Has anyone with Pure-O or responsibility OCD had success with CBT or medications?

Question

I've heard that the obsessive thoughts never really go away. My biggest problem is recurrent thoughts of hurting loved ones, the deaths of loved ones guilt for thinking said thoughts and anxiety. CBT is supposed ot make you ok with the thoughts but I want to get rid of them entirely. I have a hard time concentrating on anything, I can't be in large groups of people and have a hard time traveling. I also get extreemly anxious when people I live are traveling/socializing. 
All I want is for the guilt and anxiety to go away.

pola_pink_ocd · Accepted Answer

I have OCD which is mainly O... and yes the obsessions are harder to "cure".. I do find that medication (Zoloft for me) helps with my obsessions.. I too used to have thoughts about harming people I love, but these have subsided.. I do still have some obsessions but they come and go more now, and are not continually hanging over me!

In terms of CBT, YES it is probably the most effective therapy for obsessions, esp. combined with medication. I did my honours thesis on the cognitive-behavioural model of OCD put forward by Paul Salkovskis (do a google search on him for more info), and it is very much the opinion of many psychologists today that there is a cogntiive behavioual process to OCD.

i.e. everyone has thoughts abt harm.. they're normal but the person with ocd interprets these thoughts as being indiczative of the person being responsible for the thought/action and hence feels anxiety.

e.g.
"Non ocd person:
Thought abt harming baby --> thinks: silly thought - forgets abt it.

OCD person:
Thought abt harming baby --> this means i am a bad person, i wanted to think this, thinking it means i am more likely to do it etc ---> anxiety and depression and guilt.

CBT will target that middle process, the way you interpret the thought, so that with time, when you experience an intrusive thought, you will no longer feel such a strong negative reaction to it..

Hope that makes sense.. jsut do a search on Salkovskis for more info. I'd definitely go for CBT and medication, it will improve your quality of life markedly!

Good luck! :)

p.s. feel free to contact me if you'd like to know anymore: pola_pink_ocd at yahoo.co.uk

? · Answer

If you are a natural person you should try cognitive behavioral therapy. It was the only thing that has helped me with my horrible health anxiety. Read here https://tr.im/U3Pz7

Your thinking determines your quality of life. Your thinking is what causes you these feelings: 

Anxious, fearful, stressed or depressed 
Constantly worried, or angry about something that is happening in your life 
Struggling to overcome obsessive and negative thoughts. 

If you change your thinking, you will change your life. This is the basic idea behind CBT for anxiety. The Cognitive part is where you learn nee methods and ways to change your same old habits and thinking patterns. If you keep thinking and expecting the worst – You will continue to suffer.

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Has anyone with Pure-O or responsibility OCD had success with CBT or medications?

2 Answers