OCD & Exhaustion

When my son Dan’s obsessive-compulsive disorder was severe, he was always exhausted. At first I attributed his lack of energy to the fact that he rarely slept well. But it soon became obvious, even when sleeping was not an issue, that he always felt tired. Why? I think there are many reasons why those with obsessive-compulsive disorder are often exhausted. Living with nonstop anxiety can be draining. Many people with OCD are also depressed, and depression and lack of energy often go hand in hand. Additionally, some medications used to treat OCD are known to cause fatigue. And the very nature of OCD (left untreated) is exhausting just to think about, let alone live with. Relentless obsessions and compulsions — an endless cycle that takes up every ounce of your energy. And the pretending! So many people with OCD do whatever they can to hide their disorder — to keep up that facade of “normalcy.” How much energy does it take to hide compulsions or carry on a conversation while obsessions are taking over your brain? I think it would be surprising not to be tired! So what’s the best thing to do when you feel this overwhelming exhaustion related to obsessive-compulsive disorder? Sleep until you feel better? Wait for it to pass? After all, the way you feel now, you have no energy or motivation to do anything, especially exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy which is exhausting in its own right. As with so many things related to OCD, you should do the oppo...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Caregivers Medications OCD Parenting Treatment Compulsions EMDR Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Fatigue Medication Side Effects Obsessions Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Source Type: blogs