Occupational Therapist

[Gregor]

I'm about to start sessions with an Occupational Therapist. Can anyone tell me exactly what the role of an OT is? what will happen?

I've asked this question to the OT several times and still don't fully understand how she will help. She says they re-integrate me into the community. I don't see how that can help my situation. I can go out - with help. I'm not too bad in shops now and around other people.

What i need help with is my actual anxiety. How to cope, what techniques to use, etc. I'm about to come off my diazepam which i've been taking for about 6 months. However, despite my numerous requests, no-one has taught me how to cope without the tablets. My OT didn't even understand what i meant by 'coping without diazepam'! I told them i am more than willing to come off diazepam, in conjunction with some useful therapy to help me cope. However, that was continually ignored.

So, my question is, how will an Occupational Therapist help with all this?

[willitstop]

Your OT will hlp you with techniques on how to cope with your anxiety and what to do when you feel anxious ect.

Good luck :)

[Gregor]

I finally had my OT appointment today and now i understand more about how they try to help. The word 'desensitisation' was used. Roughly speaking this means face your fears. They took me out to face one of my fears, which is crossing roads. I couldnt do it because my anxiety was fairly high. There was no mention of how to cope with those anxiety feelings - just the idea that by doing it it will help me overcome those fears.

This thought process has never worked for me and never will work. The reason being that, once you're in a situation that causes anxiety, this will not subside as they suggest as you continue to think about that anxiety, thus creating further anxiety. What they need to teach is how to lessen the anxiety in that situation.

[ladybird64]

Hi Gregor

Having been through a short period of "exposure" therapy a few years back, I do understand what you mean.
However it is a fact that if one faces ones worst fears and stays in the situation until the height of panic arrives and then eventually subsides, then doing this repeatedly will help eliminate panic.

Personally, I just couldn't do it their way. But having said that, I do think that we have to take on some responsibility for how we address our fears as well rather than looking to others to supply an answer.

Unfortunately, I believe that the only answer to diminishing our fear is to expose ourselves to it in some degree, even gradually. We will become anxious because it is what we have done for so long and Im the first one to admit how awful it feels.
When we realise that no matter how bloody terrible we may feel, the anxiety cannot actually do damage to us, then I believe that is the turning point and bit by bit the anxiety starts to lose its power.

We have to work out our own plans in conjunction with specialist help, what we plan to do to make the anxiety powerless and unable to scare us any more.

I have come to the conclusion that I will always have some kind of heightened anxiety but have been working on some personal strategies to get out and about. I haven't deliberately been trying to reduce my anxiety levels but it has been happening and I have felt calmer in the past 2 months than ..gosh, I don't know..years!

I give some credit to Citalopram for this but not a lot. :winks: I wanted out, I didnt want to be surrounded and hemmed in and was prepared to just go ahead and see how things went, to try and pay no heed if the panics came.

They didnt come :D

I hope that any further appts with OT will be useful for you but would advise that you may have to develop some strategies of your own to work alongside them.

As another "middle of the road" panicker, I wish you well :flowers: