A Teen wrote:
i dont know if i have ocd! i need to know its driving me crazy!
its like now
i'm obbessing with ocd! i need answers and fast!
yet not from a doctor!! if
you can help please email me a.s.a.p!! love all guys!
thanx~
a chik needing answers
Dr. Hatton responds:
Well, Teen, this answer will be trouble!
And it will bend your mind, but it will be the truth. If you have OCD,
then one of your obsessions will probably the "need to know." And here,
you need to know if you have OCD. If you don't have OCD, then you probably
wouldn't be obsessing about it. But since OCD is completely irrational,
and since rational reassurance doesn't help reduce the doubt of OCD, even
if we (the list) tell you that you DO have OCD, you'll still doubt it! And
that's when you'll know that it's truly OCD and not anything else.
Confusing enough?
Time to get together with a doc or therapist.
Cheers,
dr.hat
Dr. Hatton responds:
Cutting is a common way to "numb out" and even though it's
self-destructive, it feels relieving to some people in the moment. In that respect it's like trich (hair-pulling) - it feels good in the moment, but you later regret doing it.
Causing physical injury gets the brain to release endorphin, a heroin-like substance that's designed to reduce physical pain. It sometimes reduces
emotional pain as well. the problem is that it's VERY addictive, so people that cut or pull are actually addicted to their own brain chemistry.
Congrats to those of you that stopped - you overcame a tough addiction!
for those of you still doing it, LadyMisery's comment about "...if you want to stop" is important. You certainly will face an uphill battle, and you'll only have a chance of success if you decide that you really want to stop first. That's not enough all by itself for many people, but it's a necessary first step.
dr.hat
A Teen wrote:
Love Always,
Great questions, Teen!
A Teen wrote:
Dr. Hat
A Teen wrote:
I often ask my self, "Can things get worse?" I think to myself that it
is not at all possible. But then something worse always happens. Good
things never exist. My will to go on and make it throught the hours is
slowly sliping away. My fears are ignited on a hourly basis. Sometimes
I wish I could just hide somewhere, away from everyone, and let the
world pass by. This world is vicious and difficult.
A Teen wrote back:
.... hi. i know exactly what u are going through. i have been so depressed
lately. i am just about ready to give up. i always say to myself why me? why
do i have to have these terrible thoughts? why cant i just be a happy
teenager? no one has been able to answer my questions.
Time for us to talk about depression as it relates to OCD. Although many
teens get depressed even without having OCD, and although some people WITH
OCd don't have depression, it is a very common pair - fully 80% of all
people with OCD will experience some form of depression at some time in
their lives IF THE OCD IS NOT EFFECTIVELY TREATED. That last part is very
important. Sometimes the depression is rather mild, like always seeing the
sky as gray even when you know the sun is out. And sometimes the
depression is significant, like the two letters above show. Significant
depression in teens can result in low mood; crying all the time; feeling
worthless, hopeless or helpless; changes in appetite (either more or less
than normal for you); changes in sleep (either more or less than normal for
you); isolation from others; loss of interest in things you used to like;
and even thoughts of suicide.
Depresssion and OCD seem to have a link, but the exact nature of it is
hard to define. For some people, it is obvious that the two simply
co-exist (one set of symptoms is not dependent on the other); for others,
the OCD thoughts and rituals become so frustrating that they trigger the
depression. In EITHER case, depression is a biological problem, with a
biological or cognitive answer. Your anti-OCD meds should also be helping
with the depression, but you might need to be on a much higher dose of the
same med than someone else with depression but no OCD. For example,
depression without OCD usually responds to 20mg Prozac; depression WITH OCD
may only respond to doses about 60mg - 80mg Prozac. It's sort of the same
relationship for the other anti-OCD meds.
"Worse always happens," "good things never exist," "this world is vicious
and difficult," and "I am just about ready to give up" are all statements
of hopelessness, part of depression. We know that when people are
depressed, they feel this way often; but when their depression is well
treated, they feel completely differently - glad to be alive, looking
forward to things, even if they still have battles with compulsions! "I
wish I could let the world pass by" is a statement of isolation, also part
of depression, especially in teenages. And "Why?" questions are statements
of helplessness, again part of depression. All of these are things that
can be helped with either the right medications, cognitive therapy (a type
of therapy that teaches us how to challenge our false beliefs, usually
about ourselves - see Distorted Thoughts email coming up) or both.
In the meanwhile, it's important to reach out, to let others like us help
you recognize that what you're experiencing is depression and not "stark
reality" so that you can borrow hope from us until you can see it
yourselves. Depression is not something to take lightly, or to be taken
lightly. Let us help.
dr.hat
Choosing a Behavior Therapist
Creating a Truly Supportive Support System
Cutting
Dr. Hat's Mid-Semester Blues
Dying Young
Family Troubles
How the Grinch Failed to Steal Christmas
The Holidays
Imaginal Exposure
Inside the Teen Brain
Medications & Drinking
Psychologist vs Psychiatrist
Relaxation/Anxiety management
The Ten Cognitive Distortions
Trichotillomania an OCD?
