Anxiety and OCD are my two evil stepsisters.
I have had Ocd and anxiety for as long as i can recall. when i was a child I wouldn't sleep, stay in bed, bed held or touched. I cried about everything and was withdrawn and suffering from panic attacks. Of course this was the late 70's early 80's, and so I was given the "she will grow out of it" treatment.
Not so. Inmy life, since the age of 7 i have seen many doctors specializing in mental health issues. Child psychologists (i was a compulsive thief) and, your run of the mill stuff. I had a nervous breakdown at the age of 17 because I was obsessing over the conditon of my skin, I had just developed Vitiligo at that time, and it was all I thought about. When i had the breakdown, I was hospitalized in teh Abbey J Lane here in Halifax NS, and that was when i was diagnosed with having OCD and GAD with acute panic attacks.
I have it under control, now...ostensibly. I take up to 4mgs of Lorazepam daily. I have tried every SSRI, one SSNI and a few antipsychotics and several other benzodiazapines...ativan is the only one that first off, doesn't make me feel drugged and sick due to short half life and the only medication that works at keeping the PANIC at bay, and to an extent the obsessive thinking, although not the compulsive behaviors. The anxiety is always there, low level. fine whatever. At least I can sleep thro the night, most nights
I return to the operative words: ostensibly under control. Could it be that my *mental health could be causing my colon issues? If so, what can I do? Have you any experience with this?