Someone help me please?

[AnonymousME]

Hi this is my first post here, I am 17 and I am a OCD and social phobia sufferer.

Germs is the area which affects me most. I wash my hands at least 40 times per day. If I touch anything that I don't know is clean to my standards I have to wash my hands, if I don't wash my hands I start to heat up and get really hot headed and stressed and end up a crying on-edge mess.
Due to my excessive hand washing I now have bad dermatitis on my hands, which require me to use steroid hand creams and other creams/ointments from the doctor, I have to use this morning, day and night. If I go a day without applying hand cream my hands bleed, they hurt me 24/7 they sting like mad.

Obviously this frustrates my Mother and everyone else in my life, I feel really bad because of this.

Due to my hygiene issues, I had to be home schooled, I have no GCSE's, no BTEC's, no A Levels ... Nothing, but I am a really intelligent person, but have never found any way of getting a home course.
I have now got to the age where child benefit etc will stop, and I am looking to get a job, my Mother cant afford to pay for me forever, will any employer really hire me, having to wash my hands every 2 minutes?

I don't want to go on benefits, but I just cant find a job that will support my condition and be fully understanding about it

Do any of you know of a way of working from home? or any way of getting an education from home (other than open college/uni which costs a bomb!)?

I also suffer from social phobia and general anxiety, which has been so bad that I have months where I can barely leave the house, I have tried CBT but that hasn't seemed to help at all, and I don't want to go on medication.

I struggle to leave the house, when I do I get really bad pains and feel like I need a poo, but desperately and it hurts so much. this has ruined my life, I dont get to go out of the house much now, and when I do I cant be out for long

Is there a way I can work from home? I just feel stuck, lost and depressed that my life is going nowhere

Thanks in advance for all your help, I didn't know where else to turn

[AnonymousME]

Anyone? I dont know what to do?

[get busy living]

Anyone? I dont know what to do?

I was a compulsive hand washer when I was a kid and had to use hand creams to heal chapped hands. It was so bad I needed to use a new towel every time I dried them too. My parents decided that I get some medication and speak to someone on a regular basis and eventually I got it under control.

I'm not sure what to tell you about working from home. I worked for a grocery store a while back and one of my co-workers would use latex gloves when working the cash register. I'm sure if you explained the situation to your manager they would have no problem with you doing that. Also, I'm not quite sure what open college is, is that like online classes? If not maybe that is an option.

I don't want to force you or tell you what to do but maybe speaking to Psychiatrist to get on some medications will help. I understand you not wanting to take medication. I was the same way but it isn't so bad. Also, maybe speaking to a Psychologist on a regular basis who can work with you on overcoming your OCD/anxiety would be an another helpful option.

[trinidiva]

Why don't you want to try the medication? I saw a really good program on TV some months ago about OCD sufferers...and it gave a really good insight on how difficult life can be...... Finally they each started meds along with CBT and they showed their progress..it was amazing.....you really ought to try...
It seems like you have tried just about everything else...
As far as working from home, I work from home completely....however, I have been with my company for quite some time to get to this point where they now feel comfortable with me being completely offsite.
There may be some data entry related jobs where you can work from home.......I see them advertised online sometimes.

[AnonymousME]

Hi thank you both for your replys, the reason I haven't wanted to try the meds is because I have been told there are a LOT of side effects, and I feel it would be masking the problem and when I come off the meds I would be the same? and I don't want to be on meds forever. Obviously with me being 17 all child benefit/tax credits have stopped, and my mom cant afford to have me here any more, and I cant work at the moment, well I could from home but never see any openings for home working, I don't know what my next step could be. I start iTalk CBT next week, as giving CBT another shot but with a different worker can only be a good thing, or at least worth a try.

GetBusyLiving, when you started your meds, did the "need" and constant feeling of needing to wash your hands go?

If I do ask about meds, what would you recommend? I don't want any nasty side effects, I just want to feel normal again.

Trinidiva do you know which company's offer data entry jobs from home? and do you know what country they are based in? I am in the UK, so would need to be a company that operates in the UK

Thanks again for getting back to me

[trinidiva]

I take Zoloft. I fought taking it tooth and nail....I am the type of person who does not even take an aspirin for a headache, but I realized that I did NOT want to live like that, feeling miserable and anxious all the time. My doctor started me off with an extremely tiny amt, my doctor's exact words were, "this is the amount I would give a 10 yr old who suffers from OCD". I tried it and never looked back. I am feeling much better these days.....not 100%, but I'm back to doing some things that I couldn't do before. As far as side effects, I was scared about that also. The only thing I experienced was fatigue (so, now I take it right before bed) and a touch of loose bowels for a day or two. It wasn't severe, but I noticed it. That has now gone away, but I still get tired after I take it. It pretty much guarantees a full night of sleep!!!

As far as working from home, I'm sorry, but I am in the US....so I'm not quite sure how to help you look for stay at home work in the UK. I know quite a number of the members on here are from the UK though, perhaps someone can chime in with some info.

Also, if I can find the you tube link for that program I mentioned, I will attach it. It was really encouraging to see where they started and what they were able to achieve. I think the cameras followed them for over a year to track their progress.

[Mrspbnj0220]

Don't have much advice other than the fact that maybe there are some herbal options to help out, or perhaps there could be some medicine options for you. I think the suggestion about using gloves would be helpful. I think you may need to consider benefits, and I'm honestly shocked that your mom isn't wanting to help, considering you are still considered a child at 17. With that being said though, you could look into something like KGB, or Chacha, it's an online answer forum. Odesk.com is where you do different jobs for people. Microworkers.com is a site where you do mini jobs. Lastly you could consider working for Google, you rate sites. You could also consider doing something that you sell on Etsy.com Most of these jobs don't pay a ton of money, it's really about finding what you are good at. You could always consider getting your Medical Billing degree/license, and that doesn't take much time, you can do it online, and then you can work online doing it as well. You could also consider mystery shopping but that may be an issue because you do typically have to leave the house, however there are some that are over the phone. You can go to mysteryshoppingforum.com or it's mysteryshopperforum.com I really hope I'm not breaking any rules here listing these sites for you. If so the admin will likely say, and this is my apology and you are more than welcome to message me for the info as well. I stay at home with my son so I'm always looking for extra ways to do stuff at home.

[get busy living]

GetBusyLiving, when you started your meds, did the "need" and constant feeling of needing to wash your hands go?

If I do ask about meds, what would you recommend? I don't want any nasty side effects, I just want to feel normal again.

Definitely. I don't know the exact time line since this was 16 years ago but I do remember seeing improvements rather quickly. I was on Prozac for maybe 3-4 years before my Psychiatrist suggested to take me off medicine since my OCD was under control and I was seeing a Psychologist regularly. 16 years later without meds and I'm doing fine.

As I said above I was on Prozac but I would let a Psychiatrist prescribe you with what they feel is best for you.

[AnonymousME]

Thanks again everyone for your support and help!

My old psychotherapist gave me the option of 3 to pick from, I might do some research into each and see what I find :)

and Mrspbnj0220 its not my mother not wanting to help, because she does, its her not affording to pay for me, without any financial input for me, shes doesn't get a lot, and being the only one to pay for me its going to be a struggle, and I cant let her be that stressed. Also do you have a link to that type of job with google?

thanks everyone I really appreciate the help!

[alankay]

Anon, I think a long, fair trial of an ssri should be done. You have such issues that are effecting you that you need to do/try something. Why bend your life to accommodate your OCD and Anxiety? I don't "want" to take meds either but.......I do. Why? Because it helps, is cheap and safe but mostly nothing else helps as much as fast(it dose take some time). I'd ask about low dose prozac or luvox starting at a very low dose and slowly raising that dose to minimize side effects. The doc might add a benzo like klonopin or clorazepate or even atarax(an old antihistamine with anti-anxiety properties) for any days where side effects are hard(if you get any) then stopping that after you adjust. For OCD you often need a fairly high dose but it really should be tried IMHO. Ask you doc about this....seriously. PM me any time. Alankay