How harm ocd feels

People with harm ocd know that it can be very difficult to explain to people around you what this problem is like and even after all the explaining they will never truly know how horrible this feels. I think people with ethnic parents will have any even harder time accepting and understanding because where they grew up they never heard of such things and haven’t been educated on mental health, my ethnic mum still doesn’t fully understand and sometimes says hurtful things, for example the other day someone wrote a post on here about their intrusive thoughts and I read it to her and she said ‘oh my god, imagine how many weirdos there are out there’ but I read it to her since I have the same problem as them, and it made me feel like crap hearing her say that.

lu22

Date posted: 2y ago

But I don’t blame her, I give her a very hard time with this problem and she helps me a lot, it’s not her fault she doesn’t understand, just have to try explain as best as you can

Amber R

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 2y ago

Hi Lu, My parents are white but they have acted similarly in the past about mental health issues. I was exhibiting symptoms of OCD when I was 6 years old. Things came to a head when I was around 9 and I was asking them questions about their sexual history (I was acting out my compulsion to ask questions, but obviously we didn’t know that at the time). They told me if I kept being anxious + asking questions, they would have to take me to therapy and a therapist would take me away from them. It was this fear that kept me from seeking therapy until I was in my 20’s. I think our parent’s generation wasn’t afforded the opportunity to speak openly about mental health problems without fear of judgement or prosecution. That doesn’t mean they didn’t have struggles, it just means they probably buried them deep down + ignored them. I think that experience affects the lense with which they view mental health problems. I also think it upsets them when they see us struggling and they struggle with feeling powerless to help us. All of that to say, how they view mental illness/how they react to it has nothing to do with you/your illness and everything to do with their own fear + not understanding. It took me a while not to be upset with how my parents handled me/my illness as a child. But ultimately I’ve accepted that they love me and were doing what they thought is best. WE know better, WE have the tools and the community now. Be proud of yourself for seeking help + being vulnerable. If you aren’t in therapy for OCD, I cannot recommend it enough. It helped me change my life. Keep fighting the good fight!!

ChuckTambo

Date posted: 2y ago

Try to remember that OCD is not about your theme...as soon as you think you've overcome Harm OCD, OCD will change themes on you. It's OCD, not your theme. Hope that helps.

Jak71

Date posted: 2y ago

@ChuckTambo How true ! My ocd started off again couple of years ago in the form of terrible health anxiety. And then the old familiar themes came back.

Jak71

Date posted: 2y ago

At least nowadays people are generally a little more aware? Growing up in the 70’s was very isolating trying to deal with and not daring to tell anyone

Anonymous

Date posted: 12w ago

Questions

There are times my harm ocd has me convinced that my feelings of self harm or suicide and harm are real and that any moment I could commit the act on myself or my family. Is there anyone who can chime in on this. I feel like all the time I want to leave run away or avoid my family because of these thoughts. Like I shouldn’t be around my children and I don’t trust myself.

m1p3

Date posted: 10w ago

Social Implications of OCD

Has anyone experienced their reputation affected or misunderstood because of a societally taboo OCD theme? Others catching wind of your obsessions and misinterpreting it, assuming the worst? I’m intentionally keeping it vague because I don’t want my specific situation to get reassured, but it’s been a real tough pill to swallow knowing that people close to me (and anyone else they might talk to) think of me differently. I’m unwilling to share about my OCD because I feel pretty confident it will be taken as an excuse or denial, and feels compulsive and reassurance seeking. Let me know if anyone here has experienced anything like it, how they handled it, exposures you did.

Catlove9

Date posted: 8w ago

What do you say to OCD when you have harm urges?

I am struggling right now with intrusive harm urges. They feel real and it feels like I am going to act any second. It feels like I have to hold myself back, which is a scary thoughts. I am trying so hard not to compulse, but does anyone have tips on what they do in these situations?

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How harm ocd feels

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