OCD thoughts controlling my physical body reactions?

[imzachhh]

Okay, so I'm new here and I hope I'm posting this in the right place!

I went to the doctor in July thinking I had OCD and I was right, and I'm awaiting to be put on cognitive behavioural therapy (which is taking forever to do, in the meantime symptoms are getting worse) and lately, I'm beginning to think it's more than OCD. I'm starting to think I'm dealing with pstd also but I'm still not sure. I went through a traumatic experience earlier this year and ironically the 'OCD' came out after that.

So here's the problem:
I constantly feel like I am battling against my mind to stay happy and to stop thinking certain thoughts and I am isolating myself from people to stop them from triggering these thoughts. For example if someone coughs or even sniffs, it will trigger me to want to cough or sniff and then I can't shake off the thought for - sometimes - days. My body takes it to a physical level where I will even start producing excess saliva or snot (gross) and I can't stop it. I feel like my mind is controlling me and I can't escape; it's like my own mind is hell. Even the sound of doors slamming can trigger me to feel ridiculously angry, or heavy breathing can trigger these thoughts too and I feel like I'm going insane.

I've never felt so trapped in my life... How do I stop these thoughts that I just can't shake?

[tiredtina]

and to the forum. You are in the right place for this topic. It does take a while to get on these courses but I found CBT very helpful.

Firstly you are not alone. Is it possible that you are also suffering from depression or anxiety? If these feelings continue to bother you than I would make an appointment to go back to your GP and see what they suggest.

There is a lot of support available on here and I hope you find it very helpful.

Tina x

[Hipster]

Hi there,

Well done on taking the first hardest step - admitting there is something wrong and working towards getting treatment, hoorah!!

I think CBT will help as it helped me loads. It will teach you to reassess your thoughts as its the meaning you put to your thoughts that cause the trouble. ie. when you hear someone cough, you must be putting some sort of meaning to this that makes you think you need to cough too. The thoughts are the obsessional part and the behaviour (you coughing) is the compulsive part which is what makes it OCD.

You dont go into too much detail but it could be, for example, you hear someone else cough and you have an intrusive thought which might say 'if I dont cough now something bad will happen' (the obsession) so you cough (the compulsion) to reduce that anxiety. Please tell me if Im completely wrong by the way????!!
Though if this is the case, you just need to try (and this is VERY difficult) to ignore the thought as the more you reinforce it, the harder it will get.

Anyway I'll shut up now as I may be well off track but I hope it may help in some way....

[amathus]

Hi have a browse here : http://www.panic-and-anxiety-attacks...sive-thoughts/

qf.

[Dzahl]

imzachhh, I'm sorry to hear about your problem. Unfortunately I can't help you, but I'm interested in your situation.

HOW IT STARTED
I just recently learned that my little sister is suffering from similar conditions as those you describe and that is how i found your post. She is 18 and just moved away to uni. She has been doing extremely well in school, but also been very stressed for a long time. For a while she has been complaining about excess mucus in her throat, especially in the morning. After seeing a few doctors they found that she had dust mite allergies. With the diagnosis, I thought she would be alright and get that worry of what was causing it out of her mind. Finishing high school would also relieve some stress and boost her immune system. BUT IT DIDN'T END HERE.

THE PROBLEM
For a while she wanted to tell me about something that was bothering her but she never got around to it, so she wrote me instead and described the problem. For as long as she had had her physical symptoms of what seemed to be the allergies, she had also started noticing how people around her always cough A LOT. By a lot I mean to an extent that was driving her crazy inside. So abnormally much coughing that she actually thinks her presence is the cause of all the coughing, which makes her feel uneasy and lose self-confidence. She is even worried about going to lectures because she is afraid people might realize it is her fault that everyone is coughing.

I believe the combination of stress and allergies (especially before having been diagnosed) can have contributed to anxiety. But my worry is that it is not just anxiety, but perhaps OCD. I was thinking the irritation in her throat might be more than physical allergies. Perhaps compulsions. And hearing other people cough and thinking she is the cause of it are obsessions.

I haven't told her this because I'm afraid she might start worrying even more if she gets the thought into her head that she might have OCD. At least she has been to see a counselor at uni about her mental frustration. They suggested cognitive therapy, which I hope she will commence. The problem as of now is that she doesn't feel people are taking her problems seriously when they say that she is imagining things.

She is desperate to do something about it to make it stop. But right now I'm not sure how to proceed. Should I talk openly to her about what I think? Should I encourage her to go see a psychologist who can make the diagnosis without my influence?

[calypso]

Dzahl to the forum

I would suggest encouraging her to see the cognitive behavioural therapist. This is all down to faulty thoughts. We develop faulty beliefs in response to some fear or damage. They were only meant to work short time, but a lot of us don't get rid of them, and end up trapped by them. CBT can help with this. she is quite young, and what she is doing is 'magical thinking'. It is usual for children to do this, but sometimes older people slip into it. You know, if a little boy is angry with his dad, and wishes he would go away, and the dad then has an accident and is in hospital, the small boy thinks it was him. This is what your sister is doing. I am not sure if it is OCD, and personally I would not try to diagnose her.

Imzachh, I hope you can get the help you need. xx