Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Support Group
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder, more specifically, an anxiety disorder. OCD is manifested in a variety of forms, but is most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive (repetitive, distressing, intrusive) thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or rituals) which attempt to neutralize the obsessions.
Hello, I am writing to say how I have been doing the last three and a half months. First of all, I would like to apologize for not writing in a long time. My life has been really busy and hectic. The last time, I wrote, I was going to a psychiatric hospital day program at a psychiatric hospital called Fairfax. Everything was going well, until one day in November when I started having repetitive death thoughts, that kept reffering to an object on the side yard behind the day program building. The thoughts kept telling me to hurt or kill myself over and over again. The thoughts were making feel horrible. I could not get the thoughts to shutup and leave me alone.
I was also having and still have difficulty with some bathroom rituals-(pushing, grunting, counting and noisemaking on the toilet.) I was and still am extremely tired of this ridicolous OCD behavior that has no point to it, all it does is hurt me internally, even though my fear is that I will pee on myself. There also was and still is excessive toilet paper use, checking to see if the toilet was flushed more than once and excessive handwashing, soap use,long showers and baths, excessive shampoo and conditioner use. I do my best to use my logical mind even though my OCD always seems to take over. The OCD is very frustrating for me and my family.
The OCD thoughts, habits and death thoughts were getting worser each day. My anxiety was terrible, thought like I was dying. One Thursday after day program classes were finished for the day: The registered nurse practitioner and the therapist talked to me and we came to an agreement that it would be best for me to be admitted as an inpatient. That night my parents helped me prepare for my inpatient stay. The next day after the day program, the ARNP wished me goodluck and to feel better soon. The therapist took me over to the register at Fairfax Hospital.
She helped me fill out the registration papers and afterwards
took me over to my temprorary South Unit. The nurses and staff were kind and supportive. Some of the patients I met were kind and friendly,
others were loud and often had anger or sadness for the South Unit was for Depression,Alcohol and Drug Detox. I just remember it being
very loud and noisy. I did not like so much background noise. I remember meeting the psychiatrist. First of all, he was not my regular psychiatrist. This psychiatrist was straightforward and serious yet understanding and kind. The first time, I had some difficulty understanding. The next day, in the late afternoon is when I left the South Unit for the Central Unit which is more specifically for Anxiety Disorders and Depression. The nurses and staff were also thoughtful, supportive and understanding. The patients there were kind and easygoing as well as friendly. I liked the Central Unit much better than the South Unit. He helped me get some control of the OCD, as in the fear of the unknown object went away and the repetitive death and hurting myself thoughts went away. For Medication, he upped my dose of Zoloft to 250mg.
The only thing I was still working on was to mainly to stop doing the toilet rituals and the other bathroom rituals were somewhat reduced, except for the long showers and soap/shampoo and conditioner use. The only thing that came to mind about him, that was negative is being arrogant. The one friday, I finally went home, was the week the psychiatrist was on vacation. A registered nurse practitioner,
gave me my discharge medications the Zoloft 250 mg and a med called Clonazepam, more commonly called Klonopin for severe anxiety, 0.5 mg.
That day, my parents came and with the charge nurse, forgot her name, went through and helped fill out discharge papers. After all the discharge papers were filled out, my parents and me left with my luggage. It was very strange walking into the lobby, down the hall and out of the hospital, like walking out of a different world and back to normal reality. Even, when arriving and walking into my family's house, was like deja vu. It took some definite time to get reacclimated.
I went back to the day program for a week, to help give me support
through transistioning from inpatient to a normal life. At the end of
the week, on a friday I was discharged from the day program. After that, I went back to the classes at the community mental health center.
The classes I was going to were Wellness, which no longer exists
because the instructor left the community mental health center for another job. I am still going to the Art Therapy Class which I enjoy and
lets me express my creativity. I've been artist most of my life.
I just finished a 6 week class called Enterprise which is class about discovering who you are and what kind of job you would good, using some of your resume words and skills. Yesterday 2/10, I started another new class called DBT-Dialectical Behavior Therapy which is about learning tools and skills to empower myself and be as effective as I can be in my life. Dialectics are the art of holding 2 or more things in balance that are in conflict,contrary or mismatched and yet they are both real or true. I already have a meditation homework
excercise that I have to do 4 times a day for the next week.
I have seen my psychologist more than a couple times since I've been out of the hospital and my regular psychiatrist. I'm seeing my psychiatrist next week 2/15. My OCD obsessions and compulsions have been very troublesome and difficult. I've been trying to do my best to fight the OCD, though it's hard when my life has been stressful I hope that the rest of February will be more calm and not so busy, even though next week I have some Dr appts. I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day and a wonderful rest of February. I'll write more often, I'm hoping monthly.
Take care,
Silkroad
I was also having and still have difficulty with some bathroom rituals-(pushing, grunting, counting and noisemaking on the toilet.) I was and still am extremely tired of this ridicolous OCD behavior that has no point to it, all it does is hurt me internally, even though my fear is that I will pee on myself. There also was and still is excessive toilet paper use, checking to see if the toilet was flushed more than once and excessive handwashing, soap use,long showers and baths, excessive shampoo and conditioner use. I do my best to use my logical mind even though my OCD always seems to take over. The OCD is very frustrating for me and my family.
The OCD thoughts, habits and death thoughts were getting worser each day. My anxiety was terrible, thought like I was dying. One Thursday after day program classes were finished for the day: The registered nurse practitioner and the therapist talked to me and we came to an agreement that it would be best for me to be admitted as an inpatient. That night my parents helped me prepare for my inpatient stay. The next day after the day program, the ARNP wished me goodluck and to feel better soon. The therapist took me over to the register at Fairfax Hospital.
She helped me fill out the registration papers and afterwards
took me over to my temprorary South Unit. The nurses and staff were kind and supportive. Some of the patients I met were kind and friendly,
others were loud and often had anger or sadness for the South Unit was for Depression,Alcohol and Drug Detox. I just remember it being
very loud and noisy. I did not like so much background noise. I remember meeting the psychiatrist. First of all, he was not my regular psychiatrist. This psychiatrist was straightforward and serious yet understanding and kind. The first time, I had some difficulty understanding. The next day, in the late afternoon is when I left the South Unit for the Central Unit which is more specifically for Anxiety Disorders and Depression. The nurses and staff were also thoughtful, supportive and understanding. The patients there were kind and easygoing as well as friendly. I liked the Central Unit much better than the South Unit. He helped me get some control of the OCD, as in the fear of the unknown object went away and the repetitive death and hurting myself thoughts went away. For Medication, he upped my dose of Zoloft to 250mg.
The only thing I was still working on was to mainly to stop doing the toilet rituals and the other bathroom rituals were somewhat reduced, except for the long showers and soap/shampoo and conditioner use. The only thing that came to mind about him, that was negative is being arrogant. The one friday, I finally went home, was the week the psychiatrist was on vacation. A registered nurse practitioner,
gave me my discharge medications the Zoloft 250 mg and a med called Clonazepam, more commonly called Klonopin for severe anxiety, 0.5 mg.
That day, my parents came and with the charge nurse, forgot her name, went through and helped fill out discharge papers. After all the discharge papers were filled out, my parents and me left with my luggage. It was very strange walking into the lobby, down the hall and out of the hospital, like walking out of a different world and back to normal reality. Even, when arriving and walking into my family's house, was like deja vu. It took some definite time to get reacclimated.
I went back to the day program for a week, to help give me support
through transistioning from inpatient to a normal life. At the end of
the week, on a friday I was discharged from the day program. After that, I went back to the classes at the community mental health center.
The classes I was going to were Wellness, which no longer exists
because the instructor left the community mental health center for another job. I am still going to the Art Therapy Class which I enjoy and
lets me express my creativity. I've been artist most of my life.
I just finished a 6 week class called Enterprise which is class about discovering who you are and what kind of job you would good, using some of your resume words and skills. Yesterday 2/10, I started another new class called DBT-Dialectical Behavior Therapy which is about learning tools and skills to empower myself and be as effective as I can be in my life. Dialectics are the art of holding 2 or more things in balance that are in conflict,contrary or mismatched and yet they are both real or true. I already have a meditation homework
excercise that I have to do 4 times a day for the next week.
I have seen my psychologist more than a couple times since I've been out of the hospital and my regular psychiatrist. I'm seeing my psychiatrist next week 2/15. My OCD obsessions and compulsions have been very troublesome and difficult. I've been trying to do my best to fight the OCD, though it's hard when my life has been stressful I hope that the rest of February will be more calm and not so busy, even though next week I have some Dr appts. I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day and a wonderful rest of February. I'll write more often, I'm hoping monthly.
Take care,
Silkroad
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