Thank you very much for your help. I will be looking for a psychologist that does cbt. I will look at your links right now. Again, thanks very much.
Don't know if I ever shared this article with you but if not here it is:
http://www.wsps.info/index.php?catid=0:&id=82:ten-things-you-need-to-know-to-overcome-ocd&option=com_content&view=article
There are many medications out there for the treatment of OCD. What works for one person may not work for another so you may have to try a few if the first one doesn't work. I take medication and I can tell you unequivocally that it works. But CBT is a key component because medication does not take OCD away but rather it helps you to let go of things more easily. If you do have a moment of panic, you need to know how to deal with it. Controlled breathing is good because it gets your heart rate back down so that you can then use the other skills of CBT more effectively such as self-coaching. CBT is taught by a psychologist and medications are usually prescribed by psychiatrists.
In this day and age, there is really no reason to suffer with OCD. The person who suffers with OCD is the person who does not have the doctors readily available to them, i.e., live in different countries with socialized medicine where doctors are not readily available or they simply want reassurance without actually getting professional help.
You need to find a psychologist that teaches CBT for OCD. Ask before you see someone. At the same time, I'm sure they can refer you to a good psychiatrist as well for medication if they deem it necessary.
You have kids and so this therapy is not only for you but also for your children so that you can be able to take them out and not be worried. Going outside is a part of life that we cannot avoid. You don't want to project your fears onto them. As an example, my son was hit by a drunk driver this summer. Flipped him over in a convertible but he lived some how. Of course every time he goes out and drives we think "what if" or if he is late my husband wants to go looking for him but we have to step back and realize that this is unproductive behavior on our part. People drive every day and getting into accidents isn't something we can control. So we have to say WHATEVER and let the chips fall where they may. I can do this because I take medication for my OCD and I know CBT so if I do happen to panic for whatever reason, I know how to stop it and bring myself back to reality. So very important!
the combination of medicine + therapy is best , so go to a psychiatrist for medicines and learn cognitive behavior therapy from a ocd specialist rather than just learning breathing techniques, therapy directly hits on our obsessions while breathing techniques just relax ur body at that instant so cbt is the only long term solution.
Hi jfg
Thanks very much for your reply. I appreciate your time to responds. Do you know if there are actual medicines that help with ocd? Do you know a good? Also how do they help. When I seemed help they psychologist never offered me any treatment but just taught me breathing techniques. Is it possible to get over the fear of syringes through help?
What do you want me to say??? Of course I'm going to say get help because that is how any of us with OCD learn to live with it. If right now isn't the time for you to see a psychologist to get the proper help, then I suggest a few books.
Self-Coaching by Joseph Luciani
The OCD Workbook: Your Guide to Break Free of OCD
Brain Lock
I can't tell you what people carry around. Do drug addicts carry needles...sure probably because they can't afford to buy new ones every time they shoot up which is why IV drug use is a transmission mode of HIV. When is the last time you heard of someone getting HIV from being poked by a needle who wasn't a drug user?