HELP!

[stacey]

iam 17 years old and have been carrying out weird rituals for four yrs now. i always have to count to certain numbers or do things a certain number of times before it feels right, and if i dont i feel like bad things will happpen to my family as a result and it will be my fault. i am constantly worried about germs and will not touch door handles or anyones hands! there is so much more and it is effecting my everyday life, but i dont want to tell my parents or go to the gp. i dont know how much more i can take, please help!

[Chemar]

Hi stacey

 

it sounds like classic OCD

 

the very best therapy for this seems to be Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with a qualified and caring psychologist trained in CBT

 

some people also benefit from natural supplements that boost serotonin, or from medications, although sadly the meds do often have side effects that some find are not worth it

 

Inositol, a B vitamin seems to be used successfully by many with OCD and there are also stronger natural supplements (tho they should never be mixed with meds without a doctor's OK as that can cause serotonin spiking which is very dangerous

 

we have a thread pinned up here for useful info for OCD which I recommend you look through http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1963

 

as well as maybe checking out Psych Central, which has a very active community and live chat sessions with psychologists etc

It really is so helpful to be able to talk with others who are also going through these things and find support and shared experience. We have an active TS/tics forum here at ACN/Latitudes, but the OCD board and others are a bit quieter. That's why I do recommend PsychCentral for immediate contact

 

all the best

 

 

http://www.psychcentral.com (click on community to get to the forums )

 

hope that helps a bit...