- Date posted
- 3y
Does OCD only attack things u value?
Ik some people have contamination ocd or the organizing and neatness ocd (I'm sorry idk what it's called) but I'm not sure there's much values present there so much.
Ik some people have contamination ocd or the organizing and neatness ocd (I'm sorry idk what it's called) but I'm not sure there's much values present there so much.
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I don't know if you experience other subtypes, but do some distress you as much as others if you do?
It’ll attack anything you give attention to.
It's easy to look at someone else's theme & think, "Hey, that doesn't sound so bad. I wish I could have that OCD instead of [insert whatever theme bothers you the most]." I'm guilty of thinking this honestly. But I also know that whatever OCD themd someone has feels like the worst & scariest theme. It's all subjective & relative. The values that might be behind contamination OCD or order/symmetry OCD can be the same values someone with relationship OCD or harm OCD might experience: a sense of safety & control. I think a lot of the core values we experience with different themes can be the same--OCD just uses different masks for different people depending on what where that value might be most salient in their life.
Beautiful response :) I think many times people who appear to have "just right" and contamination themes can also have so many underlying thoughts that it isn't as simple as I just don't want it to be dirty, etc. though sometimes it is, but often there is more- there is something at the core.
Contamination OCD does begin to effect things you love. There are extreme circumstances where people may not even leave their room because of it. It literally effects every part of live and things that are loved/valued. Say someone is a nurse and starts dealing with it, it could be career ending for them. It’s a very devastating theme.
Wow, I did not realize the extent this subtype could go in terms of severity. Thank you for letting me know.
Basically.. Think about it like this… If you don’t value something there can be no anxiety about it because you dont care about it Ex.. You don’t have ocd about winning a million dollars because there’s nothing scary about that But you will get ocd about losing a million dollars because not losing a million dollars is something you’d value (assuming you had a million dollars) “Dang i might win a million dollaes
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An underlying fear caused by OCD?
Ignore the last sentence with “dang” lol
I think I have mild OCD. Maybe that's why I can't relate to many of the difficulties experienced by other posters. My OCD is more on the compulsion side performing certain rituals at key transitions or points during the day. I honestly cannot figure out what the underlying obsession is other than some kind of weird mental hoarding to acknowledge and cherish a moment but also to protect my family and even my pets. I get little or no anxiety (I used to when I was younger). Even mild OCD absolutely sucks and is debilitating to an extent.
Hi all, I’m new here and just recently got diagnosed. I’m trying to make sense of a lot of things and could use some perspective. I feel like I’m the only one who has contamination themes and does not have the compulsion to clean things, but rather to run away from the mess. I would really love to hear from someone who can relate, because right now I feel like I’m making it up. Details which might either be useful or triggering: My kitchen is the best example. I might leave a dish or two in the sink and say “I’ll clean it up soon, it’s no big deal.” But then—because of a combination of factors—it will probably sit there for a couple days. Around day 2 or 3 I develop an aversion to dealing with it. It gives me ick. And the longer it sits, the ickier it becomes—realistically and in my imagination. And because I’ve stopped doing dishes, they really start to pile up, and each day, getting started feels like more work and more confrontation with disgust. I will start thinking about how I need to do dishes, or take out the trash, and then get hit with a horrifying mental image of bugs (I’ll spare you the details) or other really disgusting things happening. That image brings me shame and makes me scared to deal with the mess. When it really piles up, I start getting images of the nastiest hoarders’ houses I’ve ever seen, and I start catastrophizing about the future I’m doomed for. So mostly I just watch tv to get my mind off it. (I swear I’m not just lazy 😔) This is true for food too. I will be unsure if something in my fridge is a little too old, so I decided to hedge my bets and I avoid it. I let a lot of food go to waste this way. The biggest problem here is I don’t throw it away when I decide it’s bad. I just side-eye it. Maybe because I know it’s silly to decide 6-day-old soy milk that smells fine has a “bad vibe,” and I think I may be able to get over it later. But then the food actually spoils and I don’t want to touch it to throw it out. I actually had a week or so in June where I couldn’t open the fridge because it smelled bad. It took every ounce of emotional energy and an external deadline to force me to clean my kitchen. I had a couple of meltdowns but it felt great to get my space back. Of course, it’s a cycle and it got bad again. The crazy thing is, I love to cook and I even like doing dishes. And I do dishes every day at work, no problem! But I’m spending so much money on takeout because my kitchen is always trashed. :( Is this super crazy? Does it even sound like contamination ocd? Am I alone in this? Any feedback would be helpful.
hi everyone!! so idk if anyone will see this, but i guess i have a lot of questions. i got diagnosed with OCD about 2 years ago or so but i’ve had it for as long as i can remember. my obsessions and compulsions root from my worst fears and what i’m most afraid of losing. when i was really young, it started with doing things or else the devil was going to come and get me, because that was my worst fear at that time. i have to count, i usually do things in pairs of 3. i HATE even numbers. only odd numbers. sometimes i spend a lot of time redoing something over and over and over again just until it feels “right.” i have super bad sensory issues. i cut the tags out of everything i own, my nails have to be short or else i will dig them into my skin until i bleed because it just doesn’t feel right. at school i used to be late to class because i would be at my locker turning the combination either 3, 7, 9, 11, or 13 times. it just depended on what felt right. before i would go to bed i would have to sit up and check the door 3 , 7, 9… etc. one time i had to check 27 times before i could go to sleep. i’m actually scared of getting things i want in life because my OCD will hold it against me. “you better do this or else you’ll lose this.” the more happy i am in life, the worse my OCD gets. it prays on my worst fears. if there is even something slightly wrong with my clothes: a tiny thread hanging lose, a bad memory attached, i will never wear it again. there’s one thing im sorta embarrassed to say but it’s one of my worst ones. basically: peeing. at night, i have to continuously go to the bathroom over and over again because i feel like my bladder isn’t completely empty. i will keep telling myself “it’s full, i have to go.” even when i just peed 5 minutes ago. and due to this, it causes a lot of wiping. i have wiped myself raw to the point i bleed a lot. it’s embarrassing, but i can’t stop. it never feels clean enough. my hair is never perfect enough. my clothes are ugly. i think i mostly struggle with perfectionism OCD. but is that it? i also feel like if i don’t do certain things, it will cause something bad to happen to my family or friends. like i have magical control over events. i don’t know. can someone help please?
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