Lived Experience Forum

[Peanut8utt4]

Hello.

I'm new to this so I am not sure what to say. 

I suffered OCD and Anxiety in my 20s and 30s but was weaned off medication an have been ok.

Last week, very suddenly, I was hit it a wall of crippling Anxiety and have not physically been able to go to work or look after my kids! I knew it was bad and saw my GP asap and restarted medication 6 days ago. Has this ever happened to anyone so quickly?? And how long did it take to be able to get up in the morning. 

At the start of the year my youngest child also nearly died and the doc suspects an element of PTSD. My intrusive thoughts are based on their safety. That I will hurt them accidentally. It's awful and OCD makes it so hard to just ignore.

Thank you

[BPDSurvivor]

Hi @Peanut8utt4 ,

Firstly, I love your username! Secondly, welcome to the forums.

From what you have posted, I can see why you are finding anxiety is taking over. For me, anxiety comes in waves. Its good for a while, then situational crises can set it off.

For now, its generally all under control as part of the meds I take. I don’t take it specially for anxiety, but the meds do help with anxiety. I used to take PRN medication to help with anxiety throughout the day. Sorry, I cannot name meds here.

But yes, I believe anxiety can hit people out of nowhere!

[NatureLover]

Hi and welcome, @Peanut8utt4 !

I have OCD and Anxiety and am amazed you recovered from those before 😮

It makes sense to me that you had a trauma (with your youngest child almost dying) and that it's suddenly popped back up with these symptoms now. 

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@Peanut8utt4 wrote:

My intrusive thoughts are based on their safety. That I will hurt them accidentally. It's awful and OCD makes it so hard to just ignore.

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This also makes sense as it's a feature of OCD, the terrible thoughts based on safety /risk of harm. 😞 I really feel for you.

Do you have a counsellor or psychologist? 

If not, then the first step is to visit your GP and ask for a Mental Health Care Plan. This will entitle you to 10 (20 during Covid) subsidised sessions with a psychologist per year. The only thing is that psychologists are so overwhelmed with demand at the moment that it could take 6 months to get in to see one. But it's a good idea to get on the waiting list now. 

You can help this process by googling then ringing round psychologists in your area to ask: are they taking new patients at the moment, what is the wait time for a new patient to start, what are the costs, etc. Then you can take a name to your GP for the Mental Health Care Plan referral. (GPs might not know which psychologists are taking new patients and which have stopped as they are full.)

A handy SANE forums tip is if you type @ and then click on a name in the drop-down box, that person will get a notification and won't miss your reply. 🙂

I hope you find the forums supportive...

[Peanut8utt4]

@NatureLover - thank you for your answer. I have done a few of those things but there is a big wait for psychology so I might ring around.

This really isn't living. The way I am at the moment anyway. If i could get the physical side to calm down then maybe I could move forward but I find it so hard to even get out of bed. Hopefully the meds will work soon.

Thank you again.

[Paperdaisy]

Hi @Peanut8utt4 Welcome to the forums. I'm so sorry to hear about your recent trauma with your little one. I have my own little ones so I can imagine the anxiety that must be causing and how it wouldn't be easy to just escape that. I hear you're on a waitlist for psychological services and I hope you can get some support there. In the meantime, would the SANE drop in line be useful? You can chat to a counsellor there. There is also the SANE guided service which might be something you could access (depending on eligibility), it's 12 sessions and you can self refer- I'll pop the link here. Blueknot specialise in trauma and may be able to assist you also. 

It's understandable you are feeling this way and I hope things ease for you soon. 

Please take care,

Paperdaisy