Is this OCD or anxiety and depression ?

[FRANKIEISBACK]

I seem to be obsessing about past events a great deal, it comes in images of past behaviour, cruelty etc, like everyone else under stress I have had occasional bad thoughts but I dont have a problem in recognising they are just thoughts and as claire weekes would say an oversensitised mind. Now a lot of people carry out rituals or have horrible thoughts that they may hurt others, children etc, I feel so much for these people , it must be awful but my obsessing seems to be about actual events in my life, flashbacks etc, could this be a form of post traumatic stress or ocd? To be fair to my psychiatrist she doesnt like to label her patients and thats cool by me.

[kate]

Hi Frankie,

OCD is typically assessed by certain criteria.

In my daughters case, she has the intrusive thoughts that something bad will happen, the obsession, followed by rituals that have to be completed to ensure that the bad things will not happen, the compulsion. The compulsions can be very complicated rituals, my daughter has to touch things a certain amount of times and in a certain order, repeat words or phrases etc. However, after a while these compulsions do not seem to be adequate to prevent the "bad" things happening and they then get bigger and more complicated.

So, myself, I wouldn't imagine that you have OCD.

It could be PTSD but all of this boils down to anxious thinking, it just shows itself in many ways and forms to different people.

Your psychiatrist is right not to stick labels on illnesses as many people find that their problems overlap into various "categories" and do not fit into one diagnosis.

Don't know if any of this has been of any use!

Kate x

[removed]

Hi Frankie
I have never had ocd-only anxiety and I went through a prolonged phase of dwelling on the past.
The accepted way of dealing with anxiety is to look back over your life and work out what led you to the place you are at now.
I think it is easy to get caught up in that loop, but it doesnt sound like ocd to me.
I think your psychiatrist is right-does it really matter what label you put on it?
The time I started to improve was when I let go of the past and tried to move on. Sounds a bit of a cliche, but it's true.
One of my biggest unhappinesses was the way my father treated me -and the anger I felt towards him for not seeming to love me.
I look back on it all now in a totally detached way.I have forgiven him and I have no anger or sadness left. I have so many people around me who love me now and that is all that matters.
best wishes
Janet :)

[FRANKIEISBACK]

Thank you both, very helpful

[Meg]

Hurrah for your psychiatrist.

I go completely with Kates explaination and don't think you have OCD.

You may have unresolved issues which are still bothering you on occasions as they are unresolved .
Doesn't seem like these are traditional flashbacks as in suddenly everything is in the present again- smell, tiny details, sounds etc Sounds more like thinking and ruminating about the situations you were in

Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?

[FRANKIEISBACK]

Thats just about it, my psych says that once we have found a good med that works on the depression, these things should be thought about less.

She is old school on medication though meg, she doesnt use the newer drugs much, it was my gp who put me on sertraline, my psych wants to prescribe Anafranil clomipramine IF sertraline doesnt help, she thinks its more powerful, I think she is quite against the big drug companies and the way they have marketed the newer drugs, however I did say to her many are helped by the new ones.

[Sue K with 5]

Hi Frankie

I am inclined to agree with Kate, I too have intrsuive thoughts especially about past events, but the majority of my issues relate to the compulsive thoughts about things that could happen, hence why I do not step outside my fron door.

Labels are not fun, but can help in dealing with things the right way, I now have CBT and am hoping for a major breakthrough in explaining certains patterns and thoughts that occur on a daily basis


Welcome to the forum and good luck

scknight

[FRANKIEISBACK]

Thank u susan, take care