How do I get over OCD?
468656
Buy two kittens and watch them play....or take up multiple hobbies to keep your mind active and alive.  Drugs may be out there to "help" but they also cause side-effects that are less than desirable.  Find ways to embrace the OCD in you by keeping busy!  :)
852682
If your therapist is good, he/she will keep working with you and work even harder because of the setbacks. Don't feel bad or hopeless because the 4 sessions haven't worked. I have bipolar disorder type I and OCD. My therapist recommended that I wear a rubber band around my wrist and everytime I get the urge to do one of my "rituals," pop the rubber band. This sends a pain signal to the brain, which helps to block the obsessive thinking. Don't worry. OCD is very hard to overcome and may never go away completely, but with the right medications and therapy, it can be tolerable. Good luck to you and hang in there. Don't give up. Hope this helps!
1023993
Obssessive Compulsive Disorder is a very disturbing and impeding the life condition. The best treatment is with SSRI antidepressants(especially Venflaxine),sometimes with a combination antipsychotic drugs. The best therapies are Cognitive and Group Therapies in addition to the medications prescribed. By the way,the serotonin is not of too vital importance for OCD as to depression..As to the foods,chocolate ,bread,pasta,etcmake possible syntesing of more serotonine in the brain..Best of luck!!
1183476
Jump from places that are lower and work your way up to places that are higher. Its not a solution that will cure you quickly though. It will probably take you a year or more to get over it.
42014
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder, specifically, an anxiety disorder. OCD is manifested in a variety of forms, but is most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive drive to perform a particular task or set of tasks, compulsions commonly termed rituals.
1035022
If you are worried, call your doctor.\nMy guess is that most of us have some degree of OCD and learn to live with it.\nWhen any behavior interferes with your quality of life (getting so tired, you give up) on a regular basis, you may want to get some professional advice on how to re-direct your thoughts.
714096
First get it diagnosed by a doctor. If it is OCD, there was a series of programs called I Can Change Your Life on british tv (Sky One satellite channel) where Paul McKenna cured a woman of OCD using a technique based on NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). There are lots of other therapists in other countries who have been trained by him.\n\nThere's a book called Change Your Life in 7 days which may cover the same stuff on amazon, but the blurb doesn't give a contents list. You could ask on here if anyone has it and whether it covers OCD. There are plenty of other books on OCD, but may not use the same technique to cure it. His way was quick, there's may be long expensive analysis sessions.\n\nIf its not OCD, the doctor maybe able to tell you what the other possibilities are (another medical condition, a psychological condition, drugs). He may just be doing it to please you, because he thinks thats what you want. Discuss it and see if there are any mis-understandings between you.\n\nIt may be 'perfectionism', where someone thinks in black and white terms and every achievement is either perfect or useless. The wikipedia article on it (see link) says that it is one symptom of OCD. Also see link to wikipedia entry on OCD.\n\nIf there are any other aspects, you can research them on the net or search Yahoo Answers for questions and answers on the same subject.\n\nIt may be the male need to feel competent and succesful at everything (see Men are from Mars series of books) combined with perfectionism.
515912
I've never been married to anyone with OCD, but I have OCD. It can be treated. I saw a therapist and haven't "ritualized" in over two years now. It only took a month of constant treatment. OCD is definitely not something you should let tear your marriage apart when it can be taken care of. Yeah some things will still remain, but for the most part it's live-able.
82705
Usually worrying about it is a good sign that you might not, unless you are doing it incessantly.  However, you might have an anxiety disorder that is not OCD.\n\nObsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD, is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Repetitive behaviors such as handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these so-called "rituals," however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety.\n\nIf you are really concerned, you should see your doctor about anxiety and get a referral if necessary.  OCD, if untreated, can take over your life, although some people I have known with it, are high functioning and quite normal.
264164
it actually sounds like OCD, my family is full of it, my obsessions are about demonic posession and when I was having a lot of trouble with it I would be incapacitated to the point where I would whisper "jesus, jesus, jesus" for hours-- my brother constantly thinks about nuclear war and dying in a nuclear holocaust and my mother is that way with cholesterol (needless to say going home is lots of fun! There are 10 children in my family, 4 with OCD, 3 Bipolar and 1 autistic, 2 normal) It's not the wierd sort of "Monk" OCD, and not everyone washes obsesivly or anything but sometimes it's just that sort of constant automatic thought
414219
I have A LOT of experience with this. I do not have OCD but my husband does and his has to do with such thoughts and horrible feelings of guilt. We are also devoted Christians and church members. He gets through most of it with a lot of support from his family and with professional therapy. This is not something that is going to just go away you have to work on it every day. First you have to know that when Jesus died on the cross he didn't say ok I forgive every one but you. You deserve it just as much as anyone else. Even He forgave those who put him on the cross. You need to pray and be thankful of this everyday. Speak to God as your constant companion in everything you do and you feel the difference. He is your Father and loves you as such. Second try to find a counselor you are comfortable with that you can express you thoughts and feelings to so you can stop the cycle of thoughts roaring in your head. It also helps if you can write them down, make sure you write all of them down. You don't ever have to read them again and you can destroy the pages if you like but you should still write down your thoughts. \n\nFinally and this is important, we learned after several years of bad doctors and wrong medications that a heart condition can cause and worsen this problem. Its called mitral valve prolapse and it messes up the autonomic system so that your chemistry is never normal. You should be check out for this as your heart can get worse with time and sometimes a beta blocker used for high blood pressure can help with your thoughts. Until you do get your heart checked out be sure to stay away from any mental health drugs because this condition also alters their effects.\n\nMy husband and I have been dealing with this for 13 years, we have two children and he is making it through it just fine. Feel free to contact me anytime just click on my profile.
579011
good that you are acknowledging that you have a problem. the first key to solving a problem is to admit that you have a problem to begin with....Your obsession is not natural or healthy.......you are letting your thoughts control your behavior.....SWITCH CHANNELS......occupy yourself in other ways.
378176
Well first of all, please don't belittle yourself for what you are going through, and I have a friend who seriously battles this every day. 1) Do some research, and take a look at some professional studies, and behavior modifications that can help you. I am not someone to advocate medication, but you might want to check with a physician to see if there is a medication for anxious people that you could try (maybe with a lower anxiety level, you may find the OCD easier to handle) there are behavior techniques that you can learn, and there are groups on-line and offline that you can go and exchange information and learn from others who have similar problems. Sometimes knowing that there are other people who truly understand you can be a great help. Use the Internet to your advantage, and spend some time reading on coping with a disorder like OCD, and you don't sound mad, you sound worried, and troubled, and you sound like this is something you really face, so don't worry about average. Does anyone really know what is average anyway? I hope this helps, and I wish you the best.
128998
Definitely...my first year of middle school I was either extremely happy or extremely anxious and OCD. For a while I seriously thought I had OCD.\n\nSo glad that's over.\n\nGive it some time and try to mellow out.
951014
If you don't already know this, you may have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. OCD. \nI use to struggle with these invasive thoughts, too. Some I will not even mention, cuz to a reader who does not understand OCD, they would be horrified. \nThe psychologist who helped me showed me how to live with these thoughts. First of all, you cannot fight them to leave. You must simply give them a can of pop, and let them be there. Let them remain, and carry on with your day. Pushing them away will only intensify them. Just the same as having a sore neck or back. You cannot make it better, you have to let it remain, and carry on with your day. \nYou are not alone, and I am sorry that you are struggling. If you have not seen a therapist yet, I advise you to find one whose field is in OCD. They have studied this more than the average psychologist, and if you get one who knows about OCD, they can help you and change your life.\nI have empathy for you. I hear you and I hope things get better.
226073
Sit in a comfortable quiet place.\nClose your eyes.\nClear your mind of all thoughts.\nThoughts will keep coming back into your mind.  When they do, simply stop thinking them and clear your mind again.\nKeep repeating the last step.
900536
That has nothing to do with OCD. If you were obsessive-compulsive you'd have many obsessions that would take up a lot of your time and be in your thoughts a lot and you would have a hard time NOT doing them. Cleaning your butt well is not OCD.