I am 25 years old and have been taking SSRIs since I was 14 because I have suffered from OCD. When I just started suffering from OCD, I was going crazy. When leaving the house, I checked dozens of times to make sure the gas valve was turned off. When I washed my hands, I tried to wash them for exactly 20 seconds. When I walked down the street, I tried to step on blocks regularly. Every time I passed a door, I checked whether or not there was a trap installed on the ceiling. I was constantly having visions of people being decapitated, a child in front of a crosswalk getting into a car accident, etc., and I was always obsessed with the thought, “If you don’t do this, something big will happen to you.” I consulted with my school counselor and was recommended a local psychiatric hospital.
After taking SSRIs, my OCD was alleviated surprisingly. Although not completely cured, the suffering caused by OCD has been significantly reduced. However, the reason I am thinking about quitting SSRIs is because the period when I took SSRIs overlapped with the period when my school grades dropped. When I was 14, I did very well in school. I was always first in my class and once ranked in the top five in my entire school. At the time, I had a dream of becoming a great scientist and studied passionately. However, after taking SSRIs at age 15, I suddenly began to lose motivation to study.
In order to become a great person, I felt pressured to not fall behind the competition, but after taking SSRIs, that pressure disappeared and I became bored with studying. I started truanting from school sometimes and my teachers told me I had changed. I felt like I had to study, but the worries I had about the future disappeared and I started putting things off. When I was in high school, I stopped studying at all. Unlike in middle school, I was no longer an honor student and became a completely average student. In the end, I couldn't go to college, so I'm currently working part-time.
Honestly, the reason I didn't study could simply be because I was burnt out, or it could just be that I was lazy. However, it bothers me that the time when I took SSRIs overlapped with the time when I stopped studying. Should I stop taking SSRIs right now?
After taking SSRIs, my OCD was alleviated surprisingly. Although not completely cured, the suffering caused by OCD has been significantly reduced. However, the reason I am thinking about quitting SSRIs is because the period when I took SSRIs overlapped with the period when my school grades dropped. When I was 14, I did very well in school. I was always first in my class and once ranked in the top five in my entire school. At the time, I had a dream of becoming a great scientist and studied passionately. However, after taking SSRIs at age 15, I suddenly began to lose motivation to study.
In order to become a great person, I felt pressured to not fall behind the competition, but after taking SSRIs, that pressure disappeared and I became bored with studying. I started truanting from school sometimes and my teachers told me I had changed. I felt like I had to study, but the worries I had about the future disappeared and I started putting things off. When I was in high school, I stopped studying at all. Unlike in middle school, I was no longer an honor student and became a completely average student. In the end, I couldn't go to college, so I'm currently working part-time.
Honestly, the reason I didn't study could simply be because I was burnt out, or it could just be that I was lazy. However, it bothers me that the time when I took SSRIs overlapped with the time when I stopped studying. Should I stop taking SSRIs right now?
