Why is ocd considered ego dystonic? I feel like it’s more of my ego preventing me from accepting my thoughts and therefore I have a big ego :/ can someone explain so I can understand better?
Hi! In my understanding, OCD is considered ego dystonic because OCD produces intrusive thoughts that are inconsistent with your true self. The panic that some individuals after having intrusive thoughts stems from the knowledge that the thought is inconsistent with your true values and beliefs. On the contrary, things considered ego syntonic are in line with your ideal self. Hope this helps :)
Good explanation, Annie!
^Love Annie’s explanation! I would highlight that ego dystonic thoughts in OCD bring distress (because, like Annie said, they’re not in line with your values/who you are). Ego syntonic thoughts aren’t distressing to the person having them.
@Killian That’s exactly how I feel with my thoughts, but I feel like over the last couple months my brain has gotten desensitized to these thoughts, does that happen?
i used to panic over the thought, then for a few years, these thoughts didn’t really make me panic, but I really did question. I told myself nah I wouldn’t be a lesbian because I wouldn’t want ppl to judge but it feels like I will try if I dare to. Then my anxiety started coming when someone causally say they think I’m lesbian and I went into a full panic mode for years since then , trying to deny that I am. I can’t help to think that I’m afraid of ppl judging me that’s why I’m panicking, since I didn’t panic last time. But if u were to ask me now, I really do not want to be with girls and I want guys. So I’m super confused. Am I just afraid of others judgement instead of it being ego dystonic?
That’s kinda my question. All my thoughts feel so realistic and so now I doubt if they are ocd and if I just can’t make my mind up about something and I’m using ocd as an excuse or something idc I feel like this post is word vomit.
so I need to get back into ERP, but it’s so hard to manage these thoughts and learn to deal with them. like I swear my mind has to make everything about it. Like every time I clean my room, my mind’s like yup make sure it’s clean so when your parents find you, or something so stupid like if I get a headache, my mind convinces me that I like the pain and that that’s why I get my thoughts because I actually want to do it. It’s so exhausting. Because I know I would never want to take my life and I treasure my life so why does it do it to me? It’s hard to comprehend the fact of these thoughts too because I don’t know many people with this exact theme. It’s such a scary feeling. And I’m constantly questioning whether I have actual depression or if it’s just my OCD. Yes I have been diagnosed with suicidal OCD, but my mind still tries to convince me otherwise. I just don’t know how to let these just sit and pass without panicking.
Does anyone have any advice for how to know the difference between ocd and real feelings/thoughts? Sometimes an intrusive thought will come in and I immediately know it’s ridiculous and I can just leave it alone and it won’t bother me but other times I really really don’t know. It’s when ocd hijacks and twists my real feelings and thoughts and tries to manipulate me into believing they’re something they’re not or something that doesn’t align with my true morals or intentions. But since it’s twisting and mixing with real feelings I get so confused and scared. Everything gets jumbled and I feel like I can’t trust myself or my own mind. Yet other times and other topics I can laugh off and push away just fine. Make it make sense. And then I start to think well maybe I don’t have ocd at all and I’m just in denial because I don’t want to accept that these scary/concerning things are true about myself. Or maybe that’s just the ocd talking.
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