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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Questionmark on April 7, 2003, at 17:43:45
Someone else posted something on this as well, but there wasn't much feedback.
i am strICken with indecisiveness. And it's wasted so much life and youth. i don't know how people make decisions. Does anyone know if there is anything that can be done for this? Seven roads here, seven roads there, all having numerous pros and cons. How do you decide?! No, that's not the question. But, what can be done for this mental curse? Anything?
Posted by paxvox on April 7, 2003, at 18:18:21
In reply to Indecisiveness., posted by Questionmark on April 7, 2003, at 17:43:45
What do YOU think causes this indecisiveness? Don't take too long to answer that......sorry, but seriously, are you getting any medical treatment? It sounds to me as if you might be a little bit OCD, which can be fairly well controlled with the appropriate meds. I guess I would have to know a lot about your specifics to proffer any valuable advice, except see a Pdoc if you are not already seeing one. Might be a very simple problem to correct, so why not do so before it delays the rest of your life? Me? I WISH I had choices, there's a lot of freedom in that. But as I say.....circumstances dictate direction. Good luck.
PAX
Posted by janejj on April 7, 2003, at 22:37:30
In reply to Re: Indecisiveness., posted by paxvox on April 7, 2003, at 18:18:21
Hey questionamrk,
I have this problem too, It gets really bad and then everyone thinks you're a flake cos you say things and then change your mind. I am quite famous for it in my family, my mom doesn't really take what I say seriously unless its done and sealed !!
Anyway I wish there were a cure and by the way you are never trapped you always have the ability to change your life.
janejj
Posted by Questionmark on April 8, 2003, at 22:54:13
In reply to Re: Indecisiveness., posted by janejj on April 7, 2003, at 22:37:30
Thanks Pax and Jane.
Yeah i think there's definitely a obsessive-compulsive component to it. i have very little stuff on the OCD spectrum but the OC "tendencies" i do have are fairly severe i think. Perfectionism; compulsive need for "rightness" i guess you could say (not necessarily order though). i duno. But yeah and then i think the major ADD sh*t i have makes it even worse."I have this problem too, It gets really bad and then everyone thinks you're a flake cos you say things and then change your mind. I am quite famous for it in my family, my mom doesn't really take what I say seriously unless its done and sealed !!" That's interesting. i think it's different with me though, cuz, i so abhor the thought of being insincere or holding strong views that are wrong that i rarely DO make strong claims (except in defense of confusion) or anything anymore-- AH i don't even know if that's exactly right or appropriately expressive. DAM*T@!!! But no i .. what i think i mean is that i don't think i change my mind (at least externally) too much in a short period of time (if that makes sense!)-- i'm always of the "i don't know" mentality. Anyway, sorry, i'm rambling. But does anyone else feel similar to this? Jane how bout you?
So you think the typical anti-OCD meds might be beneficial for this?
Posted by daizy on April 9, 2003, at 6:20:11
In reply to Re: Indecisiveness., posted by Questionmark on April 8, 2003, at 22:54:13
> Thanks Pax and Jane.
> Yeah i think there's definitely a obsessive-compulsive component to it. i have very little stuff on the OCD spectrum but the OC "tendencies" i do have are fairly severe i think. Perfectionism; compulsive need for "rightness" i guess you could say (not necessarily order though). i duno. But yeah and then i think the major ADD sh*t i have makes it even worse.
>
> "I have this problem too, It gets really bad and then everyone thinks you're a flake cos you say things and then change your mind. I am quite famous for it in my family, my mom doesn't really take what I say seriously unless its done and sealed !!" That's interesting. i think it's different with me though, cuz, i so abhor the thought of being insincere or holding strong views that are wrong that i rarely DO make strong claims (except in defense of confusion) or anything anymore-- AH i don't even know if that's exactly right or appropriately expressive. DAM*T@!!! But no i .. what i think i mean is that i don't think i change my mind (at least externally) too much in a short period of time (if that makes sense!)-- i'm always of the "i don't know" mentality. Anyway, sorry, i'm rambling. But does anyone else feel similar to this? Jane how bout you?
> So you think the typical anti-OCD meds might be beneficial for this?
>Yes I think I feel the same!! I am also of the "i dont know" mentality. I am a very bad decision maker, which bugs me a lot, because when I do actually make a decision no one thinks I will stick to it. Therefore people in my life tend to automatically make my decisions for me which I find belittling.
Posted by jparsell82 on April 9, 2003, at 18:32:47
In reply to Re: Indecisiveness., posted by daizy on April 9, 2003, at 6:20:11
Check out this interesting link. You sound more OCPD...
Posted by Questionmark on April 9, 2003, at 23:49:50
In reply to Re: Indecisiveness., posted by jparsell82 on April 9, 2003, at 18:32:47
> Check out this interesting link. You sound more OCPD...
>
> http://www.ocdonline.com/articlephillipson6.htmTHANK YOU so much for that link! The vast majority of that describes me so freaking well it's amazing. And he describes it SO articulately and accurately. Obsessive-compulsive personality-- what a curse.
Daizy thanks for your comments also. Do you (or Janejj) (or anyone else) feel that you have this (OCPD)? Have you found anything to be helpful?
Finally, especially as there are probably no decent CBTherapists around this area, are there ANY meds that would be helpful for this?! Paxil was to no avail. i'm thinking about Nardil if i choose anything. What do you think?
i dont know. i'm almost 23 (!) and i've wasted my life. What's a pathetic soul to do?
Posted by daizy on April 10, 2003, at 5:23:50
In reply to Amazing. (OCPD)., posted by Questionmark on April 9, 2003, at 23:49:50
> > Check out this interesting link. You sound more OCPD...
> >
> > http://www.ocdonline.com/articlephillipson6.htm
>
> THANK YOU so much for that link! The vast majority of that describes me so freaking well it's amazing. And he describes it SO articulately and accurately. Obsessive-compulsive personality-- what a curse.
> Daizy thanks for your comments also. Do you (or Janejj) (or anyone else) feel that you have this (OCPD)? Have you found anything to be helpful?
> Finally, especially as there are probably no decent CBTherapists around this area, are there ANY meds that would be helpful for this?! Paxil was to no avail. i'm thinking about Nardil if i choose anything. What do you think?
> i dont know. i'm almost 23 (!) and i've wasted my life. What's a pathetic soul to do?
>
>Yes this does sound like me before I started to suffer from anxiety, thats exactly what I was like, not for want of being like that though! As for the meds well Im not sure, hope someone else has some answers or clues to what might work? Im 22, and I feel like Im wasting my life too!
"What's a pathetic soul to do?"
Posted by Questionmark on April 14, 2003, at 2:28:45
In reply to Re: Amazing. (OCPD)., posted by daizy on April 10, 2003, at 5:23:50
> > > Check out this interesting link. You sound more OCPD...
> > >
> > > http://www.ocdonline.com/articlephillipson6.htm
> >
> > THANK YOU so much for that link! The vast majority of that describes me so freaking well it's amazing. And he describes it SO articulately and accurately. Obsessive-compulsive personality-- what a curse.
> > Daizy thanks for your comments also. Do you (or Janejj) (or anyone else) feel that you have this (OCPD)? Have you found anything to be helpful?
> > Finally, especially as there are probably no decent CBTherapists around this area, are there ANY meds that would be helpful for this?! Paxil was to no avail. i'm thinking about Nardil if i choose anything. What do you think?
> > i dont know. i'm almost 23 (!) and i've wasted my life. What's a pathetic soul to do?
> >
> >
>
> Yes this does sound like me before I started to suffer from anxiety, thats exactly what I was like, not for want of being like that though! As for the meds well Im not sure, hope someone else has some answers or clues to what might work? Im 22, and I feel like Im wasting my life too!
>
> "What's a pathetic soul to do?"Huh, interesting. That sucks.
So wait, are you saying you don't think you're like that anymore? If so, do you have any idea on why or how you changed?
Posted by daizy on April 14, 2003, at 8:27:37
In reply to Re: Amazing. (OCPD). » daizy, posted by Questionmark on April 14, 2003, at 2:28:45
> > > > Check out this interesting link. You sound more OCPD...
> > > >
> > > > http://www.ocdonline.com/articlephillipson6.htm
> > >
> > > THANK YOU so much for that link! The vast majority of that describes me so freaking well it's amazing. And he describes it SO articulately and accurately. Obsessive-compulsive personality-- what a curse.
> > > Daizy thanks for your comments also. Do you (or Janejj) (or anyone else) feel that you have this (OCPD)? Have you found anything to be helpful?
> > > Finally, especially as there are probably no decent CBTherapists around this area, are there ANY meds that would be helpful for this?! Paxil was to no avail. i'm thinking about Nardil if i choose anything. What do you think?
> > > i dont know. i'm almost 23 (!) and i've wasted my life. What's a pathetic soul to do?
> > >
> > >
> >
> > Yes this does sound like me before I started to suffer from anxiety, thats exactly what I was like, not for want of being like that though! As for the meds well Im not sure, hope someone else has some answers or clues to what might work? Im 22, and I feel like Im wasting my life too!
> >
> > "What's a pathetic soul to do?"
>
> Huh, interesting. That sucks.
> So wait, are you saying you don't think you're like that anymore? If so, do you have any idea on why or how you changed?No, I still think Im like that but Im suffering with really bad anxiety also, which is my main problem. As for what Im like being OCPD, im not sure, it could just as easily be OCD, as it says in the paper, it needs a professional to diagnose.
I dont really relate to the perfectionism thing, But to always being right, indecisiveness, difficulty expressing tender feelings, and low mood, I do, and as a result of these things I feel Im suffering from anxiety.
I should say that no meds have really solved either, but Im thinking therapy could be really beneficial to someone with OCPD, It has helped me with things like indecisivenss, and expressing feelings, Maybe its something you should concider if you havent already!
Posted by jparsell82 on April 14, 2003, at 18:15:08
In reply to Amazing. (OCPD)., posted by Questionmark on April 9, 2003, at 23:49:50
> > Check out this interesting link. You sound more OCPD...
> >
> > http://www.ocdonline.com/articlephillipson6.htm
>
> THANK YOU so much for that link! The vast majority of that describes me so freaking well it's amazing. And he describes it SO articulately and accurately. Obsessive-compulsive personality-- what a curse.
> Daizy thanks for your comments also. Do you (or Janejj) (or anyone else) feel that you have this (OCPD)? Have you found anything to be helpful?
> Finally, especially as there are probably no decent CBTherapists around this area, are there ANY meds that would be helpful for this?! Paxil was to no avail. i'm thinking about Nardil if i choose anything. What do you think?
> i dont know. i'm almost 23 (!) and i've wasted my life. What's a pathetic soul to do?
>
>I know how you feel I'm 20 and stumbled upon that article awhile back. It struck me... because a lot of it was me. I also have Social Anxiety Disorder and Depression... social anxiety for me is prominent. I think it's what caused my OCPD symptoms. As far as medications... I really don't know. I haven't had much of any luck with everything I've tried. I don't think Ssri's will help at all. Have you tried Anafranil? I've heard of some success with it. Other than that, Nardil's been said to be good.
Posted by daizy on April 15, 2003, at 6:32:36
In reply to Re: Amazing. (OCPD)., posted by jparsell82 on April 14, 2003, at 18:15:08
> > > Check out this interesting link. You sound more OCPD...
> > >
> > > http://www.ocdonline.com/articlephillipson6.htm
> >
> > THANK YOU so much for that link! The vast majority of that describes me so freaking well it's amazing. And he describes it SO articulately and accurately. Obsessive-compulsive personality-- what a curse.
> > Daizy thanks for your comments also. Do you (or Janejj) (or anyone else) feel that you have this (OCPD)? Have you found anything to be helpful?
> > Finally, especially as there are probably no decent CBTherapists around this area, are there ANY meds that would be helpful for this?! Paxil was to no avail. i'm thinking about Nardil if i choose anything. What do you think?
> > i dont know. i'm almost 23 (!) and i've wasted my life. What's a pathetic soul to do?
> >
> >
>
> I know how you feel I'm 20 and stumbled upon that article awhile back. It struck me... because a lot of it was me. I also have Social Anxiety Disorder and Depression... social anxiety for me is prominent. I think it's what caused my OCPD symptoms. As far as medications... I really don't know. I haven't had much of any luck with everything I've tried. I don't think Ssri's will help at all. Have you tried Anafranil? I've heard of some success with it. Other than that, Nardil's been said to be good.What meds have you taken? No success with any you say? Im on a tca now, but it doesnt seem to be helping that much! Hvae you tried Klonopin? I have heard such good things about this med?
Posted by Ed O`Flaherty on April 15, 2003, at 16:42:39
In reply to Amazing. (OCPD)., posted by Questionmark on April 9, 2003, at 23:49:50
I report on some people with OCD who responded well to omega-3 fish oil,usually in association with SSRIs or anafranil in www.omega3.20megsfree.com
Posted by jparsell82 on April 15, 2003, at 17:13:18
In reply to Re: Amazing. (OCPD)., posted by daizy on April 15, 2003, at 6:32:36
> > > > Check out this interesting link. You sound more OCPD...
> > > >
> > > > http://www.ocdonline.com/articlephillipson6.htm
> > >
> > > THANK YOU so much for that link! The vast majority of that describes me so freaking well it's amazing. And he describes it SO articulately and accurately. Obsessive-compulsive personality-- what a curse.
> > > Daizy thanks for your comments also. Do you (or Janejj) (or anyone else) feel that you have this (OCPD)? Have you found anything to be helpful?
> > > Finally, especially as there are probably no decent CBTherapists around this area, are there ANY meds that would be helpful for this?! Paxil was to no avail. i'm thinking about Nardil if i choose anything. What do you think?
> > > i dont know. i'm almost 23 (!) and i've wasted my life. What's a pathetic soul to do?
> > >
> > >
>
>
> >
> > I know how you feel I'm 20 and stumbled upon that article awhile back. It struck me... because a lot of it was me. I also have Social Anxiety Disorder and Depression... social anxiety for me is prominent. I think it's what caused my OCPD symptoms. As far as medications... I really don't know. I haven't had much of any luck with everything I've tried. I don't think Ssri's will help at all. Have you tried Anafranil? I've heard of some success with it. Other than that, Nardil's been said to be good.
>
>
>
> What meds have you taken? No success with any you say? Im on a tca now, but it doesnt seem to be helping that much! Hvae you tried Klonopin? I have heard such good things about this med?
>
>
>I've taken/tried Paxil, Effexor, Prozac+Risperdal Combo, Dexedrine, St. John's Wort, Kava Kava. I've thought about Klonopin but I have bad memory problems and I'm constantly tired all the time. So I would like to find a med that is more activating.
Posted by jparsell82 on April 15, 2003, at 17:14:48
In reply to Re: Amazing. (OCPD)., posted by Ed O`Flaherty on April 15, 2003, at 16:42:39
> I report on some people with OCD who responded well to omega-3 fish oil,usually in association with SSRIs or anafranil in www.omega3.20megsfree.com
I actually take fish oil. I don't think it's really helping much but I take it anyway because it's healthy for you. Plus I don't eat much fish.
Posted by Questionmark on April 15, 2003, at 23:49:07
In reply to Re: Amazing. (OCPD)., posted by daizy on April 15, 2003, at 6:32:36
Thanks to you and the others for your comments.
> What meds have you taken? No success with any you say? Im on a tca now, but it doesnt seem to be helping that much! Hvae you tried Klonopin? I have heard such good things about this med?
Was on Paxil, Effexor, Klonopin, Risperdal, Remeron, Wellbutrin, stimulants and others. Paxil was helpful with anxiety (and not completely) but that's about it. i'm not big on Klonopin, though many do find it really helpful; it just makes me cloudy slow and stupid. Nothing has ever really helped my depression or cursed OC personality. i've never tried anafranil or any TCA, nor any MAOI. i just got a script for Parnate but i'm reluctant to start it (or any med again). i do wonder if anafranil would be good. Good lucks.
Posted by Paul Seidel on July 1, 2003, at 14:55:59
In reply to Indecisiveness., posted by Questionmark on April 7, 2003, at 17:43:45
Hi Questionmark,
If you think you have OCPD you might want to check out my support forum for those with OCPD, it's at
Indecisiveness is certainly one of the criteria for OCPD. I am very indecisive myself. I recall a trip I took to Univ. of California at Berkeley and I stopped at one of the foot trails there unable to decide which path to take and I just stood there frozen. It seemed to me that at that point in my life it made absolutely no difference which path I took and I couldn't think of any reason to pick one over the other.
Ambivalence is an integral part of OCPD. Part of it is being so out of touch with your feelings that you have no idea what you want, so you don't have the inner compass that normal people use to make everyday decisions. For example, to decide what kind of ice cream to have normal people will go by what they'd like at the time. Someone with OCPD will try to use some external standard to decide which is the "best" choice. They may consider the fat content, what they had last time, what other people are having, whether it has nuts and then consider whether nuts are healthy or not, that kind of thing. They look at it from the outside in and from the point of view of what is "right" instead of from their own point of view. Another reason someone with OCPD has trouble deciding is they don't want to shut off a possibility that might prove better in the near future. In other words, they want to do the right thing and not make a mistake. This has been called "obsessional indecision" or "paralysis of the will".
We have about 35 members so far and you are welcome to join. You are not alone.
Sincerely, Paul
This is the end of the thread.
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