| THOUGHT |
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ANSWER |
| I can't possibly tell my therapist what I think about. It's just too weird. I'd be totally embarrassed. She'll think I'm completely crazy. |
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No matter how strange you think your thoughts may be, someone else has undoubtedly thought the same or similar thoughts. In fact, it's quite normal for everyone to have "weird" thoughts now and then. The difference is that people with OCD just happen to "get stuck" thinking about them. |
| There's no way I'm ever going to be able to get over this. I just can't imagine stopping what I do. It would just be too hard. |
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A knowledgeable therapist will help you design a program in which you will start with "baby steps" and slowly take on more difficult challenges at your own pace. In fact, you may start with imaginal exposures before working on "real life" exposures to your fears. |
| Even if I do want to get help for my problem, I can't, because it's so bad, I can't even leave my house. |
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If, at first, you are unable to go to your appointments, you can still begin treatment for OCD. Working with a therapist that is willing to do so, you can start working on Exposure and Response Prevention exercises with your therapist by telephone, or even right in your home. |
| I'm afraid my therapist is going to make me do things that I just can't do, like touching doorknobs when I'm terrified by germs. |
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In helping you work on your OCD, a knowledgeable therapist will never ask you to do something that he would never do. Also keep in mind that a qualified therapist is there to assist you in determining what you want to do. If you're not ready for a particular challenge in your therapy, such as touching something that you fear, you can decide with the guidance of your therapist to try something a little easier, for example, just standing near the feared object and looking at it in order to gain the confidence needed to try something more difficult at a later time. |
| I've already been to three therapists for my OCD. It didn't do any good. Why bother trying another one? It's useless. |
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It's quite possible that you haven't been in the right kind of treatment. There are many therapists that have the best intentions in wanting to help, but lack the knowledge needed to treat OCD. Make sure you ask your therapist questions about his or her experience in treating OCD before beginning your therapy. |
| I don't want to take pills. I don't believe in them. I don't want to get "all drugged up." |
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First of all, if you don't want to take pills, no one's going to force you to take them. Even though scientific studies have shown that the most effective treatment for OCD includes a combination of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and medication, many people have had very good results in their therapy by doing ERP alone.
Second, taking medication doesn't mean that you're going to be "all drugged up." If you do experience some initial side effects such as drowsiness, know that in time the body often adjusts and side effects often disappear.
Third, medication may help restore the proper balance of natural chemicals in the brain so that you don't have to suffer with OCD. It may be a little easier to think about taking meds for OCD if you think about other problems that are commonly helped with medication, such as diabetes, in which insulin is taken to restore proper sugar levels in the body. |
