146 pages

English

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Free from OCD , livre ebook

New Harbinger Publications - A. Sisemore Timothy

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146 pages

English

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You may not know anyone else who suffers from repetitive “stuck” thoughts and compulsive rituals, but plenty of other teens experience symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): the need to repeatedly wash their hands, check to make sure everything’s okay, count possessions, put things in order, or even repeat thoughts over and over. Rituals like these may calm you down when you’re feeling stressed or anxious, but you know all too well that the relief is temporary and you’ll have to repeat the ritual when you start feeling uneasy again. This cycle can make you feel trapped, but also may seem impossible or even frightening to break.

Free from OCD offers forty easy cognitive behavioral exercises to help you move past your symptoms and live freely and flexibly, without fear. You’ll finally be able to stop compulsive thoughts in their tracks and keep them from coming back.

This book helps you learn to:

•Notice when thoughts are based in reality and when they’re exaggerated
•Recognize and neutralize situations that trigger your symptoms
•Make friends and feel more confident in social situations
•Use relaxation techniques instead of falling back on your rituals

Sujets

Popular psychology

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Publié par	New Harbinger Publications
Date de parution	01 août 2010
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781572248496
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	7 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0978€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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freefromocd

a workbook for teens withobsessive compulsive disorder

TIMOTHY A. SISEMORE, PH.D.

Instant Help Books A Division of New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

Publisher’s Note

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, înancial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

Cover design by Amy Shoup

PDF ISBN: 9781572248496

The Library of Congress has Cataloged the Print Edtion as: Sisemore, Timothy A. Free from OCD : a workbook for teens with obsessive-compulsive disorder / Timothy A. Sisemore. p. cm. ISBN 978-1-57224-848-9 1. Obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescence--Treatment. 2. Obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescence--Popular works. I. Title. RJ506.O25S57 2010 618.92'85227--dc22 2010019138

Activity 1.

Activity 2.

Activity 3.

Activity 4.

Activity 5.

Activity 6.

Activity 7.

Activity 8.

A Letter to Teens

A Letter to Parents or Caregivers

Recognizing Your Stuck Thoughts and Rituals

contents

How Do Stuck Thoughts and Rituals Affect Your Life?

Imagining Yourself Free from OCD

Tracking Your OCD

Recognizing Your Triggers

Ranking Your Symptoms on the Stairs of Cares

Naming Your Stuck Thoughts and Rituals

Identifying Your Irrational Thoughts

Activity 9.Exaggeration or Distortion? How to Tell Activity 10.Being Realistic About Distorted and Exaggerated Thinking Activity 11.Controlling the Need for Control

Activity 12.Looking Logically at Your Stuck Thoughts Activity 13.Getting Psyched to Fight Activity 14.Stop That Thought!

Activity 15.Arguing with Your Stuck Thoughts Activity 16.Replace That Thought! Activity 17.Thinking It Till You’re Tired of It

Activity 18.Don’t Be Fooled by Feelings Activity 19.Conquering Your Nervous Feelings Activity 20.Recognizing Your Thought Loops

Activity 21.

How Rituals Make Stuck Thoughts Worse

v vi 1 4 8 11 15 19 22

26 29 32 36 39 43 46 49 52 55 58 61 64 68

Q contents

Activity 22.Standing Your Ground Against Rituals Activity 23.Hanging In there with Nervous Feelings Activity 24.Easing Your Anxiety with Deep Breaths Activity 25.Should Others Help You Fight Your Rituals? Activity 26.Disrupting Your Rituals Activity 27.Making Your Rituals Impossible

Activity 28.

Planning to Prevent Your Rituals

Activity 29.Don’t Do It! Activity 30.Beating Your Stuck Thoughts with Exposure Activity 31.What Are You Avoiding?

Activity 32.Facing Your Fears In Your Imagination Activity 33.Ranking Situations That Make You Nervous Activity 34.Making A Plan for Exposure Activity 35.Exposing Yourself Activity 36.Doing What You Fear On Purpose

Activity 37.

Activity 38.

Activity 39.

Activity 40.

Handling Things That Aren’t “Just Right”

Putting It All together

Back In the Game

The Story of Your Success

72 76 80 83 86 90 94 98 101 105 108 112

115 118 121 124 127 130 133

Dear Friend,

A Letter to Teens

From the fact that you picked up this workbook, I’d guess that you have faced some stubborn, troubling thoughts or some irritating, strong urges to repeat certain behaviors. You’re certainly not alone. Many young people wrestle with similar problems, varying from some that are pretty mild to those that are so severe that they change almost every aspect of life. Most teenagers who have obsessions and compulsions keep them to themselves as best they can. They might conîde in a parent, friend, or teacher, but for the most part they înd the symptoms either embarrassing or fear getting teased about them. That’s understandable—being young is hard enough without having to deal with obsessions and compulsions.

I believe that you can beat these problems, or at least make them a lot easier to deal with, if you faithfully work through this book. I know that the idea of a workbook may put you off, but it’s the “work” that will make you better—not just reading. In fact, I think that the time you spend doing these activities will easily be made up by your spending less time dealing with stubborn thoughts and rituals.

These thoughts and rituals are part of a full-blown problem called obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The primary symptoms are obsessions, or thoughts that occur over and over, which are usually worries about something bad happening. We’ll be calling them “stuck thoughts” to stress that they don’t have to be symptoms, just irritating problems. Compulsions are the almost irresistible impulses to do certain things over and over. They are often used to ease obsessions. We’ll be calling these “rituals” in the pages ahead. But I don’t want you to focus on whether or not you “ofîcially” have OCD. Rather, if you have stuck thoughts and/or rituals, these activities should help. You may do them completely on your own or have a parent or friend help keep you going when the activities challenge you a bit. Either way, your efforts will help you regain control of your life, for stuck thoughts and rituals want control of your life, and they shouldn’t have it.

So congratulations on taking the îrst step to beating these thoughts and rituals— admitting that these things are bothering you—and on picking up a book to help you do something about it.

I wish you the best as you break free from OCD.

Tim Sisemore

Dear Caring Adult,

A Letter to Parents or Caregivers

Teens with obsessions and compulsions are usually not “bad” kids and so their anxiety and frustration are often overlooked. By being concerned enough about a teen in your life to look into this workbook, you’ve taken a step to help the young person you care about.

Teens vary in how open they are about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), for it’s a pain to feel controlled by these symptoms at a time of life when teens are trying to develop more freedom. But beating the symptoms of OCD can be very freeing (thus the title of the book) and can help teens move on into adulthood. Moreover, beating something as challenging as obsessions and compulsions can boost teens' self-conîdence as they face challenges in the future.

Teens also vary in how much they’ll want adults to be involved in their completion of this workbook. I suggest giving your teen that choice. You can serve as encourager and accountability partner, but only if the teen is receptive to that. You also can help if your teen gets stuck in obsessions or compulsions without being aware of it—again, only if he or she is open to that. If not, you may be seen as nagging or interfering. The bulk of the work in beating these symptoms is for your teen, not you. You might just ask what role your young person wants you to take, and stick to it.

The techniques in the book are built on scientiîcally supported strategies for counseling. I’ve turned them into activities so that many teens will be able to make progress without counseling. However, OCD can be stubborn and counseling often is necessary. These activities can also be part of such counseling. While medication can be helpful as well, I suggest at least giving the workbook and counseling chances îrst unless your teen is suffering so much that it is compromising a normal life.

I know your teen will appreciate your support, your respect, and your patience as he or she moves toward victory over obsessions and compulsions, and I wish you both success. Thank you for caring.

Tim Sisemore

recognizing your stuck thoughts and rituals

for you to know

There are many kinds of obsessions (stuck thoughts) and compulsions (rituals) that can trouble you, and they may change over time. Learning to recognize them can help you overcome them.

In the classroom, Marci seemed to act like everyone else. But in private, she really struggled. Her mind was almost always on trying not to get sick. She worried about being around anyone who had the slightest snife, and she waited till she got home to go to the bathroom so she didn’t have to use a public one—and so others wouldn’t see how long she spent washing her hands after she went. She also feared that something bad might happen to her mom if she didn’t tap her foot ten times every time this worry crossed her mind, which was often. Marci held it together fairly well around her friends, but these stuck thoughts and rituals broke loose when she got home.

Marci had only a couple of the common problems that make up obsessive-compulsive disorder. We’ll call obsessions “stuck thoughts” as they are worries that are hard to shake (like Marci’s worries about getting sick or something happening to her mom). We’ll call compulsions “rituals” as they are things you do over and over (like Marci’s washing her hands and tapping her foot), usually to try to control stuck thoughts.

Since you’re reading this, it’s likely you’ve had some stuck thoughts or rituals. The îrst step to beating them is to recognize them.

activity 1Qrecognizing your stuck thoughts and rituals

for you to do

Think through the past couple of days. How many of these stuck thoughts have you had? List the thoughts you come up with.

Go back through your list and rank them from the most bothersome to the least bothersome, putting a 1 by the most annoying, and so forth.

What are some of the rituals that you experience? Once again, think through the past couple of days and list all the rituals you remember doing.

Good job!

activity 1Q recognizing your stuck thoughts and rituals

wrapping it up

Often certain rituals go with certain stuck thoughts. It doesn’t have to be just one. Write the letters (a, b, c, and so on) of the rituals that tend to go with each of your stuck thoughts:

Stuck thought #1 leads to ritual(s): , , , .

Stuck thought #2 leads to ritual(s): , , , .

Stuck thought #3 leads to ritual(s): , , , .

Stuck thought #4 leads to ritual(s): , , , .

Stuck thought #5 leads to ritual(s): , , , .

Some stuck thoughts aren’t really connected to any rituals. They’re just kind of there. List any of your stuck thoughts that don’t seem to lead to rituals.

Some rituals just reduce nervousness and aren’t related to stuck thoughts. Was this true of any of yours? List any rituals that aren’t related to stuck thoughts.

Are your symptoms worse than you thought, not so bad, or about what you îgured?