I am really struggling today and have been the last couple of days. Does anyone on here struggle with fear of eating/ taking meds because you’re afraid of the side effects/ what could happen once you ingest something?
I have had similar fears, fear of a specific thing being contaminated and something happening. It’s all about embracing the uncertainty though. For me, it’s possible that whatever I’m afraid of being contaminated is, and what I fear could happen. Acknowledging that and then telling myself I’m willing to live with it (without doing compulsions) can help. OCD will try to acquire that 100% certainty where that isn’t possible. If you can, getting a therapist may help (it did for me). Their knowledge of the different themes allow them to design specific ERP exercises tailored to the person. It really helped me!
@Anon. Thanks!
I agree with the alumni’s advice. I was afraid of eating a lot of foods because I thought they would make my trip to the restroom worse (contamination OCD) and ended up eating only 11 foods for years. I don’t want to take meds because of side effects. I ended up malnourished and in the hospital. But the upside is that with treatment for OCD- related ARFID (fear of food) and my other OCD subtypes. I am on the meds I need to be on and can eat almost all foods. ERP saved my life.
@Erin P That’s awesome!
@KKGM You can do it too
