First Time Poster

[element506]

Hey Everyone,

This is my first post about ocd ever. im surprised that ive never been on an ocd forum before untill now. Probably because I dont wanna become hooked on this site like how I check my email all the time ha!

Im a 23 year old dude from jersey. Ive had ocd since 3rd grade and its been on n off to a degree through out then. It was at its worst when i was in 6th grade where it was actually more physical compulsions than obsessions and the past couple years the obsessions have been pretty bad and not as much the physical routines.

Just only a few months ago i realised how my ocd is linked to so many other things. Just recently i think i may have bdd and became anorexic a little. Ive even been a little bulimic. And found out recently its common with ocd.

Theres so many things I can rant on but I wont do it all in this post! Ha

One thing that pissed me off was I found out recently ocd can be linked to creativity. My whole life I've been an amazing artist and musician and it defines who I am..

My band is really getting good and I feel like I could never take medication cause antidepressants dull creativity. So its like i can choose my creativity which defines who i am, or take medicine and be free...

Also I have in the past taken antidepressant ssri's and didnt get too much help! When I was in 6th grade, zoloft did help with the compulsions but when I was on it I got all weird and antisocial.

Also recently I havent been on medication in YEARS and in college for only a month i tried prozac and got really antisocial. It also didnt help my ocd.

This site is sicialphobiaworld.com, and everyone says ocd is all social phobia but id say im rather outgoing..
Either way, I feel like anitdepressants dont do anything and when I do take them it makes me weird and it would dull my creativity. So i guess Im screwed

The past year I actually became an alcoholic...and its not just college partyin but theres been times i get bombed by myself lol

Also when I went to partys I wouldn't drink a little I would drink till I was blacked out drunk.

All of my best friends smoke weed but i dont like it obviously cause it increases axiety. I feel like drinking is my only cure...but its only a temp fix and obviously will have health problems down the road

Just the past year I started opening up to some people how I have ocd. I didnt even tell my best friend of my whole life about it until last year. Recently Ive been telling people who Im not even really close with. I dont know why Im feeling more comfortable about doing it, but I find peoples reactions arent as big of a deal as i thought it would be.

Wow I said I wouldnt type too much but I guess I did! My bad ha. There were alot of other things I wanted to say.

Oh by the way, Ive only talked to one person ever who has ocd so its cool to come onto this forum

 

[Ignace]

Hi, welcome here.

 

[Feathers]

Hi & Welcome!

It's awesome that your band is getting good! Also, that you signed up here and are learning about things!!

Please consider CBT (cognitive behavior therapy)/ERP counselling for OCD and (perhaps?) BDD and/or the eating disorders or at least get a book or two about these! Maybe even your library has some? There seem to be some good ones on Amazon, although I'm just learning about it all too..

I really hate it how many psychiatrists these days just push meds. I'm creative too, and chemically sensitive, so I try to stay away from meds and other chemicals in any way..

If you're in a band, I can understand pressures on staying 'fit' and having a certain body image.. Please get help or at least educate yourself.. I also recommend exercising to burn off those calories (no need for anorexia/bulimia then!) I know we artists can be lazy that way, can you at least get a mate or a few to go walking/hiking with or such? Or the band could get fit together?? (I love dancing and figure ice skating, so not sure if that can be helpful? Try to find something that can be CREATIVE and exciting and get you fit!)

Also, more and more rock stars are recognizing it's important to be fit and healthy, and these days drink water or herbal tea instead of whiskey.. There's a reason why Janis or Jimmy or some other great rock musicians are dead.. And imagine what great songs they could still make if they didn't do what they did.. I also have some relatives who were alcoholics.. Please don't become just another statistic...

It's good you don't smoke weed!! I know a few people whose lives just got downhill from pot..

ocd isn't the same as social phobia, some people can have both - or not!
also, some people can have social phobia in certain situations, while appearing or being quite sociable in others, or it can be temporary..
My ocd has been temporary too, appearing under stressful circumstances.. So ocd can go and creativity can stay..

Keep on rockin'!!

 

[element506]

Hi, thanks for the reply,

I probably should try out therapy for it may be the best sollution for me, but I feel like therapy is not as useful because it isn't getting rid of the problem, like meds, but simply just teaches you to cope with it.

I wish I don't have to learn how to cope with it and just not have this problem altogether ::

I do try and stay as healthy as I can. Besides drinking alcohol everything else I consume is the healthiest food I can get and I try to exercise at least five times a week.

I have diffidently notcied through out the years that my OCD goes in phases where its more heavy at certain times. And it is most certainly more extreme when under stressful times.

 

[Feathers]

How is meds 'getting rid' of the problem-?? It's just masking it up - covering the symptoms, at best.
Usually, when people stop taking meds, symptoms appear again (as far as I know). So you've done nothing with the cause of the problem...
Big pharma wants you to keep taking meds cause so they keep making profits.. ideally, they want you hooked for a long time..

Therapy or good books don't just teach you how to cope with it, they can also make it go away. For example, if your problems appear when you are stressed, a form of therapy helpful for you might teach you to cope with stress better or to relax or be better at decision-making so you eliminate stress..

Mind you it depends what sort of therapy or books they are too.. I haven't had any real therapy yet (cause it may be difficult to get helpful stuff where I live) just got a lot of help from books and online forums and such..
What's you OCD about anyway?

 

[coyote]

Welcome, element506!

(The forum demographic seems to be increasingly weighted in favor of the contingent from New Jersey)

 

[rodinski]

...

Yup, OCD individuals tend to be extremely talents in use of both sides of the brain. People such as Charles Darwin, Howard Hughes, Donald Trump, Howie Mandel, Albert Einstein, Michelangelo, Nikola Tesla, and so on. I am very outgoing....or used to be. But my OCD has gotten to the pitch where is causing immense amount of problems.

 

[agoraphobickatie]

i think a lot of times therapy is a much better solution than meds... medications don't even get rid of the problem either, they mask it until you quit taking them and then you're usually worse off after that.. and you said meds didn't even work for you anyway, so therapy is a great option.. it does teach you how to 'cope' which is the best way that you can expect to live. there isn't a cure for any of our 'disorders', but learning to cope is something that will stick with you for the rest of your life, learning about your disorder and ways to successfully handle it will always help you.. you should give it a try, bud i'm sure even if all you did was get a lot off your mind about your frustrations, you'd feel tons better!