Do you still describe yourself as having a specific subtype even if it doesn’t happen super frequently and doesn’t cause a huge amount of distress? For example I’ll have an occurrence occasionally that would fall under harm OCD or POCD but assuming I have OCD and not just anxiety, it was all originally triggered back when I realized that I likely have ROCD, which is the main one for me.
One thing I would ask myself is, "is this OCD -- do I obsess over it, even a little bit -- or do I not really obsess over it and not have any compulsions?" Or, that's what I personally would ask myself. That might not be the best way to determine if it is a subtype for you, though. But in the end, I don't think it really matters what subtypes you think you have, or if you even say you have any subtype at all. I'm not sure how official subtypes are in OCD research; I thought I heard they were more of unofficial classifications rather than scientifically determined concepts. What really matters is treating OCD. It can be good to determine what subtypes you believe you have, and it can be helpful. But I don't think it matters a whole lot if you say you have a subtype that others wouldn't think you have, or if you don't say you have a certain subtype that you probably do have so long as you still treat the OCD correctly and in those areas and obsessions. What I'm trying to say is, call it what subtypes you want, just make sure you treat it. :)
@Anonymous Good point thanks. I do obsess a little bit but they don’t cause me great amounts of anxiety most days. I strongly believe I have ocd but my therapist seems to think it’s mostly anxiety, I get kind of hung up on that sometimes
@spookycupcake So is your therapist unsure if you have OCD?
@Anonymous It seems like it, yeah. They said they would put it on my list of diagnoses if I wanted them to but I don’t think they actually think I have it, even though I fit the exact definition of rocd and it’s definitely affected my quality of life so I think I would fit the criteria in the DSM. Not to mention when I was younger I was kind of ritualistic about numbers, tapping things, taking a certain amount of steps etc
@spookycupcake Are they not an OCD therapist? Are you unable to go to NOCD?
@Anonymous Not ocd specifically no and NOCD doesn’t use my insurance
@spookycupcake I would suggest going to the iocdf (International OCD Foundation) website. There you can select "find help" and enter your location to see if there are any therapists near you that treat OCD, and you can make some calls to them to see if they take your insurance. If you want to keep your current therapist for things besides OCD, then okay. But I wouldn't recommend trying to get treatment for OCD from a therapist that doesn't have the qualifications to treat OCD. Does your therapist say that they know about OCD? I know some therapists that don't "specialize" in OCD still say they know about OCD and what it is, and some actually do and some don't really. I'm just curious
@Anonymous I’m not sure I haven’t asked, but I know he works with anxiety disorders which would include OCD but it doesn’t specifically mention OCD
@spookycupcake OCD is an anxiety disorder but it is also quite different from some of the other anxiety disorders. It requires a different type of treatment, and not all therapists know what OCD is (or what it truly is)
Yes I would still describe yourself as at least having that subtype.
I wanted to voice that homosexuals can get HOCD too. I remember when i was younger and knew i was gay i still got HOCD one time when watching The Office. I thought Pam was so pretty and then started doubting my whole identity because what if i am straight? Oh god, what a terror if i was heterosexual. But anyway, thought that maybe this would help heteros with HOCD by knowing that this is a universal symptom across OCD sufferers of all sexual orientations. A big problem is calling this subtype “Homosexual OCD,” because its not. It has nothing to do with being homo or hetero or bi or anything. Its just OCD being a bully. I think labelling subtypes is an issue altogether, as it can unconsciously make people feel like its not just OCD. But it is. Does this make any sense? What are yall’s thoughts on this? Or is this just my OCD talking? (Im not seeking reassurance just genuinely find this interesting) TLDR; each time we “qualify” OCD with a subtype, we reinforce that the subtype is part of the issue. In reality, OCD is just a broken loop in our brains, and thoughts are just thoughts. And Pam Beesly is a hottie.
Hi!! My names Calista R. Woodbury-Rabon. I recently got married in March of this year. And have been struggling with my severe anxiety disorder since I left my toxic 3 year relationship about a year ago. Over the past several months, I have noticed that I go through phases where: I have a full body “anxiety attack”. Or at least that’s what I call it. For example : when we went to cookout and they told us they were out of the chili for walking tacos. I had a full blown anxiety attack or at least what I thought was an anxiety attack and starting hyperventilating and crying. Therefore, the only solution (in my mind) was that I wouldn’t be able to calm down until I had the walking tacos. Another example : My husband bought me a pajama set that was only recently put out because it was a patriotic item which means that after the summer it’d be gone… I ended up picking up the wrong size. So that night when I went to put on the Pajamas and realized they were too small I started hyperventilating and crying. All because these $17 pajamas did not fit me and it was no fault of my own. Whenever this happens, I usually end up spiraling and crying and saying a lot at once very quickly. And I usually look crazy and don’t make a lot of sense. Usually after the spiraling is over with I’m very exhausted and usually will cry myself to sleep. My husband more often than not will say stuff like “it’s not that big of a deal you can get something else.” << when it has to do with food etc. OR “we can just buy another set of pjamas the next time I get paid.” << in relation to the pajamas in this instance. But honestly no matter what him or anyone else tells me in that moment. All that matters is that I can feel the anxiety in my bones. And I can’t breathe and in that moment my world as I know it has ended. I’ve tried taking online free “quizzes” to find out if I acctually have OCD and they’ve been negative. I also did some research and learned that you can have all the symptoms for a OCD “flare-up” but present no active case of OCD or symptoms. So I guess what I’m trying to find out is if I don’t have “OCD” than Is this out of body experience caused from my “severe anxiety disorder” diagnosis ? Or just anxiety in general?? Thank you for taking the time to read this even if you also aren’t sure!! Means a lot to me..❤️🩹
I haven’t done a Q&A in over a year (my bad) but I used to do these at least once a month. Work is slow today, so please send me any questions you have about OCD and I’ll answer them as best as I can. A little about me: I’ve been subclinical/recovered for going on 5 years and I’ve been on this app volunteering since 2019 in an unofficial capacity—I’m not connected to the NOCD team, so I don’t have any badges. I did ERP treatment with my therapist in-person while I was also being treated for PTSD. I have OCD, PTSD, ADHD, depression, GAD, social anxiety, driving anxiety, and a few speech impediments.
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