UK

@ambermayx oh my hello fellow uk- er(?)😃🎀 no same!! like i don’t feel ok saying i have ocd but professionals are saying i have it?? ok but where is my diagnosis? i’ve had a lot of mental health groups (i don’t know what to call them - those who you go to for help) turn me down as apparently i don’t fit the criteria? i think to myself what on earth is that supposed to mean & it really undermines what i’m going through! like ok am i not ill enough for you to take me seriously even though i can’t work, do basic tasks and leave the house most days? they still haven’t given me a reason which i find insufferable! SAME OMG! how annoying is it, it makes you feel so much worse & question your morals!! i was exactly the same when i was diagnosed with GAD i didn’t feel comfortable opening up fully as i genuinely believed they were going to send me away if i was truthful! & now that i can talk about it professionally they don’t wanna know me!😩 i feel you there and im SO SO sorry you’re also going through this. hopefully we can fight this together & if i get anywhere ill let you know! x that is just awful what on earth, it’s the point what do we need to do, to be heard?! it’s like a lucky dip on who actually is listened to! you’re joking! wow, why are health professionals not taking this seriously! ocd is listed as one of the most debilitating illnesses yet why is it so hard to get help?! i’ve been offered cbt even though i’ve specifically said my brain doesn’t react well to cbt ive done it 3 times and it’s never worked yet they’ve just signed me up for that, obviously i don’t want it to seem like i’m complaining as i feel awful you’re not getting the recognition you deserve. it’s just why do we have to go against health professionals and stand our ground when they should be the ones pushing for us to get better? I’m so sorry youre also traumatised, its such a gut wrenching thing to go through & i genuinely believe i will never be the same again😔 me too im glad you found this too, we got eachother💕

@iwantoremainanonymousfornow Yes I really don’t understand them saying you can’t get a diagnosis when so many people have a proper diagnosis for ocd? How can there “not” be a diagnosis for it?? I feel like they play ocd down so much or just aren’t educated enough on it the only thing im offered now is mental health groups aswell when really I need an ocd specialist which I’ve said so many times to them directly but apparently there’s nothing to offer and basically saying I’m fine because of the front I put on and as they don’t see me when I have ocd episodes Literally!! They act like you’re not ill enough I literally ended up in hospital last year because of my ocd as it made me feel like I couldnt be here anymore so it’s like they don’t care unless you’re a certain amount of ill? Everyone deserves help for mental health Ocd really is debilitating and i honestly am so glad we can relate to eachother it’s adult Do you have a therapist in person or on this app atm? Because I’m trying to find out how I can get one in person but if not then seeing if the therapists on here are good Also have you done any erp and how did you get offered cbt 💕

@iwantoremainanonymousfornow really do think it’s so good we found eachother so we can help eachother and give advice especially if it’s to do with uk or anything what ocd themes do you struggle with if you don’t mind me asking

@ambermayx i know like i feel like saying to them ok why you lying? why do you hate me? 😭 to be honest most aren’t educated which scares me… that’s so messed up!!!! what the actual hell!!! sorry i get so so angry when this happens! how on earth do they know you’re “fine?” like i believe you’ve got to get to know the patient first before they feel comfortable opening up on the reality, it’s how ocd gets misdiagnosed all the time is cos we’re petrified saying our thoughts out loud! EXACTLY LIKE WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO HUH?! amber i am so sorry it got to that point, the fact after that they’ve still not turned around and gone ok we’re going to work through this with her is fucking despicable!!! exactly whether it’s minor or major! if you catch it when it’s minor you can save a life cos when it gets major it’s all consuming… so i don’t have a therapist at the moment, i have a mental health nurse as my doctors has introduced a team as a lot of people are coming for mental health problems, luckily the doctor i have is very supportive & i’ve been with her for years. my mh nurse did an in depth assessment with me & she said i have ocd but she can’t diagnose me & she’s also spoken to other doctors who CAN and they say i do as well but they can’t help me apparently?? due to all of this ive been assigned with every turn however ive been with them before so i don’t have high hopes, ive been put on cbt and it can take up to 32 weeks for me to see someone! plus another red flag was the woman who i spoke to wasn’t trained in assessments… said to me i don’t need a diagnosis (urm wtf how do you know) a diagnosis is a weight lifted off our shoulders because at least we know it’s deffo the illness causing these thoughts. i’m still very triggered as i’m not 100% ocd diagnosed so i’m like ok im actual a weird person who deserves to be locked up or worse because these thoughts aren’t normal… i haven’t seen my mh nurse for a while though as she’s off sick but no one told me or has replaced her for now so i’m really struggling! :/ i’ve not done any erp <3 if your doctors aren’t helping you id suggest if you can move doctors? i don’t know whether that is possible but you deserve to be heard! unfortunately it is a battle to get your voice heard x🎀

@ambermayx i know! it’s nice to have someone to talk to who really does understand the struggles!! <3 no no it’s completely okay! :) the main themes i suffer with is POCD, moral scrupulosity, inflicting harm on others, rocd, pure o, real event / my brain tricking me i’ve done something which i haven’t so false memory i think it is! i’ve had quite a lot of diff themes & some that are just like repeating names constantly in my head & i get intrusive dreams :( but im currently on venlafaxine which has lowered the volume of the thoughts but i still suffer but more silently and i try shake it off but i find myself engaging in compulsions more often but i don’t realise <3 what are yours if you also don’t mind me asking? x

@iwantoremainanonymousfornow I know it’s honestly awful that they don’t seem to know much about ocd because it even more makes me feel like I’m making it up or lying about my thoughts when they say “there’s no diagnosis for ocd” like are you trying to make people worse??? Yes I’ve never spoke about a lot of my specific thoughts out loud because I’m too scared too and that made me feel like I couldn’t even more because I just feel weird and disgusting and like I’m a bad person I’m glad you have a supportive doctor I did have a mental health nurse at one point but they kind of just stopped contacting me I’m really surprised they’ve putting you on cbt I didn’t get offered anything like that And the waiting lists are actually a joke because of how serious ocd is like it really does affect peoples lives and the way they feel aboht themselves and just makes it hard for them to feel like they can manage the thoughts I don’t think anyone unless they have ocd realises how scary it is and how much it affects and gets in the way of life Yes this is what I was saying to professionals is that it will make me feel like I’m not going crazy if I just had a diagnosis I just think the uk mh team is awful like there’s not enough support for people I’m sorry that you’re struggling, just know you’re not alone in the way you feel and now that we’ve found eachother if you want to talk about anything I will listen because I know how hard it can get 💕 Yes I’m gonna speak to a professional and try again in getting help because it honestly gets so hard for me to manage during ocd episodes without any ways to cope 😕 If I can’t get anyone in person I may try a therapist on here x

@iwantoremainanonymousfornow yes it’s honestly so nice to be able to talk to you 💕 It’s so interesting the amount of different themes you get like it’s never just one I’ve had so many too When I first got the thoughts when I started secondary I struggled with POCD and sexual orientation ocd and magical thinking ocd like having to do compulsions so that my family doesn’t get hurt and also contamination ocd quite bad but in school I didn’t know the thoughts were ocd only the contamination part Now the main ones I have are Rocd (I’m really struggling with this one rn a lot) Contamination ocd , magical thinking ocd , real event and a few more themes too (there’s literally so many it just switches it’s horrible and scary) I get really horrible intrusive images that really disturb me and I try to get them away If you don’t mind me asking what is venlafaxine? I’ve never heard of it and always wonder what people take for ocd I’m personally looking for a natural supplement that will help ocd seeing if anyone takes anything natural because I get worried of what I’m putting into my body when it’s pills But my doctor only prescribed me sertraline and antidepressant but I just didn’t want to take things like that I’m still interested tho to see what’s worked for people because it’s always a choice and something for me to think about or take into consideration if it’s something to help xx

@LovelyJones17 thank you for your kind words it does mean a lot knowing that some people will actually listen to me🥲 it really is, we all don’t have the energy to fight for our mental health as we’re all already drained by what our brains put us through! 😔 thank you ever so much i’ll give these a go and see how i go with it💕💕 you’re so kind xx

@iwantoremainanonymousfornow - you're welcome! remember to please take care of yourself and stay safe. i love that people are being more free to share their experiences.