Asperger's, Depression, and now possibly OCD

Post Reply New Topic

I went to see my prescriber the other day and when asked if my symptoms were getting under control, so i mentioned these new and rather disturbing symptoms: When I hold my cats or my baby nephew, i suddenly get images in my head of me unintentionally harming or even killing them. She said that they sounded like symptoms of OCD and asked if i had other symptoms-like obsessive hand-washing or other compulsive actions i must do to feel...alright. Well I noticed another trait hours later: At home, I must be indoors when a car goes by, when I am outside and I hear one coming, I get a panicky feeling and run for the door, and I get thoughts that if I don't make it to the door in time, the driver is going to grab and kidnap me, and making it inside protects me from that. Does that sound like OCD? or am I just paranoid?

This could be OCD, however a person with OCD is more likely to worry about intentionally harming or killing them even though they know they never would, and these fears generally manifest as graphic mental images.

About the door....that could also be OCD...it depends on the specific nature of the fear though. If you know it's unlikely that the driver would jump out and break in and kill you, it's more likely to be OCD.

i know in my head and heart that my bolting for the door when a car goes by is irrational-i live in a fairly safe neighborhood- but it just bothers me if i don't make it inside before the car reaches my house. And though i haven't yet had these thoughts with my nephew yet, i do occasionally picture myself tearing my cats to shreds though i am not angry with them, and when the thoughts get really intense, i start to self-inflict to try to drive out the thoughts-by biting my arm or giving myself Indian burns.

You might give Prozac a try.

Regarding your graphic mental images, I can definitely relate. I get those graphic mental images all the time, which is why I'm certain that I have OCD, though I have yet to be diagnosed as such.

Now, regarding your other point, I think that might be a sign of paranoia.

I had a bad experience with prozac in my teens. i take Zoloft now, and am in danger of having the dosage raised yet again! But if it turns out to be OCD and not some form of agoraphobia, it will make it even harder for me to seek employment. Whos gonna hire a depressed aspie with OCD? thats my biggest concern, cuz im too young for SSI and i only know of one disabled persons housing in my immediate area, but they charge rent.



Since that is the only ritual i take part in atm, i think so too, but that ritual still distresses me, i wish i could end it.

When you do decide to work, your employer doesn't need to know about your mental health. There's no law that says you HAVE to disclouse that you have autism, depression, & ocd. That's none of their buisness. I never told my last employer about my Aspergers or depression.

One is never too young for SSI. Heck, I'm 24 and recieve SSDI.

I have ocd tendiencies and there not as bad as they use to be in my teens. However what your experiencing with the feelings with your cat and nephew doesn't seem like ocd to me.

Just wondering, what did you experience when you took Prozac? The last time I was on it, it almost made me kill myself.

I felt like i couldnt be myself on prozac, like my mind and free will was being controlled on the drug

I have similar symptoms, but my doctor has never mentioned it. Asperger's often presents itself as OCD, however, if you treat it with the type of med usually given to treat OCD, it will only make the symptoms worse. I have violent thoughts, too. I'm also extremely paranoid about having doors locked as I am terrified of someone breaking in. Sometimes I will go back to check the lock my locker at work or my car to make sure its not open a couple times.

i don't have OCD but I have triggerticolmania or something....

I have ocd traits.

cards and brochures at counters MUST be neatly stacked

wall hangings (pictures and mirrors) MUST be straight

models I make MUST NOT have any visible seams

the floor MUST be swept and mopped in the direction of the wood slats.

These three tend to go together quite often. I have all three, though the OCD isn't as much of an issue for me anymore. It was hell as a child, and for some of my adult life, but I've mostly managed to kick it into a corner of my head where it can't hurt me. Still working on doing the same with depression unfortunately, but eh.

Prozac's a fairly old-school drug by now. There are more modern ones with less side-effects, iirc.

"unintentionally"
is very reassuring!

Without wishing to suborn in any way the role that the drugs you take or the therapists who prescribe them make in your life, ( I am taking 20mg Escitalopram daily)

I would like to say that you Cannot overlook the Mind having a little say in the matter.
When I was a Yogi, I was fortunate enough to be exposed to the founding principles of the tradition of meditation.
I was taught (and I believe) that thoughts are the wild horses that drag the charioteer (the mind)
all over the godamn place!
Thoughts are the dangerous animals that buck and kick and drag us around and disobey us and try to go in a hundred directions at once
and will throw us off the chariot
if we don't learn how to lasso them and throw them to the ground and jump on them and tie them up just like a rodeo rider does a runaway steer!
YeeHaw!




...anyway

It can't hurt to learn meditation
It's the practise of disobeying your thoughts