt the uncontrollable need to check the kitchen stove ten or more times to be sure that it was turned off!
Or, how about the allure to check and recheck the air pressure in your car tires to be sure that they have enough air in them. How often do you perform these repetitive acts that only you feel compelled to do?
This is what living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is like for those who suffer with it.
My personal journey dealing with OCD, as it is lovingly referred to, has been a long and sometimes difficult one. Early on, I had no idea why I did the insane repetitive actions. Or why I simply could not let everyday minor occurrences roll off of my back the way that other “normal” people did.
Thankfully, having a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder gave me a starting point towards recovery. Am I happy that I have OCD? Of course not! But, for the first time since being diagnosed, I was able to say out loud, “I’m NOT crazy! There is a valid reason why I do these things and now I can get the help that I need!”
Just imagine how freeing this was for me.
What did I do and how am I living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? I am so glad that you asked . Folks who suffer with OCD, DO NOT HAVE TO SUFFER! There are various treatments for OCD and all one has to do is seek out help.
Therapy with a psychologist or sociologist definitely helps. Oftentimes, it is the independent objective listener who is best able to offer simple techniques to aid you as you begin to re-think how you think….and act. A therapist trained in dealing with OCD patients is suggested. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one such technique with proven results.
Visit with your neighborhood psychiatrist. I am very serious here. A psychiatrist is licensed and experienced in the practice of diagnosing and treating mental disorders. He will be able to offer medical information on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He may prescribe medications that will help with the intrusive thoughts and repetitive actions.
Many people are troubled by the thought of seeing a psychiatrist due to stigmas still associated with it. Get over it! This is your life and medications do help with OCD by working on the neuron transmitters in the brain.
Improvement usually takes at least three weeks or longer on SRI's (Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors.) Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which is involved in many behaviors like depression, OCD, hunger, and sleep. Many times OCD sufferers have insomnia and additional medications can and do help in this area. I have had the best sleep since beginning my medication regimen.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is nothing to feel ashamed about or feel guilty over. It is a medical condition that is easily explainable to your friends, family and co-workers (especially your boss or loving partner).
I am doing very well today living with OCD. Combinations of prescribed medications, psychotherapy and behavior modifications have greatly reduced the obsessive self-defeating thinking that used to plague me and disturb my sleep and serenity. My compulsive behaviors are much less and I continue to deal with my shopping compulsion on a daily basis. Today, I am not a pack rat!
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and by writing this essay I hope to have shed some light on a misunderstood disorder known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. As with all aspects of my life, prayer and meditation along with positive self-talk are the keys to a happier life.
So, stop obsessing! If you think you may have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, get some help!
And tell ‘em, Mimi sent ya!
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Member: Miriam Jacobs
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