Thread: Anxiety, panic, ocd treatment.

Hi everyone,

I hope you don't mind me posting this, really don't want to offend...

I have been considering starting a diary thread myself, as I am sneaking closer to goal and starting to get all preoccupied with the problems i may face as i move up the plans. I have been nosing at some of your diaries for inspiration and you have unknowingly given me lots of support. (sorry, but that does make me feel a bit like a peeping tom iykwim!) I'm not quite brave enough to start my diary but do feel that i really relate to many of your problems, and appreciate your absolute honesty about your relationships with food and other non-cd problems. Especially as there is no one in my life that can really understand what this feel like, not that they don't try, but they just can't 'get it' 'cos they don't have the same problems with food.

Anyway, I'm waffling......

All I wanted to share is a possible way to help some of you. I am a psychiatric nurse and have a reasonable understanding of depression / anxiety disorders. And its fair to say that often these can go hand in hand with eating problems. I'm lucky that I've only ever had one depressive period, and tend to cope quite well generally.
I had noticed that a few of you have experienced panic/ anxiety /ocd problems. Now I really do get how debilitating this is, its 'known' in professional terms as being a 'difficult to treat' range of disorders, and treatment tends to focus in 'living with' symptoms.
My Oh (also a psych nurse) has sufferred with the same, had 4 major episodes in the last 12 yrs with blips inbetween. Whilst i can't go into detail, (cos that wouldn't be fair) to say it pretty much 'halts' normal life for us is an understatement. He became unwell again 3 wks ago, which was devastating. We searched for means to help, and he discovered 'The Linden Method'. We dowloaded the free information and i took the plunge and bought it for him. It is pricey (at £117) but I was desperate to try to not allow this to rule our lives once more. The programme consists of a book, dvds and 1yrs access to telephone or internet support. He has been trying to implement the programme for a bout 1.5 weeks and the difference is astounding, and i would have never have believed it was possible for him to get so 'in control' in such a short time. The gist is, that anxiety/panic etc is a learned behaviour/response. The more you allow anxiety 'in' the worse it gets, because a part of the brain is basically 'reprogrammed'. The method sets up steps to try to 'reprogramme' your brain and thus remove the anxiety response. Now I know it sounds complicated but its not, and nothing I've ever come across in 12 yrs of acute psychiatry makes quite as much sense as this. All I really know is that it has changed his quality of life in less than 2 weeks, when he wouldn't normally get this level of improvement inside 3 months.

I'm sorry if you think I'm speaking out of turn. I can only speak from our experience, and it may not suit everyone. I just couldn't read of some of your problems and not share what we have found. I feel a bit mixed about if I should post this now, i can assure you all i only mean well, and hope you don't all ban me from the board - as i'd like to come and join you all soon, when i pluck up enough courage! (funny how we have our own bizarre insecurities about the wierdest things)

Thanks for all your honesty, hope to get to know you better soon. xx

Thanks Butterfly for posting. It's lovely of you to share and kind of you to offer a possible solution, I know a lot of us are looking for practical things that could help. It sounds great, and brilliant that it has helped your OH... I'm sure some of us will be checking it out further.

Hope you decide to start a diary over here soon... you've done so well. You would be very welcome, hun.

xxx

Butterfly, this couldn't have come at a better time for me. Some close to me may really benefit from this, I'm going to look into it. Thankyou so much for sharing.

Yeah, really useful. thanks. x

I did some research a few years ago on the Linden Method as i was going to buy it though after i looked into it more i decided against it (wont bore you with why i didnt buy) im glad it's worked for your hubby though and will follow this thread with interest.

Thanks everyone. Can see where you're coming from Petal, even after i paid for it, i still thought it may be some sort of scam, cos you can read all sorts about it.

Once you're on the programme you can download the manual and all the cds from their website. I've tried to see if i can then e-mail them to anyone, so i could give them to you if interested, so not have to pay, but its got a wierd protection password thing on it, which i don't know (think my OH may, but don't think he'd be too happy about me sharing so much info, so don't want to upset him). If anyone wants me to try to tell you what the programme is in more detail, so you know if it will suit, just pm me and i'll get back to you when can.

Try to get my but into gear and start a diary soon, really think it may help, and you're all so nice....! xx

Love your profile pic too, so clever and so cute...

xxx