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When I was going through nursing school they told us why diagnosis was so important - not for the patient, mental health treatment is kinda individualized by necessity.
It's so they have a billing code and can get paid lol. What bipolar and bpd and whatever all look like can sometimes be similar and there are biases in diagnosis (more men have one than the other etc).
For me, OCD is checking. Over and over. When I had it bad, I'd check my door a few times then leave. Even if I was 30 minutes away by bus, sometimes I'd go back and check again. I would wake up in the middle of the night and check the stove was off, and again, and again. Some people's OCD is more about thoughts of harm like being so scared of hurting kids, then they'd get those thoughts - obsessions - over and over. I also had compulsions around clean food and water, used to not eat at work ever even 12 hour shift and be dehydrated I wouldn't drink some bottled water.
Yeah I know diagnosis is stupid. I’m currently reading ‘You Are Not a Rock,’ and it’s pretty good, and the author’s approach is basically “everyone’s at least a little compulsive and here’s how anyone can improve their mental health.” Still I’m at the phase in my self discovery (this is a familiar cycle) where I really like labels.
It’s not as bad as some of the worst I’ve heard, but am very much a checker. I check my belongings and notifications, whether I set a timer, whether I still believe something, etc a lot. I also have a lot of intrusive thoughts and get compulsive trying to appease or disprove them. I think I have OCD, lol.
I think I’ve had/have sensory/motor, waste, losing things?, contamination, existential, harm, and relationship OCD. That’s all in the past year. Meanwhile I’m impulsive and do stuff that makes people with regular anxiety anxious for me.
Yeah you might, good news is that, if you do, you can learn to deal with it in ways that don't suck as much as rechecking and rechecking. And learning to accept that your thoughts are just thoughts, doesn't change who you are, acting on them might but just having thoughts doesn't mean anything. Also meds can help, they did for me especially at first.
I know, I’ve gone through many of the resources from aforementioned rev left. They’ve helped and I’m a little more mindful and stuff. Unfortunately I forget all the advice if I’m not currently reading it. Of course I keep coming across things that are just “wait, that’s OCD.” The thing with OCD meds is I’m scared they’ll mess with my ADHD and vice versa. My mind is both very over and under active. They also keep each other in check a bit. I can impulsively ignore my anxieties and I’m only understimulated sometimes.
You wouldn't be the first person on like Vyvanse and an SSRI! I've had a few patients with em.
uh talk of attempted suicide(s)
So yeah I've seen more than one kid (intentionally) overdose on their Vyvanse or Concerta and their effexor or sertraline, so I even know the worst combo effects when people are purposefully taking too much of both.
Anyway, meds are just one tool. Don't have to do it. I did a lot of CBT and EMDR and some exposure therapy and I'm off my meds now anyway, safely, and I still feel like I'm on top of my OCD
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Wow I feel really bad for those kids for a bunch of different reasons. Once saw someone fry their brain on a sertraline overdose.
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The hardest was the 10 year old, they try it with tylenol usually but this kid had harder stuff to try. 10 years old...
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Really respect your ability to deal with stuff like that in your work.
If I reread this book every night I think I’ll be able to handle it. My contradictory combo leads to periods of realizing my compulsions are stupid. I also have endless faith (sometimes) in my own betterment. If it doesn’t work out and I successfully get diagnosed I’ll consider meds.