Posted by fca on August 26, 2006, at 16:15:42
In reply to I have a fear of poisoning myself..., posted by Meri-Tuuli on August 26, 2006, at 7:52:43
I would be very surprised if you did not meet the clinical criteria for OCD--It is not exactly a death sentence--I have had anx/ocd all my life and have had a very successful career, life, etc. The critical thing is the extent that the fears (obsessive worries) and/or compulsions (rituals) interfer with your day to day life. If it is only an minor inconvenience and not substantial--well we all have our quirks. If you are troubled by it or it interfers with your daily living SSRIs and CBT is the way to go with some posible additional help from benzos during intitation of the SSRIs and/or until the CBT works. No. they will not expose you to toxins and disease but you might well use an imaginal script which contains your fears, dreads, etc. CBT and ERP can also be used with obsessions in the absence of specific rituals. OCD is generally treated with SSRI as it is considered a serotonin problem--Any SSRI may be used but Paxil, Zoloft, Luvox and more recently Lexapro seem to be favored. Personally, IANAD, I would go with one of the older SSRIs even though they may be a bit dirtier. Good Luck--BTW--I promise you the alcohol will not help. It may not hurt but it will only increase the anxiety when you are not drinking--but it is inexpensive, feels good, works in the short term and increases socialbility. Not a bad drug all in all if you are not anxious or depressed.
poster:fca
thread:680223
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060825/msgs/680305.html