Hi Jo,
Well of course I am not a Dr or an expert in OCD but... I do have it myself
and I have to say that on reading your symptoms you sound like a classic OCD
case to me!
You were referred to a CBT therapist which is one of the main treatments for
OCD so I can't understand why you are now being told you don't have it?
This is certainly not going to help you, and must be very distressing, once
you know what it is you can begin dealing with it, to be given mixed
messages as you have been is working against you not for you!
As to your symptoms not being severe enough, the main question is Do your
symptoms interfere with your everyday life? Are they intruding more and more
into your life? If the answers are yes then that is severe enough to be
taken seriously and treated.
Hope this helps Jo, take care
hugs Sani
P.S Welcome to the group hon! :0)

----- Original Message -----
From: "littlemissworrypants" <littlemissworrypants@...>
To: <theobsessivelycleanden@...>
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2005 7:46 PM
Subject: [The Obsessively Clean Den] Confusing diagnosis (or lack of)


> Hello,
>
> I've just joined and would like to say a very warm hello to
> everyone. The website is fantastic!
>
> I have a mild case of OCD which is worse when I am tired or more
> stressed. I went to the doctor last May when I first realised that
> I had a problem because I was terrified of illness and bacteria.
> The doctor never gave a diagnosis but said that I should be refered
> to a CBT therapist. Since I was soon to move to another area I was
> not referred because the waiting list was too long and I could not
> afford to pay for private therapy, and so I attended counselling for
> around 16 months, changing counsellor when I moved.
>
> Both counsellors I saw told me that I don't have OCD because my
> symptoms are not extreme enough and that many of my anxieties have
> roots in real past experiences. My partner believes that they just
> told me I don't have it because they thought it would help me
> feel "normal". This doesn't change the fact that I have symptoms:
> - repeated washing (that dries out my skin/makes me sore/sometimes
> burns me because the water is so hot),
> - distress that germs/dirt/bacteria MIGHT be on me and make me ill,
> - complete over-reaction to feeling unwell,
> - panic attacks,
> - need for continuous reassurance from others that things are ok and
> not going to make me ill/do not need washing or re-washing,
> - fear of food-poisoning (I get extremely stressed about cooking and
> cannot cope with raw meat),
> - worrying that germs might be on objects and transferred to
> anything they/I have touched
> - as a child I developed a twitch and was afraid that fires were
> starting in drawers and cupboards when I closed them and I had to
> open them to check, then close them, then open them to check etc.
>
> It seems obvious to me and my partner that I have mild OCD, so why
> did the counsellors tell me otherwise? I don't think the denial has
> helped me. Has anyone else had any similar experiences?
>
> Warmest wishes
> Jo
>
>
>
>
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