Does anyone else husband suffer from OCD?

As well as trying other suggestions, I think you should persuade your dh to go back on the meds as it seems there is a link between depression/stress/anxiety and the symptoms of ocd. He might have to stay on them for a while before they start to work. I'm sure he appreciates your support and can't help himself even though he knows it's upsetting you. I hope things improve soon.

Just reading this Mulberry and I am sure we are married to the same man, friends used to be jelous but it is very stressfull for everyone including the kids :) the problem was better when we had a live in maid (she has gone now but thats a whole new thread) I find it best to let him get on with it some days are better than others, I take it he cleans even if it is clean?

I can understand completely what you are going through. My grandmother has OCD and her thing "was" cleaning as well. Apparently she has had it since she was a small child but it acts up when she is fighting depression. When she was about 19, she lost both her parents within a month of one another and became very bad with it. Then eventually after a short hospital stay, she got a little better but then when she was 48, my grandfather died and she went totally back again....for 14 years all the kids and grandkids, we all lived within a minutes walk of one another were drove to our wits end and it caused loads of problems within our family and drove wedges between her children that to this day still exist. My aunt was the one unfortunate enough to be living there at the time as she was the youngest and so was meant to take care of my grandmother. Her family were miserable and her nerves got bad from having to deal with the "constants", that ranged from washing her hands until they bled, checking the stove a hundred times a night, checking the taps, cleaning the countertops, etc etc etc and the list goes on. After bearing the misery of it for 14 yrs, my mother being the eldest daughter committed her to a hospital and after a 6 week stay, she came home and has been for the most part fine ever since(10 years now). I am sure she still has things that she does that bothers some but the handwashing, nitpicking, cleaning, checking tendencies all have disappeared. During her time in the hospital, she received shock therapy. We all often wonder if it was that procedure that cured her OCD and Depression or if she was just so scared that the family would send her back to the hospital, that she cured herself. I should tell you, she was the cleanest, most high society lass in the church so you can imagine how she fit in when she had to stay on a ward with 10 other psychiatric patients(all in a much worse state than her) and share one bathroom...I believe she faced her fears and realized that the germs weren't going to "get" her and if they did, there was nothing she could do about it. I am sorry you have to deal with this, I have seen many many heartaches and tears over the years from that disease. I hope it gets better for you all soon. x

think thats the last resort speena. I dont know where to start looking though. Mulberry...as mentioned before I have listed two groups below that you can contact. They will be able to tell you where to get help. Also as mentioned below, a gp will be able to refer you to a hypno therapist if you wish

Hi Mulberry, it must be very difficult for you. We have a friend who behaved similarly. It wasn´t so obvious when just meeting socially except he uses to constantly wipe down tables in cafés and restaurants. Once when we all met up for a wedding and many of us had flown in from another country and stayed together in one place he woke up before everyone else and started cleaning the flat (which was already clean) and even moved heavy furniture to clean behind sofas, bookcases and so on and no matter what anyone told him he refused to stop until he had done the whole flat and it went on in a similar fashion every day. Sorry I can't help you with your problem but just wanted to say that I have a small understanding of what you must be going through.

I am so sorry to hear that mulberry, you must be really suffering...I am reminded of the movie The aviator with leonardo di caprio. Have you seen it? He suffers from OCD and it was connected to his mum and childhood. Very interesting movie. He must find the root of his condition, what set it off. How long has he been like this?

No, shouting isn't going to help, if anything it'll raise the anxiety levels and make it much worse. I guess there are worse things he could suffer from. Put it this way, think yourself lucky that you have someone who is always clean and tidy. Some of the worlds famous people have been OCD sufferers: Charles Darwin, Howard Hughes, David Beckham, Donald Trump, Harrison Ford, Beethoven, Einstein - so he's in good company.

Mulberry...did you see the support groups I listed below?

http://www.americancenteruae.com/adhd-and-ocd-support-groups/ And this one..this is a newly opened centre

Take a look at this http://www.emiratesspecialneeds.com/obsessive-compulsive-disorder.asp

Hi there, I've had various anxiety problems in my family (namely my dad). It is a subject that has fascinated me for many years as I have endured the ups and downs and felt there must be a permanent solution for all this. Drugs only fix the problem on the surface. It is a vicious circle: 1- If you take drugs for an extended period of time, your body gets used to me. You will need to start increasing doses etc...and the side effects are not pleasant. 2- Some people stop taking the drugs because they think they are better and come back to square one. Why? because the root of the problem has not been solved. Think about it this way, it is not a problem he was born with. Either something in his childhood has led to this or there is a chemical imbalance. First scenario, long term treatment with a good psychologist is essential. Counselling is an emotional rollercoaster ride as things get dug up and worked on. Ask me, I've done it! He needs to expect it and let him know that you will be there for him in the downers. There will be many when undergoing counselling but that is a very good sign that issues are being worked on. scenario 2, chemical imbalance: I believe alternative therapies and nutrition coupled with counselling can successfully reset the body. Chemical imbalances can exist for many reasons. I am a total advocate of nutrition as therapy. Renowned Nutritionist patrick Holford has written many books on the subject. I attended a seminar of his and he was saying that he works only with schizophrenics, manic depressives etc... complicated cases basically, and he has managed to cure their conditions purely with the right foods and supplements. He goes on TV in the Uk with these cases and runs a facility in the UK for these cases. You can find his books in all book shops now. I really do hope you will find the right solution for him. Good luck.

Freckles thats so kind of you. Woud i take him to any acupuncturist? or one where a spa does it? or a special one don't go to a spa. Get a referral from a gp as they will be able to advise you which one is the best..or someone oh here might know...but seriously think about hypno therapy.

Mulberry, what sort of things does he do, as there are varying degrees of OCD. I found the Dubai community health centre are very good with this sort of thing. But your hubby has to want to deal with it.

hypno-therapy is definitely a good alternative. I used hypno-therapy to help deal with depression and panic attacks. Its all about changing the way the brain communicates with the nervous system etc. Seriously give it a try. OCD is a terrible thing to live with. Have you watched the Monk series? An american detective who suffers with serious ocd. Its very funny but also very interesting. Might be something your husband would like to watch? I have all the seasons if you want to borrow them.

Then he must try alternative therapies. acupuncture and hypnosis are 2 that may help

Mulberry, how terrible. I wish mine had a touch of it.... Are there no professionals here who can help? I once saw a Paul Mckenna show where he used hypnosis to cure a lady...it was semi successful. <em>edited by vero possumus on 29/03/2011</em>