Mature female OCD sufferer

[Just want it to stop]

Hello. I am a 29 years old female and I have had OCD for varying degrees over the last 16 years. I have had OCD thoughts on swallowing, lisping, nose flaring, lip twitching, shaking my head, laughing, throat clearing and there are more. I think I could get scared over any thought however trivial. I have had CBT which helped alot and I have been able to control it for years but as I am getting married in August, I think my nerves have got the better of me and my OCD has got worse lately and seems more out of control than usual. I live in the Kent/London area and would be really interested in talking to other females with OCD. I find that talking to people who have experienced similar to me very eye opening.:bighug1:


XXXIT IS JUST A THOUGHTXXX

[RLR]

I've read your posting. Would you mind explaining to me more specifically the nature of the "OCD thoughts" related to swallowing, lisping, nose flaring, lip twitching, head-shaking, laughing, throat clearing etc.?

So that I better understand, are you stating that the thought of performing the actions mentioned scare or frighten you, or are you stating that all of these things are occurring spontaneously and you are constantly vigilent to their presence? Your follow-up statement that you "could be scared by most any thought" makes your circumstances unclear to me.

The reason for my question is that the entirety of the "OCD thoughts" you mention would be highly consistent with Tourette's Syndrome. I just want to be certain that these events aren't actually taking place spontaneously and it is your vigilence to their manifestation that is being characterized as obsessive-compulsive.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

[Just want it to stop]

Hello, thank you for your post. I am saying that the thought of doing these things scares me alot and I do not want to do them at all but I find that I cannot stop doing these things, however, much I try to stop. It is not the doing that bothers me, it is the fear that it creates.

[Just want it to stop]

When one OCD symptom goes, my mind creates another action to be scared of. The thought can be very trivial but my mind creates unnecessary fear about it.

[hallam11]

Hello Just want it to stop,

I am a 23 year old that has been told by my doctor that I have depression, anxiety and aspects of ocd. I don't have much of a problem with my complusions its the initial thought mainly. I have high anxiety levels because alot of the time my compulsions are acknoledged and mocked by my mum so I tred to hide them or if im too scared to do them then my anxiety goes through the roof. My compulsions have more of a perfectionism or tidying aspect. I also have a little handwashing problem, it hasn't become a massive problem but it is there. Oh and I also tend to have a head shaking thing if I have a "bad" thought or I have to say NO or STOP. It has gotten worse since I don't have a job. My heart goes out to you because it can be really awful.
Laura xxx

[RLR]

Okay, thank you for your reply. It's important for the reason that certain neurotransmitters are implicated in OCD and Tourette's Syndrome, but they are different in nature. In other words, serotonin dysregulation is more responsible in OCD whereas dopamine is more responsible in Tourette's.

So if you've never been formally evaluated for Tourette's Syndrome, you would likely be interested to know that there are medications available which can greatly diminish and sometimes even erradicate the tics that have caused you such vigilence. OCD and Tourette's are sometimes found to co-exist, so it's simply important to distinguish whether treatment with certain medications can be of benefit to you.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)