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I have trouble with people in general, especially at school.
I'm 15, and I'm a sophomore. Okay, this past summer I found out I have anxiety and OCD very badly when I ended up in the ER after a softball game. Ever since, and even some before, I've had problems talking to people. Not only that, I can't stand being put in groups at school. No one is mean to me, in fact if anything, everyone is nice to me! So I'm not getting bullied, I do have lots of friends. At my school, if you play sports, you're pretty much popular. So I kinda am. But, if someone I'm not comfortable with tries to talk to me, I feel like crying. Sometimes. I don't like people knowing I'm there, and I don't ever intend on going to gatherings or party's, unless it's forced upon me. Even then, I feel like crying. I don't know what's wrong with me. I have a good body build, and often get told how beautiful I am. Not bragging, just making it clear that it's not bullying, low self-esteem or anything like that. Quite frankly, I don't know what's wrong with me. Someone please help, before I make stupid choices, like not going to prom my junior and senior year, or rejecting every guy that tries to talk to me. I just need help.
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You may want to get a 2nd opinion from another source to see if they agree with the diagnosis. After all, you are a 15 yr old teen girl who likely has the hormonal issues of puberty still bombarding you. Think back, did you have these problems before puberty, when you were younger, before getting your period. I have heard of many girls these days suffering from a larger than normal, over abundance of hormones going through their system. It is common for young females to feel their emotions being out of control and really sad or crying often for no particular reason or being irritated, angry and fly off the handle for no reason. I read about parents who took their teens in the see the doctor who found in testing that their hormones were extremely out of balance and they were put on medication for a couple years until their hormone levels naturally leveled out which they all do for us females usually by 17, 18.
I do not know if the previous Dr. thought to run tests on your hormone levels to see if they were in balance or out of balance for what's normal. If it wasn't done, it should be because it may be contributing to your issues.
If you get a 2nd opinion, I would highly suggest a Psychiatrist who looks at all methods that may help a patient, not just medications. Look for one who is licensed in using hypnotherapy along with regular counseling sessions. Hypnotherapy gets to the heart of the matter much faster, accessing your subconscious mind to discover what past experiences may have triggered your anxieties. Keep in mind that some doctors are more interested in the benefits they get from promoting a certain pharmaceutical drug, rather than what is going to benefit their patient first. If you have been put on meds and still don't feel right, tell the parents you are still miserable or feel worse and want a 2nd opinion. Let them read my response.
I know from what you say that your life is going pretty smoothly with nothing terrible that could be the likely cause of the anxieties. However, I've read of patients who had no past events or current ones to cause anxiety, had an idyllic life and all of a sudden, one day they realize how compared to others and all the issues others have to deal with that they've got it all, all the best, and begin to worry about losing it, after all it seems unnatural to coast through life, so trouble free, so the person begins to anticipate and worry about the day that it all changes for them. The problem here would be allowing negative thoughts to run rampant in your mind and actually believe them. The first negative thought that comes to mind, if focused on and entertained in a scenerio in your mind will naturally bring on a 2nd, a 3rd , until it snowballs out of control. In psychology self help books I've read the importance of capturing your first negative thought and replacing it with a positive one. For some, working on this brings some relief and the doctor can help with the rest. But you will need to be actively involved and participating to get to a better place mentally and emotionally.
You want to be able to enjoy the rest of your high school years, so I would be open to checking out anything that effectively will shorten the healing process/getting better process.
You would need to talk to the parents about wanting a 2nd opinion, and finding a doctor you connect with and trust or it wont work. I looked up a few links on line on how hynosis helps anxiety and OCD for you to look at and show the parents. Look for their reference to it treating anxiety, obessive or compulsive disorders.
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shrink/201004/hypnosis-underused-technique
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If your family can't afford Doctors because of lack of insurance, then it will be up to you and with them being supportive, of discovering what things you can do to begin to get some relief yourself. I would still get checked out for puberty related hormonal imbalance. Check with Planned Parenthood if they will run a lab test for that or if they have a low cost referal for you to go see on that.
I also have a list of things a person can do to naturally take themselves out of depression if it is not something wrong in the developement of your body. I will agree some people do need medication. One of my daughters is such a one, but another daughter is not and at times she has been depressed, like months on end over a break up, severely so, lost tons of weight, etc. and yet she recovered totally using self heal techniques I told her about which she had confirmed by her one free visit to a psychiatrist. If you want to work on that, it can't hurt to try. Let me know and I'll provide it. But you have to write to me from my column not in the comment section.
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I'm not a doctor so I can't make a diagnosis of any type. Though I am a parent of child who suffered from OCD.
For one thing OCD is an overly diagnosed option for a number of ailments that effect teenagers going through puberty. In general a parent takes the child to the family doctor and the family doctor makes the diagnoses and prescribes medication. In a high percentage of the time the family doctor is right and the medication does the job.
For those teenagers who the medication does not seem to helping higher dosages of the medication generally won't help either. What needs to be done is to talk with a psychiatrist who is better capable of managing the medications for OCD who will also have you work with a psychologist to find out what is causing the anxiety.
IF the anxiety can be relieved through talk therapy with a psychologist then the OCD symptoms may go away or at least become less bothersome. Anxiety is stress part of OCD is dealing with stress,(over simplification).
My suggestion is to talk to your parents about seeing a "Board Certified Psychiatrist." If you have seen one and you are still suffering then see a different one and get a second opinion. You should also be talking to a psychologist for talk therapy.
A word about psychologists; you have to be comfortable with him or her so you can talk openly with them. Nothing you say in therapy gets back to your parents. You have total confidentiality. Your therapist becomes your new best friend. If you are not comfortable with the therapist say so and they will find someone else for you’re to see and hopefully you will be more comfortable with that therapist.
What I'm recommending to you worked for my child. I hope and believe it will work for you.
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