I begged him to calm down and pay attention instead of obsessing.
When I told my therapist what was going on, she suggested that we see a specialist in OCD, which Mike and I were unfamiliar with. It’s more like the movie version of what we thought we knew: frequent hand washing, turning lights on and off frequently, and being careful not to step on cracks. Those weren’t issues that concerned Mike.
The term “neat freak” is often used to describe someone with OCD. The piles of unfolded clothes in my husband’s closet make it impossible for him to have OCD.
Mike’s obsession was not with cleanliness but with safety, especially when it came to contamination and poisoning. He was compelled to do research and seek reassurance as a means of coping. He needed more and more reassurances to overcome his apprehension as the reassurances became less effective. As a result, despite my assurances that everything would be alright, I was only contributing to his mental illness.
What We Found Out About OCD Was:
However, symptoms can appear at any time of life, and are most common in childhood and adolescence.
After the onset of symptoms, it is common for people to wait years before receiving the proper diagnosis and treatment.
The Good News is That The Treatment is Extremely Effective
We made a list of all of Mike’s concerns and ranked them in order of importance before our first appointment with the specialist. Then, beginning with the simpler tasks, he began confronting his anxieties and learning to simply sit with the pain.
he ate an unwashed berry. a He tracked mud and germs into our foyer on his shoes. A long-dormant wood stove was resurrected by our saviour. A combination of anti-anxiety medication and cognitive behavioural therapy helped him to overcome his previously paralysing reactions to these and other stressful situations.
