izzyc
- Date posted
- 2y
AnonymousAnonymous
- User type
- Staff
- Date posted
- 2y
I wouldn't say 'stages' however OCD is known to wax and wane over time and to change themes oftentimes. It makes sense given that the things people worry about tend to be related to their developmental stage in life or other things that are important to them, so it makes sense that the content of OCD would change at times. Other people report a steady theme throughout their lifetime. Check these out-https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/how-erp-can-treat-all-ocd-themes & https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/my-symptoms-come-and-go-is-it-still-ocd
Al0Al0
- Date posted
- 2y
@Stacy Quick thank u for the confirmation <3
Clem.99Clem.99
- Date posted
- 2y
I haven't heard anyone say this clinically speaking, but I've for sure experienced this. I've heard professionals though explain how ocd evolves/changes over time so maybe that's similar. My ocd started off with contamination and some pure o but i didn't notice the pure o too much because the contamination was so awful and i think the pure o was more chill back then. I did ERP for the contamination and then my ocd went mostly dormant for almost 10 years. Then the pure o came back so hard. It started with one theme i had for a bit but was able to keep at bay. I couldn't think of anything else for a month or two, and then a few months later it went on to another theme. I was debilitated by that for months and then i went on meds for a year, and didn't experience many symptoms. After getting off it came back slowly with two more themes and now I'm doing ERP for the pure o. Even my specific themes, i can see how it evolves or has stages as it progresses. Ocd is so sneaky so i feel like once i engage with it it becomes more intense and gets more serious until it's all i csn think about. So for sure i feel like ocd has different stages and evolves, but i think it can really be prevented by identifying it's ocd and not giving attention to it to feed into it
izzycizzyc
- Date posted
- 2y
@Anonymous.12345 Wow thankyou!
Lisa LeeLou Lisa LeeLou
- User type
- NOCD Alumni
- Date posted
- 2y
I don’t think OCD necessarily has specific stages. However, it can Definitely manifest differently for each of us. Also, for some of us, OCD, has this way of sometimes jumping around from theme to theme. Sometimes OCD reminds me of the carnival game whack-a-mole. Every time it becomes manageable in one way, something else comes up. Also, it is not uncommon for someone to have more than one OCD theme that they deal with. Nor is it uncommon for them to deal with one OCD theme in the past and then that theme subsides, and a new theme comes up. Regardless of the subtype, it’s all OCD, and the Good news is recovery is possible from all of it.
Al0Al0
- Date posted
- 2y
i think so. im not a professional but i had contamination ocd in 2020. it then turned into pure ocd. and now its on a completely different theme.
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geodrimilis
- Date posted
- 19w
Can I be born with ocd?
So basically I didn’t know till my hocd started. But looking back at my life I had ocd since I was a kid. Like 6-7 years old. First time happening I remember that when I was doing stuff many times I had to say something like a little poem in my head to stop it. Then I had this thing were if I felt my left foot touch the floor 5 times I had to do the touch the floor with my right foot too. Then I had something I guess contamination??? Basically after washing my hands I had a sensation on my hand like I could still “feel” the germs and I had to wash them again. Then I started having thoughts of my family members getting hurt. I had intrusive thoughts about me hurting my dog. Then I had this obsession that a guy who used to be in my school is looking for me to beat me up. And how it’s this obsession about my sexuality even tho I never doubted or questioned it before. Is that possible??? Like can you be born with it? I’m pretty sure both my parents have it too. At least at some level. Take my father for example he had an obsession that he was going to die the moment he turned 30.
RaRaRa
- Date posted
- 9w
Ocd episodes question
Im still searching about pure o ocd while I still look for a specialized therapist so that's why I'm asking the following thing lol Is normal to have months and/or years without an ocd episode? I noticed I had a considerable amount of episodes in all my living years but sometimes they took a year or a bit more than a year to appear, in worse scenarios I noticed the took just months to appear once again Is that normal? Im kinda feeling guilty about it because I notice some people live 24/7 with ocd since they are kids while my thing is more like, episodically, not 24/7 since I was born? My last episode started in August of last year and is still haunting me but I know people had it worsened since their earlier years of life
K1790
- Date posted
- 9w
Unsure if OCD sometimes
I was diagnosed with OCD around the age of 6, subtype- contamination primarily. It calmed down as I got older and I assumed it had gone away, but also didn’t realize it can show up in other ways, and it still had been effecting me which I know now. I’m not 31 and I’ve been in therapy for a year and it’s helped a lot, although I sometimes get thoughts that what if some of the stuff I’m dealing with isn’t ocd and I’m exaggerating. I feel like thoughts will feel sticky and I’ll do certain compulsions but then the thought eventually vanishes if I do it a few times which makes me think maybe it’s not OCD since other people/friends I know would probably do the exact same thing. Not sure if I’m making sense, but I guess my question is if that thought comes up with anyone else? Just being unsure if something you’re doing actually is ocd or not.
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