Well, I actually wanted to do weekly postings, but somehow didn't make it. Nevertheless, I would like to summarize my experiences so far in the clinic.
At first I had very bad experiences in the first clinic, despite many phone calls with them. This brought me to the clinic where I am now, and that was a good thing. Here I was treated very differently, much more friendly and understanding. I felt that my illness was taken seriously and understood. I was also accepted directly on the day of my spontaneous arrival here. It was a load off my mind, I can tell you.
I have been here for about 1 month now and have also been working with a psychologist since then, that I´m really happy about. She is a treasure and has achieved what no therapist or so has managed before. Since Wednesday, 09.03.2022, we have started with the exposures, meaning that I face the OCD - I will go into more detail about the exposures in an extra post - and I have a good feeling with it. I think if I continue to work on it with my psychologist now, it's going in a good direction. With the medications I´m still in the adjustment, there we still have to see what really works. With the medications I´m still in the adjustment, there we still have to see what really works. In May and June I will have a so-called OCD rotation here, but one station higher. This is an 8-week program that focuses on compulsions, depressions, etc. I have to see what really works.
To come back to the admission and the daily routine in the clinic. I arrived here with an underweight of 47 kg. My hair was dull and lacked volume, my skin looked pale, almost grayish, and sallow. In the meantime I am back at a weight of about 53 kg and my skin and hair look much healthier again. The clinic food can be marked in the menu every week, which one would like to have. Of course, I also get folic acid and vitamins, but I still think it's really great.
Early in my hospital stay, they also did an MRI of my head - you can see the picture below - and it turned out that the compulsion had caused medullary lesions in the brain. According to the doctors, these are small enough that they may be reversible. But so much for that, people with mental illnesses would only imagine everything and we shouldn't act like that. With my example you can now see how mental illnesses can have an effect, that they are made visible and can sometimes also cause such injuries in the brain.
This shows quite well why I started this blog. I want to raise more awareness to take mental illnesses as seriously as physical ones, because both are bad and sufferers. So if you know someone who has a mental illness, I ask you to take that person seriously and be there for them. Just listening seriously and honestly and understanding what that person is going through can make a big difference. Motivate him or her to get help. No one chooses to get sick and therefore should not feel ashamed of it.
By the way, during the exposures I also do belly breathing exercises that my psychologist showed me and use my inner/safe garden to help. I will write down both exercises for you guys as well :)
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