Iloveturtles
01-29-2007, 10:35 AM
I cannot seem to get these OCD thoughts out of my head. My doctor has put me on a few different meds for it, but it doesn't seem to help. I have had major anxiety and panic attacks lately too (become very lightheaded/dizzy). I also suffer from depression as well. For the past four months or so, I have had irrational thoughts and they are really starting to bother me more than ever. I changed jobs in October 2006 and before that, I quit a job I was just hired at and became overwhelmed with it and quit on the spot (never did that before) and I was making great money. Since then, I feel like I am not important even though my co-workers say I am doing a great job, but I am making less pay. I am obsessing over the fact that I don't make near as much as when I worked at the other place and feel like I have let my bf down. I have been on Lamictal, Ativan, Zoloft, Anafranil, Ambien CR, and I am now on Serzone (x 3 weeks), Lamictal, Ativan and Ambien CR (as needed). Any suggestions on what I should do? I haven't seen my psychiatrist since October (due to health insurance reasons) and I see him tomorrow to go over my meds. I am so tired of feeling this way :dizzy: Also, are there any good books out there that are worth reading?
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seriousperson
01-31-2007, 12:46 AM
... Also, are there any good books out there that are worth reading?anything by Jonathan S. Abramowitz
ocdengineer
01-31-2007, 09:18 AM
"Brainlock" and "Stop Obsessing". Also anything you can find on the i-net for Buddhist Mindfullness Meditation.
BadMalibu
01-31-2007, 04:00 PM
Turtles-
Well, as I tell anyone here, medication is not a cure for OCD. Medications can take away some of the symptoms, but with any SSRI or anti-depressant there are alot of undesirable side effects. You can be on numerous medications and still have symptoms. Why? Well in my opinion, OCD has to do with the way we respond, react, and deal with conflict, stress, and anger, all things that make us feel like were not in control of our lives.
You said that you have seen a Psychiatrist once, and that would lead me to believe that's part of the problem. All a Psychiatrist is going to do is tell you that you have repressed memories from when you were a child of some horrible even that you can't remember, give you an anti-depressant, and tell you to come back in 6 months. What you need is called CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and this type of therapy is practiced by Psychologists. This form of therapy works on re-training your brain to think in a different way than it does now.
CBT first deals with getting to the root of the problem, then once you figure out what is bothering you and where these thoughts come from, you can work on different strategies to control and illiminate the thoughts or compulsions.
Perfect example, one of the things you mentioned in your post was:
I changed jobs in October 2006 and before that, I quit a job I was just hired at and became overwhelmed with it and quit on the spot (never did that before) and I was making great money. Since then, I feel like I am not important even though my co-workers say I am doing a great job...
That's enough to stress anyone out and create anxiety. And when anxiety is created through stress or change, we try to get rid of it. And how do we get rid of it? We distract ourselves with compuslive acts that take up so much time, that we don't have time to think about anything else. It's like a video game, it takes our mind off of what's really bothering us. You quit on the spot. Why? Probably becuase you were so anxious, and the only way you could get the anxiety to stop was to just up and leave. I know because I've done the exact same thing. People tend to run away from things that make us uncomfortable.
The best bet as of today is good CBT in conjunction with a light dose of medications.:D
Well, as I tell anyone here, medication is not a cure for OCD. Medications can take away some of the symptoms, but with any SSRI or anti-depressant there are alot of undesirable side effects. You can be on numerous medications and still have symptoms. Why? Well in my opinion, OCD has to do with the way we respond, react, and deal with conflict, stress, and anger, all things that make us feel like were not in control of our lives.
You said that you have seen a Psychiatrist once, and that would lead me to believe that's part of the problem. All a Psychiatrist is going to do is tell you that you have repressed memories from when you were a child of some horrible even that you can't remember, give you an anti-depressant, and tell you to come back in 6 months. What you need is called CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and this type of therapy is practiced by Psychologists. This form of therapy works on re-training your brain to think in a different way than it does now.
CBT first deals with getting to the root of the problem, then once you figure out what is bothering you and where these thoughts come from, you can work on different strategies to control and illiminate the thoughts or compulsions.
Perfect example, one of the things you mentioned in your post was:
I changed jobs in October 2006 and before that, I quit a job I was just hired at and became overwhelmed with it and quit on the spot (never did that before) and I was making great money. Since then, I feel like I am not important even though my co-workers say I am doing a great job...
That's enough to stress anyone out and create anxiety. And when anxiety is created through stress or change, we try to get rid of it. And how do we get rid of it? We distract ourselves with compuslive acts that take up so much time, that we don't have time to think about anything else. It's like a video game, it takes our mind off of what's really bothering us. You quit on the spot. Why? Probably becuase you were so anxious, and the only way you could get the anxiety to stop was to just up and leave. I know because I've done the exact same thing. People tend to run away from things that make us uncomfortable.
The best bet as of today is good CBT in conjunction with a light dose of medications.:D