help help; help

[Tanya1981]

I'm pretty sure I have OCD, but its getting out of control..... I;m 30 years old and have 3 kids, I clean from the time my feet hit the floor till I go to bed.  I will clean the same thing over and over and it never seems to be clean enought to be altho in my head I know it is. I count when I vacum (I have to go over areas 3 times each that's the only thing that I do as far as counting when doing something. I vacum probably 6 are 7 times a day.Isweep and mop 4 are 5 times a day, I dust twice a day and I loss count of how many times a day I wipe things down furniture, walles cabints etc. People always give very good compliments on how clean my house is to have 3 kids. But stilll I never think it is. You could give my whole house the white glove inpection and there would be NO dirt on the glove but yet I would still clean and think it was dirty. I stay in away better mood when everything is in order and clean (which to me is not that often), and if ANYTHING is out of order are not clean I feel way out of wack and very ill. But here in the last 4 months it has got WAY WAY  worse, we just bought our first house and Now cleanlng has took OVER MY LIFE, I spend more time cleaning then I do with my kids and husband. It is CONTROLING me~!!!!!! If I see something out of order are not clean I try to walk away and say Ill come back to it later but it gets to me so bad that Im right back at it within mintues. Its got to the point that it is very aggervating and I dont know what do to my husband has been  complaining that I dont spend enough time with the kids are him because of

[elpasolady]

JGF is correct. I would warn you though NOT to make an appt with a psychiatrist first, unless he or she does the CBT with exposure response ( or ritutal) prevention.  Most people trained in that area are therapists or psychologists.  Some of these people have a license to dispense medicine, IF needed.   Not everybody needs the medicine ( most cases it is an anit-depressant).  In my ever so humle opinion, if people can do it without the meds, it's better.  However, if meds are nescessay, than go for it.  The important thing is to get the OCD beast under control with no power over you anymore!
Hugs!

[JGF25]

Hi Tanya...I myself am an OCD sufferer.  It comes in many forms.  I am a checker, i.e., is the stove off, is the door locked, etc.  My sister is a handwasher because to her everything is dirty that you touch.  She won't walk barefoot in a hotel room.  OCD can take over, as it has done for you, and you defintiely need to seek outside help.  Yes there are medications that will help alleviate your symptoms of feeling out of whack and ill.  But more importantly I feel that OCD needs cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT); therefore, a therapist is also what you need.  Together with medication and CBT, you can get control of your life back.  You may not even need medication but just CBT.  Everyone is different.

When I turn off the stove or iron, I say to myself even outloud sometimes "the iron is off"  or "I have locked the door" and I don't allow myself to go back.  Sometimes I am in the car riding to work and I think "did I really turn off the iron?" and panic will shoot through me but then I try to remember back that I said "the iron is off" and the panic goes away.  This is all part of CBT.  

OCD is full of irrational thoughts.  When you think that you need to clean something again and again, try saying to yourself this is just my OCD talking.  I KNOW it is already clean and try to walk away.  

This is just a temporary fix however.  I hope that you see somebody soon because your life is out there waiting for you and YOU CAN ABSOLUTELY GET IT BACK with the right help.  

All my best from somebody who has walked in your shoes.  

[mammo]

Hi.  This is OCD and you need to seek help for it.  There are medications to control these urges to clean and clean.  It's tough on your family but even harder on you!  You are losing your  life to cleaning, and you don't want to miss a moment of your children, they will grow up and leave home so quickly.  This is easy to say to someone without OCD, so know I understand the seriousness of the problem.  Make an appointment with a psychiatrist so you can get help for this and get your life back.  So many suffer with OCD, so know you're not alone and there is so much help for you.  It is controlling you, so decide today to take back your life!  We're always here for you to share or just vent.  Now get going......you have a life to live!!!