Aa
HELP
I need to know if I am OCD, paranoid, just anxious, depressed, or just plain crazy. I can't stand it any more. I am so bad now that I can't leave the house. I have always wanted to be 'in control', and my hair has always been my weakness. If I don't feel it looks good, I don't feel good. It comes and goes but I found out I have an autoimmune disease and feel more out of control than ever. To top it off I got a bad haircut after I had finally grown it out and to a point I loved it.....then I got a second haircut to 'fix' it and it is even worse. I hate it and obsess over it every day. I can't leave the house, it has gotten so bad. I don't know what to do and am frozen. I need to do something but can't. I am afraid to cut it more because I don't trust hairdressers at this point. The cut is crooked and no matter what I do, it looks stupid. Everyone tries to be helpful and say that their hairdresser can fix it but I will have nothing left if I keep going from person to person. I know there is more to this than my hair, but I know I can't deal with anything until I get it fixed. I hinge WAY too much on my stupid hair but with everything else falling apart on me, that is the only thing I feel I can control....but now I can't. I am at the end of my rope. I feel unable to want to live or feel happy about anything. I am scared. I don't want anyone to know what a wreck of a person I am. I fear people finding out how crazy I am.
Does anyone have any ideas for me?
Does anyone have any ideas for me?
randyrowdy,
Youre condition sounds very similar to mine. I have extreme Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I've went through the hair thing, goin to multiple hair dressers to try and fix it. Then it got worse and I freaked and decided that I wasn't gonna cut it so I grew it out for a couple years. Everyone thought I was a freak....couldn't figure it out, cause I went from a pretty boy to a long haired bearded weirdo. oh yeah shaving was hard for me too...so I didn't shave. Now I don't recommmend this behaviour because it lasted about two years, and when I did cut my hair and beard again I was pretty much back where I started. Although maybe a bit more optimistic and armed with more information.See I was trying to avoid the problem instead of confront it. I was like you I always thought that if I could get my hair fixed I'd be alright. But you have to realize its deeper than that. Think of it this way its not your hair cut thats the problem, its that fact that it bothers you that much that is the problem. Youre searching for the wrong thing....youre searching for a good haircut, when you should be searching for ways to make yourself happy with your present haircut. Cause if youre even close to that way I am you have to realize that youre never gonna be happy with any haircut unless you change youre focus. Now I know I'm not suppossed to give diagnosis or tell you how to fix things expecially since I'm not a doctor. But its a free country and I'm entitled to my opionion. So thats all this is. Ok now what we have that sorted out here we go. You have to realize that you are in control of your mind and your emotion. Its like the Buddhists say "you are what you think" And there has never been a more true statement. My condition is very extreme and the doctors on here are gonna hate me for this but I've never takin medication and I never will and I pride myself on that, no matter how bad it gets. I feel if you rely on medication you never get to the root of the problem its just a way to hide it. and when I do beat this it will be over. a men. anyways I'm rambling abit....back on topic. Once you learn to control your thoughts and emotions you are invicible in the true sense of the word. nothing can hurt you and nothing can bother you. you are in control, and you can take your life to places you've only dreamed. There is a technology that I would recommend you research called neuro associative condition it helped with my condition. also known as neuro linguistic programming. Tony Robbins is the one that I learned this technique from. And although not designed specifically for ocd it definatley helped in my case. More than anything it helped me realize that I was truly in control. I'd recommend the book awaken the giant within.......which gives you that basics then you can take it from there if you wish. This is my own opinion but I've come to the conclusion that my obsessive compulsive disorder stemmed as response to stressful situations. What happened is I would get in a stressfull situition and I would think about it or do it over and over again and it would make me feel better. and as we all know people are creatures of habit. And I formed a bad habit. Not unlike smoking and probably just as hard to quit or harder. But you have to consciously take control of your thoughts. I know its hard....at one point I felt like I wanted to die because I couldn't get these intrusive thoughts outta my head.I've never been to a doctor either for my condition, so everything I recommend take into consideration that fact. And I do not advocate not goin to a doctor in any way. But I do pride myself in self medication....i look at it as a way to truly get to know myself. In conclusion I know look the future with hope and excitement and although I'm still not totally in control...I'm very close. I want you to know that it does get better...Look at it as a journey of enlightenment. I know sometimes its painful I once slept for a whole month. only getting up to eat and for washroom breaks. that sucked, but hey, I'm still here and I feel like a better man because of it. I've seen hell, I've looked it in the face and survived. So my friend, I want to wish you the best of luck on your journey and I apologize if my thoughts are a bit unorganized.
Youre condition sounds very similar to mine. I have extreme Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I've went through the hair thing, goin to multiple hair dressers to try and fix it. Then it got worse and I freaked and decided that I wasn't gonna cut it so I grew it out for a couple years. Everyone thought I was a freak....couldn't figure it out, cause I went from a pretty boy to a long haired bearded weirdo. oh yeah shaving was hard for me too...so I didn't shave. Now I don't recommmend this behaviour because it lasted about two years, and when I did cut my hair and beard again I was pretty much back where I started. Although maybe a bit more optimistic and armed with more information.See I was trying to avoid the problem instead of confront it. I was like you I always thought that if I could get my hair fixed I'd be alright. But you have to realize its deeper than that. Think of it this way its not your hair cut thats the problem, its that fact that it bothers you that much that is the problem. Youre searching for the wrong thing....youre searching for a good haircut, when you should be searching for ways to make yourself happy with your present haircut. Cause if youre even close to that way I am you have to realize that youre never gonna be happy with any haircut unless you change youre focus. Now I know I'm not suppossed to give diagnosis or tell you how to fix things expecially since I'm not a doctor. But its a free country and I'm entitled to my opionion. So thats all this is. Ok now what we have that sorted out here we go. You have to realize that you are in control of your mind and your emotion. Its like the Buddhists say "you are what you think" And there has never been a more true statement. My condition is very extreme and the doctors on here are gonna hate me for this but I've never takin medication and I never will and I pride myself on that, no matter how bad it gets. I feel if you rely on medication you never get to the root of the problem its just a way to hide it. and when I do beat this it will be over. a men. anyways I'm rambling abit....back on topic. Once you learn to control your thoughts and emotions you are invicible in the true sense of the word. nothing can hurt you and nothing can bother you. you are in control, and you can take your life to places you've only dreamed. There is a technology that I would recommend you research called neuro associative condition it helped with my condition. also known as neuro linguistic programming. Tony Robbins is the one that I learned this technique from. And although not designed specifically for ocd it definatley helped in my case. More than anything it helped me realize that I was truly in control. I'd recommend the book awaken the giant within.......which gives you that basics then you can take it from there if you wish. This is my own opinion but I've come to the conclusion that my obsessive compulsive disorder stemmed as response to stressful situations. What happened is I would get in a stressfull situition and I would think about it or do it over and over again and it would make me feel better. and as we all know people are creatures of habit. And I formed a bad habit. Not unlike smoking and probably just as hard to quit or harder. But you have to consciously take control of your thoughts. I know its hard....at one point I felt like I wanted to die because I couldn't get these intrusive thoughts outta my head.I've never been to a doctor either for my condition, so everything I recommend take into consideration that fact. And I do not advocate not goin to a doctor in any way. But I do pride myself in self medication....i look at it as a way to truly get to know myself. In conclusion I know look the future with hope and excitement and although I'm still not totally in control...I'm very close. I want you to know that it does get better...Look at it as a journey of enlightenment. I know sometimes its painful I once slept for a whole month. only getting up to eat and for washroom breaks. that sucked, but hey, I'm still here and I feel like a better man because of it. I've seen hell, I've looked it in the face and survived. So my friend, I want to wish you the best of luck on your journey and I apologize if my thoughts are a bit unorganized.
hey, rowdyrandy--
I understand your frustration. The doc is right to suggest going for help, but then the ironic little fact of life is that when we need help the most, we feel absolutely powerless to reach out for it. Someone who has never been so frozen that they can't even answer the phone just can't really wrap his or her mind around what you're going through. People don't mean to be unfeeling--they just really and truly don't get it.
When the doc says "get help," I hear the urgency in that, and that's the sign of concern you should latch onto. If there's even one single person you trust enough to say "help me" to, you'll be on the way.
Yes. It's hard. Sometimes feels impossible. But, you must. Here are the good reasons to take the risk:
--You are worth it.
--You can't stay inside fussing with what little hair you have left forever. (No, you can't!)
--Your symptoms are kind of like the psychological equivalent of chest pains: they require immediate attention. Sooner the better.
--Even if talking head docs don't much appeal to you, there are medications that can provide fairly rapid relief. Most regular old general physicians can and will prescribe these for you. So, you can just go to the regular doc, which is sometimes easier than searching out a therapist. The regular doc can then point you to therapy if you want to do that, but will often write you a prescription on the spot, as well.
I suffered a long, long time. One day I was getting a routine yearly exam with the gynecologist and when the doc asked, in passing, how I was, I actually told him the truth: I was paralyzed with depression. He took me very seriously indeed, and pointed me to a GP with a special interest in treating depression.
That gynecologist, as it turns out, is the smartest mental health professional I've met yet . . .
best to you
marriedlove
I understand your frustration. The doc is right to suggest going for help, but then the ironic little fact of life is that when we need help the most, we feel absolutely powerless to reach out for it. Someone who has never been so frozen that they can't even answer the phone just can't really wrap his or her mind around what you're going through. People don't mean to be unfeeling--they just really and truly don't get it.
When the doc says "get help," I hear the urgency in that, and that's the sign of concern you should latch onto. If there's even one single person you trust enough to say "help me" to, you'll be on the way.
Yes. It's hard. Sometimes feels impossible. But, you must. Here are the good reasons to take the risk:
--You are worth it.
--You can't stay inside fussing with what little hair you have left forever. (No, you can't!)
--Your symptoms are kind of like the psychological equivalent of chest pains: they require immediate attention. Sooner the better.
--Even if talking head docs don't much appeal to you, there are medications that can provide fairly rapid relief. Most regular old general physicians can and will prescribe these for you. So, you can just go to the regular doc, which is sometimes easier than searching out a therapist. The regular doc can then point you to therapy if you want to do that, but will often write you a prescription on the spot, as well.
I suffered a long, long time. One day I was getting a routine yearly exam with the gynecologist and when the doc asked, in passing, how I was, I actually told him the truth: I was paralyzed with depression. He took me very seriously indeed, and pointed me to a GP with a special interest in treating depression.
That gynecologist, as it turns out, is the smartest mental health professional I've met yet . . .
best to you
marriedlove
Med Help International states clearly that we cannot offer medical diagnoses in any of our forums.
Dr. Gould is 100% correct - you need to make an appointment with a board certified Psychiatrist in your area for therapy and possibly medication. If you live near a major medical teaching university, we suggest you contact them and ask for a referral. If you do not, then we suggest you contact the largest hospital in your area and ask them to refer you to a Psychiatrist.
No one can diagnose, prescribe or treat patients via the Internet.
Med Help International
Dr. Gould is 100% correct - you need to make an appointment with a board certified Psychiatrist in your area for therapy and possibly medication. If you live near a major medical teaching university, we suggest you contact them and ask for a referral. If you do not, then we suggest you contact the largest hospital in your area and ask them to refer you to a Psychiatrist.
No one can diagnose, prescribe or treat patients via the Internet.
Med Help International
Well, that was an obvious answer! I could have told myself that. I need more direction than that for heavens sake. Having an idea of where to go and what is wrong with me might have been more helpful. I know I am screwed up. I have not left the house in a few days and do not plan on doing so. I need some actual HELP in what to do. I am frozen and telling me I should get help is just not helpful. A little support and insight would have been what I needed.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You have only one choice and that is to see a psychiatrist for both medication and talk therapy. You can be helped and you should do this right away.
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