HERE you can find helpful phone numbers and websites.
It is soimportant to ask for help. I will never say this enough. It is so so so important.
I asked for help many years ago when for the first time I had a crisis not knowing it was OCD, not knowing there was anything like OCD, I simply thought I was becoming mad. At one point I understood there was something really wrong and I couldn’t cope with it alone. So, back in the days, I looked for a counseling center, phoned and took an appointment.
The first meeting was with a social worker, very sweet and honest, who told me, “You need a psychologist”. She was right. The second was with a psychologist, very professional and straight to the point: “You need a psychiatrist to reduce your anxiety, otherwise we can’t work together”. (She was right).
I wasn’t happy about it, but I followed the advice, got my diagnosis, started medication, psychotherapy… and after a difficult period, I returned to a practically normal life. For years, I can say I was fine. Until I decided to stop the medication (for the first time), but that’s another story.
What I wanted to say is that, I know, it’s not easy for some people to ask for help. Partly because of my personality, partly out of desperation, (partly out of a lack of dignity?), if I feel the need, I ask for help. And that’s good because the sooner you ask for help, the sooner things get resolved.
But this time, unfortunately, I asked for help too late. It’s not about dignity, jokes aside: it’s about not being stupid like a… I don’t know, I can’t think of anything that stupid. Certainly, not being infinitely stupid enough to risk things getting too bad. I waited too long; I thought I could manage on my own. But no. All of a sudden I was back in the vicious circle of OCD. Oops!
Anyway, in the end, I asked for help this time too. Psychologist, GP, friends, and then, over time, my father, my brother, my best friend, and my co-workers, who stepped in and created a support system for me: a charity that recommended professionals and useful links. Kind people can warm your heart.
But now (only now? Yes, I know) I’m looking for a psychiatrist because I really need one. My GP’s office is a bit slow, considering I’ve been suffering from strong anxiety and severe OCD for three months, and they only put me on the mental health team’s list yesterday. (The team then meets, discusses the cases, and they schedule an appointment who knows when.) I need to find myself a psychiatrist. If only I’d done it sooner, fuck.
Ask for help, don’t wait until you’re devastated, because then go back on track can be a real nightmare – trust me here.
HERE you can find helpful phone numbers and websites.
OCD waves 