Breaking Taboos

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) has portrayed in media are misconstrued and are just the tip of the iceberg.

In this episode of "Bossing Up Overcoming OCD," we confront the stigmas and taboos surrounding OCD, shedding light on how effective treatment and specialist care can truly make a difference in your recovery.

One crucial aspect highlighted in this episode is the prevalence of misdiagnosis in individuals with OCD. Research cited from the National Library of Medicine showcases how taboo subtypes of OCD often face incorrect diagnoses, leading to prolonged suffering and inadequate treatment.

When working with an OCD specialist, you can feel confident that you are in good hands. We heard from Hannah, and I have had clients in the same boat, where OCD wants you to live in fear. By going to an OCD specialist, you can get the right kind of therapy for your OCD and feel much better, much quicker.

One of the major parts of OCD is the safety behaviors: in other words, avoidance. I get it. It’s hard to talk about the scary taboo subjects like pedophilia, sexual obsessions, harm OCD, and suicide OCD.

The narrative in my latest podcast episode stresses the importance of seeking the right diagnosis and treatment, akin to addressing celiac disease with the appropriate dietary changes. Just as gluten-free diets are essential for those with celiac disease, tailored treatment plans from OCD specialists are imperative for individuals grappling with OCD.

Remember, you are not alone in your journey. Seek help, embrace the support around you, and keep bossing up in the face of adversity. Together, we can break taboos, shatter stigmas, and pave the way towards a future of empowerment and healing.

The research referenced, can be found here.

Leave a 5 star review for the podcast show on Apple Music! After you leave a review, send me an email at erin.h.davis@outlook.com for an exclusive freebie!

Breaking Taboos Transcript

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we're partnering with NoCD to raise awareness about OCD. OCD is more than what you see on TV and in the movies. Imagine having unwanted thoughts about your relationship stuck in your head all day, no matter how hard you try to make them go away. That's Relationship OCD. It comes with unrelenting intrusive images, thoughts, and urges about your partner or loved one.

Breaking the OCD cycle takes effective treatment. Go to nocd. com to get evidence based treatment.

Happy Good Friday, everyone. I hope you've had a great week. Thank you for being here to listen to another episode of Bossing Up Overcoming OCD. And since today is Good Friday and we're leading into Easter weekend, I'm going to read a verse from John 3 16 may sound familiar. The John 3 16 verse says, for God so loved the world that he gave his [00:01:00] only son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life .

Hi, I'm Erin, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and OCD Specialist. I'm also a Christian, wife, mom to three, and small business owner, helping those who are overwhelmed by stress to climb out of that valley and enjoy the view. Reheat your coffee and pop in your AirPods to learn how to boss up to OCD.

In today's episode, I'm going to be talking more about the importance of seeing an OCD specialist. We're going to be talking about all of those taboo topics and finishing up that interview from our special guest, Hannah.

Okay. In last week's episode, we heard Hannah's story about how she suffered from OCD her whole life up until she saw an OCD specialist. Hannah even went through Different rounds of like medication, self help and other [00:02:00] therapists before she landed with an OCD specialist. And that OCD specialist was with the organization, NoCD.

And I proudly advertise NoCD on this podcast because I absolutely 110 percent agree that you have to have an OCD specialist to help you come out of that valley and enjoy the view. So if you're looking for an OCD specialist, if you're in North Carolina, you can also schedule with me personally and Again, I would love for you all to leave a review for the podcast because leaving a review helps lift the podcast on search results and as a bonus.

Freebie. I will send you a special gift if you leave a five star review. So once you leave that five star review, send me an email to Erin dot h.Davis@outlook.com. That email, again, it's ERIN dot h, do Davis. That's DAVI [00:03:00] s@outlook.com, and send me an email saying that you left your five star review and I'll send you an exclusive perk.

Just for leaving a review.

Now, when you go see an OCD specialist, I want you to feel confident that you're in good hands because the, as we heard from Hannah, and I've heard the same thing from clients who've been in the same boat. They will, It's like you can reach a point where you're like, I know I need to go to therapy and it's really hard to know where to start.

But again, if you're looking for that OCD specialist, go to no cd. com or go to my website, value driven therapy. com so that you can get matched up for the right kind of therapist. Now I'm licensed in North Carolina, and so you can work with me if you're living anywhere in the state of North Carolina or located in North Carolina.

And the thing about OCD, you know that OCD wants you to live in fear and doubt because by doing so you, you are continuing to feed [00:04:00] the OCD and that's what OCD wants. And one of the major parts about OCD are those safety behaviors. Those safety behaviors are those things that help you decrease the anxiety that comes from the obsessions and compulsions.

And Normally, or what is common, one of the safety behaviors can be avoidance, and I totally get it because, like, we're going to be hearing more about those taboo subjects today and like we heard from Hannah last week, it's hard to talk about those scary taboo subjects like pedophilia, sexual obsessions, harm OCD, and suicide OCD.

So I really want to clear the air on these subtypes or these themes and these obsessions that can come up in OCD. Now, as most of you may know, therapists are mandated reporters. And

 As a mandated reporter, [00:05:00] that's something that often stops people from coming into therapy, especially for OCD, because the mandated reporting typically involves situations where we are reporting if you're a risk of harm to yourself or others Or maybe there are situations of child abuse, elder abuse, disabled person's abuse, or some other sort of imminent danger.

And when you have an OCD subtype of like the harm or pedophilia, like those sorts of taboo situations, it may feel very scary and limiting. And it may feel like, Oh, what if I talk about these things with the OCD specialist? And then they, Report me like I'm toast right or my career is over or my security clearance is done and you know all those things So I wanted to shed light and debunk some of those fears And I understand that OCD like wants to [00:06:00] tell you otherwise But trust me, when you're working with an OCD specialist, they are going to use their professional judgment to determine, are you at imminent harm to yourself or others?

If you're that OCD sufferer, it's a totally different conversation. And even like for that suicide OCD, which all of these topics, I do plan to do a full series on in the near future. And so with these, like with the suicide OCD. People are very afraid that they're going to go. straight to the hospital.

They're afraid that if they talk about this suicide OCD fear, then I'm going to admit them to the nearest emergency room. And it's like, no, that's not how this works. I am going to do an assessment, a professional assessment to see Are you at risk to yourself? Are you making any plans? Are you having any intentions of doing said [00:07:00] things?

And we're going to have that discussion and likely we've got that therapeutic relationship and that rapport to guide us and see what The appropriate course of action is while also balancing those ethical principles of your confidentiality and keeping you safe. So

if you ever have a question about confidentiality or that mandated process, Reporting piece of your therapy, please bring that up with your therapist. You are more than welcome to ask clarifying questions, and it does not mean that there is going to be an immediate course of action, especially if these are only thoughts.

Okay, and again, with the OCD thoughts, we have to remember that OCD thoughts are involuntary, meaning you're not trying to think about them on purpose, and they bring you fear or stress. Right? And so that's what makes it intrusive. And there's absolutely a [00:08:00] delicate balance between the ethical and professional standards that guide our practice, but I want to give you that information that just because you have these subtypes or these themes or these fears, that doesn't mean that you're going to get admitted to a hospital, or it doesn't mean you're going to be registered on a sex offender list.

Okay, like Because even going back to like episode one where I talked about what is OCD, I want you to remember that you are not your thoughts and your thoughts do not define you.

We're partnering with NoCD to raise awareness about OCD. OCD is more than what you see on TV and in the movies. Imagine having unwanted thoughts about your relationship stuck in your head all day, no matter how hard you try to make them go away. That's Relationship OCD. It comes with unrelenting, intrusive images, thoughts, and urges about your partner or loved one.

If you think you may be [00:09:00] struggling with Relationship OCD, there's hope. NoCD offers effective, affordable, and convenient OCD therapy. NoCD therapists are trained in exposure response prevention therapy, the gold standard treatment for OCD. With NoCD, you can do virtual, live, face to face video sessions with one of their licensed specialty trained therapists.

It's affordable and they accept most major insurance plans. Breaking the relationship OCD cycle takes effective treatment. To get started with NoCD. Go to nocd. com slash savage.

Now, the other thing with OCD, you have

now, the other thing with OCD is that it is often misdiagnosed and the misdiagnosis well, it happens at least 50 percent or more of the time in people who have OCD, meaning that they either get diagnosed with anxiety or something else and you have probably experienced how it's [00:10:00] very important to get the right diagnosis so that you can get the right kind of treatment and even see the right kind of provider.

 So let's say you're someone who has celiac disease and celiac disease is that autoimmune disorder with gluten. And it only affects 1 percent of the population. So it is rare so let's say you're going to the doctor for all of these intestinal and digestive issues, and they say, Oh, it's just indigestion, stomach acid, take these over the counter pills for a couple weeks, and you should be better.

Well, with celiac disease and it being autoimmune, eating gluten just destroys the body and the proper treatment for celiac disease is to eat a gluten free diet Okay, so if you continue down this road of like, oh, it's just stomach acid indigestion Etc But you don't eliminate gluten.

You're still not getting the right treatment and you're still suffering. So same goes for OCD. Like you need to see [00:11:00] someone who understands what you're going through so that you can get that proper diagnosis, proper treatment so that you can get the relief you need and get your life back.

And in the show notes, I'm going to reference a study that was done by the national library of medicine.

a study that's published on the National Library of Medicine website. And it's talking about how often OCD is misdiagnosed and the rates of incorrect diagnoses was significantly higher for those taboo subtypes. So like the sexual OCD subtypes that was misdiagnosed 52. 7 percent of the time. Harm and aggression was misdiagnosed 42 percent of the time.

Religious OCD was misdiagnosed almost 35 percent of the time, and the list goes on.

And overall, OCD is misdiagnosed about half the time. So you can read more about that research [00:12:00] article by clicking on the link in the show notes.

And another thing that kind of came to mind as I was developing this episode. So I was talking to a mom on the baseball field last weekend, and we were having this conversation about how some parents are putting a lot of pressure on the coaches. We have travel baseball kids and there is a lot of competitiveness.

There's a lot that goes into the game even before game day. A lot of preparation, a lot of dedication. And this mom and I were discussing how, like, you can't put all of your eggs in one basket with a coach. Like if you feel like your child, your player is not prepared for game day, or it's not competitive enough to get more playing time or whatever that looks like.

Then. Take your kids to lessons or work with them in the backyard, those sorts of things because your coach is not your only source of skill development. [00:13:00] And my friend that I was talking to, we were making that analogy even with like your preacher. Your preacher is not your only source of spiritual growth.

Right? Like, yes, we go to church on Sunday, but your Christian walk or your religious walk goes beyond those church walls. So wherever you meet for worship, like, that's not the only time where you practice your faith, and you have to build it out and incorporate it into your daily life. Your daily life or those other areas of your life, or whatever that looks like for your religion that you follow.

So let's tie that into OCD, like your OCD specialist is that expert on OCD and. You can think of the OCD specialist as like your skilled architect where they are meticulously crafting that blueprint or that treatment plan, right? That blueprint for a [00:14:00] new fortress within your mind.

So we're going to be building that strong foundation of skills that you can learn, apply, and take with you to the outside world. And with the OCD specialist expertise, they're going to guide you through that construction process. They're going to help you lay each brick by brick with precision and purpose.

And outside of your sessions, Your OCD specialist will be like your compass. They're pointing you towards the materials, the resources, and the strategies you need to further build that stronghold, enabling you to navigate those challenges of daily life. with resilience and clarity.

And that reminds me of the verse in Matthew 7, in Matthew chapter 7, verses 24 through 27. And this is the English Standard Version. It's that story about how Jesus gives the [00:15:00] metaphor about the house built on sand versus rock. And so it reads, Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock and everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds And beat against the house and it fell and great was the fall of it, right?

So we got to have a strong foundation where we're working from a place of skills and knowledge. And your OCD specialist is that expert to help you build that strong foundation. When you're getting your treatment for your OCD.

All right, let's hear more and finish up the interview from our special guest, Hannah. And we heard more [00:16:00] from her last week. Let's finish up that chapter of hearing from Hannah. And I've got the link for the free OCD peer led support group on my blog. And that can be found at value driven therapy.

com slash blog. And remember a peer led support group is led by lay persons who are non therapists. They will give you advice and build a sense of community. But they are not OCD specialists. You really need to match up and line up with an OCD specialist and that can be either through myself or no CD.

And so let's get back to that interview with Hannah.

So Hannah, let's say someone is very nervous about going to see an OCD specialist. What advice or recommendation do you have for them?

 I know how difficult it is telling somebody, Hey, if you do this, like you'll feel better. Like, cause you don't believe it in the moment. Like you genuinely just are like, [00:17:00] no, like this will not work. Like I've done this would not feel like this.

good news is. If you keep practicing ERP, especially in those back door spikes, it's so much easier and faster to get over that OCD spike than it was the first time you dealt with it. And I got into recovery a lot quicker. In that spike, like it was maybe a month and a half. And I was like, wow, like, I feel great. Like I feel a lot better. It was really nice. I say, lean into what your therapist is telling you.

As terrible as it is, as hard as ERP sounds like. It's so much easier than dealing with OCD every single day.

We're partnering with NoCD to raise awareness about OCD. OCD is more than what you see on TV and in the movies. Imagine having unwanted thoughts about your relationship stuck in your head all day, no matter how hard you try to make them go away. That's Relationship OCD. It comes with unrelenting intrusive images, [00:18:00] thoughts, and urges about your partner or loved one.

Breaking the OCD cycle takes effective treatment. Go to nocd. com to get evidence based treatment.

Okay. This wraps up another episode of bossing up. Overcoming OCD. Thank you for being here today. Remember to leave a five star review for the show. Once you leave that five star review, send me an email at erin. h. davis at outlook. com and I will be more than happy to send you an exclusive freebie just for you.

All right. Again, happy Good Friday. I hope everyone has a great Easter. Now see you again next week where I'm going to be talking about all things insurance, how to afford therapy, Some tips and tricks to help you in paying for the care that you need. I can't wait for you to hear that episode and I'll look forward to having you back here next week.

Take care.

Thank you for [00:19:00] listening to another episode of Bossing Up Overcoming OCD. This information is intended to be helpful and not a substitute for professional counseling. If you're struggling with any mental health challenges, I encourage you to seek help from a qualified therapist or health care professional.

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You're not alone in your journey. Stay strong, stay resilient, and keep bossing up. See you next time.