Diagnosed ADHD & OCD Absolute decision paralysis, anxiety spikes, and the 3-day hyperfocus loop. Which do I treat first?
Hey everyone,
I'm struggling hard right now and could really use some perspective from anyone who deals with the ADHD + OCD combo.
I've been officially diagnosed with both, and my daily life feels like a constant psychological rollercoaster. I'm stuck in this brutal loop where I can't start tasks and procrastinate on absolutely everything. If I do somehow manage to start something new, I'll hyperfocus on it for 18 hours straight because it's fun... for about three days. Then I lose all drive and never touch it again.
The rest of the time, I'm mostly sitting around. Part of the day I might feel super happy and energized, like I'm the king of the world, and a few hours later I'm sluggish, disappointed in myself, and stuck in bed. Because I'm not getting things done, my tasks keep piling up, creating a constant sense of overwhelming stress.
But the biggest roadblock is my severe decision paralysis and fear.
Every decision feels massive and terrifying. I overthink everything to an extreme degree. If I need to buy a car, my brain tells me it's going to explode and kill everyone. If I look at a cheap phone charger, I'm convinced it'll catch fire and burn my house down. If I think about starting a business, I immediately panic about going bankrupt and losing all my money.
I'm in a constant state of fear that if I start anything, something catastrophic will happen. I spend months trying to overcome the fear, but once the anxiety finally subsides after half a year of agonizing over a problem, my ADHD kicks in and I'm suddenly too unmotivated to actually do it anyway. Years of this cycle have left me completely burned out.
I know that sometimes treating ADHD can reduce the surrounding anxiety and depression, but because of the OCD, I honestly don't know what's causing what anymore.
My question:
If you have both ADHD and OCD, how did you approach treatment?
Did you start by treating the anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and compulsions first with an SSRI like Sertraline (Zoloft)?
Or did you treat the ADHD first with stimulants like Concerta or Vyvanse? Or maybe Welbutrin?
I know nobody here is my doctor, but I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences. My doctor said that I should pick what I think is best for me. What helped break the cycle? What made things better or worse?
Thanks