Tools for OCD
Posted on March 2, 2017 by Shay
I’m becoming a bit obsessed with OCD, oh the fucking Irony! I’m really interested in it in the context of Fidget toys, clicker games and the like, what are the types of physical and digital tools/toys that can briefly offer respite to someone who is experiencing a spike or on their journey of self treatment or assisted treatment? Apart from the human cost, there’s a real economic cost to this disorder in the billions.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10141765
I’ve heard of EMDR treatment for PTSD survivors but what tools like this exist for people with a broad spectrum of OCD issues.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/emdr-taking-a-closer-look/
‘EMDR ameliorates symptoms of traumatic anxiety better than doing nothing and probably better than talking to a supportive listener. ‘
I know what those spikes can be like first hand, I know what the spike hunts are like, I know what the crippling feeling of lack of control is like too, and I also know some of the things that help on the journey to recovery or gaining coping skills. So I feel like I would be alleviating some suffering in the world by examining this area and looking at it. Also its an area which is commercially interesting too.
It seems tackling something like this using simple tools is a small part of the arsenal that practitioners can use.
Initial link dump / things to look at:
Imaginal and in-Vivo exposure.
https://cedar.exeter.ac.uk/media/universityofexeter/schoolofpsychology/cedar/documents/Exposure_and_Response_Prevention_Recovery_Guide_Single_pages_Colour.pdf
https://www.mentalhelp.net/blogs/ocd-and-hyper-responsibility/
Janet Singer (a pseudonym to protect her son’s privacy) shares what helped and what hurt in her son Dan’s recovery from severe OCD.
Things I love
Pause by UsTwo
Moodnotes by UsTwo
Fidget Cubes
Clicker games.