myOCD: 2011

One of the hardest things about OCD is the feeling of helplessness. One of my favorite methods of coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder is keeping a journal of my disorder. Although many people seem to have a strong aversion to the idea of keeping a “diary”, keeping a journal is one of the best things you can do for your OCD. This is not a typical day-by-day journal. Instead, the way I have mine set up is so that I write whenever I have an obsessive thought or compulsion. In the journal, I write what obsession and/or compulsion I have, when I have them, my thoughts at the time, and the actions taken to reduce anxiety. This way, it is easy to keep track of what has worked, and what hasn’t.

So, how should you set up your journal? This is how I have chosen to set up mine:

[DATE]

Obsession: _____________

Compulsion: ______________

~[SPECIFICS/SOLUTIONS]

Although this is just preference, I only write on one side of the page. To me, it makes things a little more organized, as well as frees up space for hobbies, such as creative writing or drawing.

What kind of notebook should I use?

This comes down to personal preference, but I have always found myself drawn to the Moleskine Ruled Notebook Large, or one of its many knock-offs. The size is the main factor for me, because I’d rather not carry around an 8.5″ x 11″ spiral notebook around with me everywhere I go. At the same time, however, I want something big enough that I can write a substantial amount on one sheet. Combine that with the fact that Moleskine notebooks are generally very sturdy, and you have the perfect notebook!

What about Blogging?

Most of us spend most of our time on the Internet anyways, so why not use a blog in place of a standard journal? You can easily use WordPress.com, Blogger, or one of the numerous other blogging platforms for your journal entry. I have decided to have mine at multiple places, with headquarters being myOCD at Posterous, which gets many of its posts from our very own myOCD. Through Posterous, I can upload to other platforms, as well, including Twitter and Facebook.

Do you have any other suggestions for tracking OCD, or maybe some journal tips and tricks? Leave them in the comments!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Possible Symptoms of Childhood OCD

From Possible Symptoms of Childhood OCD | myOCD.net,

I picked up an amazing OCD self-help book recently: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder for DUMMIES. . Not only did this book help with my obsessive-compulsive behaviors and give me a massive amount of respect for the DUMMIES series, but there is one major section of the book that focuses on helping other people suffering with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Because of how important childhood is in human development, we will start with detecting symptoms in childhood.

Unfortunately, many of the symptoms that plague adults with OCD are just as common in children. In fact, OCD generally begins in childhood, usually around the age of seven. Children will do their best to hide their symptoms out of shame, embarrassment, or even fear that they might be crazy. They also may not be able to talk about their obsessions, due to lack of vocabulary or insight. However, parents can usually point out some of the compulsions that go along with those obsessions. So what kinds of symptoms should you look out for?

Counting aloud repeatedly.
Excessive concern with appearance.
Excessive worry about religion.
Hoarding.
Finding interest in “lucky” and “unlucky” objects, including numbers.
Excessive concern about cleanliness.
Checking locks repeatedly.
Repetition.
Strict routines, reacting in anger when routines are broken.
Demanding symmetry and order.

If your child exhibits any of these symptoms, it could be a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder.HOWEVER!, your child having one or two of these symptoms does not necessarily mean your child has OCD. Also, this list is not all-inclusive. Obsessive-compulsive disorder can take many different forms. The most important criteria to determining whether your child has OCD is:

Does it interfere with my child’s quality of life?

When you strip everything else away, that is what a disorder truly is. If you feel your child does have a disorder, it may not be obsessive-compulsive disorder. There are many other related conditions, which is why it is important to go to a professional. Although mistakes do happen, licensed professionals are generally the most qualified to make a diagnosis.

Do you have a child that suffers from OCD? What symptoms have you noticed? Do you have any questions or concerns? Leave them in the comments!

Read more articles like this at myOCD.net.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

The Seven Steps to Freedom

From The Seven Steps to Freedom | myOCD.net,

The last of the “Steps” series (which was actually entirely accidental), the Seven Steps takes a much different approach from the “Twelve Steps” and the “Four Steps”. Contrary to the Twelve Steps, the Seven Steps focus on your own personal control over obsessive-compulsive disorder. Meanwhile, contrary to the Four Steps, the Seven Steps focus not on behavior, but instead on your thoughts themselves. From Therapy247.com:

The Seven Steps to Freedom

Realize that you have OCD.
Believe that you can rid yourself of OCD.
Realize it is all in your head. Although outside forces can have an influence, the problem itself exists in your brain.
Realize you create your OCD.
OCD is not real. You invented it.
People without OCD don’t think about it. This is the reason most people fail to understand why one man has to wash his hands twenty times in an hour, but it can also help you realize #6: It’s not real!
Be aware that realizing the above steps is half the battle to becoming free from obsessive-compulsive disorder.

My first time reading through this, I found it redundant. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how useful this list is. Using basic logic to understand OCD can sometimes be enough to break yourself of it.

What is your opinion on the Seven Steps? Have you found any more of these “step” programs that seem to work with treating OCD? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Friday, April 1, 2011

The Twelve Steps of OCD

From The Twelve Steps of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder | myOCD.net,

One of the major forms of treatment used in the famous Alcoholics Anonymous is the use of the “Twelve Steps”. Recently, I had the thought of adapting it for obsessive-compulsive disorder, but as it turns out, I wasn’t the first to have the thought! This is the list I found at Recovery-World.com, though you could easily find it elsewhere, as well.

We admitted we were powerless over compulsive/addictive behaviors — that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others still suffering from the effects of compulsive behaviors and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Although religion is one of the basic principles of the Twelve Step Method, having a religious affiliation is not a requirement by any means. If you are not a believer, you can easily switch out “God” for anything, including maybe family and/or friends. As the saying goes, “There is more than one way to skin a cat”.

Would you like to make any changes to this list? Do you have any other programs that could be useful for “curing” OCD? Let us know in the comments!

Find more articles like this at myOCD.net

Monday, March 28, 2011

Friday, March 25, 2011

Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior

When I first became aware that I was afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder, I was recommended an excellent self-help book, titled Brain Lock - Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior. In this book, Dr. Schwartz goes through the "Four Step Program", teaching you how to manage OCD. But what exactly are the "Four Steps"? Coming from Hope4OCD.com:

QUICK SUMMARY OF THE FOUR STEPS
OF COGNITIVE BIOBEHAVIORAL SELF-TREATMENT FOR OCD

Step 1: RELABEL
Recognize that the intrusive obsessive thoughts and urges are the RESULT OF OCD.

Step 2: REATTRIBUTE
Realize that the intensity and intrusiveness of the thought or urge is CAUSED BY OCD; it is probably related to a biochemical imbalance in the brain.

Step 3: REFOCUS
Work around the OCD thoughts by focusing your attention on something else, at least for a few minutes: DO ANOTHER BEHAVIOR.

Step 4: REVALUE
Do not take the OCD thought at face value. It Is not significant in itself.

Although this may seem like common sense to those of you that do not suffer from OCD, but thinking about these four steps can help change the chemistry in the brain, essentially "curing" OCD. The stories within the book detailing other cases of OCD are extremely helpful, as well. However, the main mistake this book makes is that it oversimplifies the disorder. The other issue I have with this book is that 90% of the book is simply other people's stories. Though, if you go into the book realizing this, there is no reason why not to read it. Even with the shortcomings, there is good advice to be found in this book.

The "Four Steps" are a basic outline for dealing with OCD. Do you have any reviews about Brain Lock, or any other book recommendations? Feel free to leave us a comment.

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