…continued
After that, he diagnosed OCD and advocated medication as the only way forward. He was clear, though, that the place to start was specifically clomipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant. According to him, it remains the most effective anti-obsessive drug. I thought it had been superceded by SSRIs but apparently that isn’t so. He had read in my file that I am not keen on medication. Perhaps it was tactical, therefore, that he said that psychotherapy was out. He argued, though, that while he believes in psychotherapy such as CBT, it isn’t useful for cases of OCD that are more than mild. He qualified this and said it could possibly be an “adjunct” later on.
Then I remembered that I really hadn’t waited 5 months just to have the same old diagnosis reconfirmed and the same (or similar) solutions brought forward. So I started pressuring him for explanations for x and y which I seem to have problems with but which don’t seem to be part of OCD. He explained in turn how, in fact, they all are a part of OCD or, I guess, part of the brain dysfunction that causes OCD. Missing things people say: an attentional problem. Being unable to do things like cooking: a problem with task sequencing. A seemingly poor sense of direction: I think he said something about decision making. Apparently all hallmarks of OCD. I wish I could pick his brains all day for explanations. He had them so ready.
To be continued…
