Username: russelicott

Date posted: 1y ago

Every post seems compulsive

Every time I get on here every single post seems to be someone desperately brain vomiting to get some kind of closure that will never come. And all the responses are for the most part "wowww I think this too, we'll always be suffering" or something like that. In all my time with OCD, it seems like the most unhelpful thing is OCD forums. Looking at one seems to feel like you're watching the incarnation of the OCD cycle if it had a voice. I feel like if you want to get better, just learn exposure and acceptance and cutting out compulsions from a professional and try to distance yourself from the whole "culture" I guess.

Username: yukariyukari

Date posted: 1y ago

Sometimes we can't help it. We need help. We can't be a perfectionist all the time. We can fall apart. There are days when we would feel so overwhelmed. We fail, we get up.

Username: russelicottrusselicott

Date posted: 1y ago

I agree. Especially in the beginning of the journey, where I sorta kinda feel like I'm at (although I'm functional). But if I'm ever on here consistently, it seems like it's the same people asking again and again and again. I guess external reassurance seeking has never been a compultion of mine (I'm a mental checking and ruminating main lol) but I feel like the point of recovery is with these types of behaviors learning that we CAN help it

Username: Will86Will86

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@russelicott Well said

Username: abby32abby32

Date posted: 1y ago

A lot of people on this app are new to OCD and don’t know / understand this fully. And while most posts are likely compulsions, I think it’s important to have the community. Whenever I respond to people, I try to give advice and steer away from reassurance. I’d much rather myself or someone else with OCD hop on here and let out a compulsion rather than potentially confessing to someone who doesn’t understand and will either give reassurance or spike the OCD further.

Username: abby32abby32

Date posted: 1y ago

@abby32 That being said, I do think stepping away from the community is helpful at times too. It’s easy to think that you’re never going to get better when everyone on here is so down. Most people who have reduced / cured symptoms aren’t on here and that’s hard to remember in a spike

Username: russelicottrusselicott

Date posted: 1y ago

@abby32 Something I had to realize. When you're in recovery or living mostly OCD free you're not very incentivized to be on a OCD forum

Username: Will86Will86

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@abby32 I agree that those of us who can see what's happening should attempt to let others know hey this isn't gonna be helpful let's try xyz or hey I can relate this is what helped me. I think we also need to be aware of our own actions that if we are jumping on here to negate our own discomforts it can be a compulsion/reassurance seeking also. I had a bit of that in the beginning where I was so excited to find people like me that I ended up using this as my Google without asking the questions. I just semi got back from my app break and wanna say it is ABSOLUTELY a good idea to do occasionally even if you aint having an ocd moment. Great advice :)

Username: JordTheNordJordTheNord

Date posted: 1y ago

@abby32 I’ve just read on another post someone else say stay away from reassurance. What is that and why? I’m confused

Username: abby32abby32

Date posted: 1y ago

@JordTheNord I found this explanation and I think it explains well! “To put it in clinical terms, when an individual seeks reassurance, they reinforce that they are unable to tolerate the discomfort of the uncertainty they are experiencing. At the same time, they reinforce that the best way to alleviate the discomfort of that uncertainty is to compulsively seek reassurance.” Basically, it becomes a compulsion and it never actually solves the discomfort you’re feeling.

Username: abby32abby32

Date posted: 1y ago

@JordTheNord Oh and to answer what reassurance is, it’s when you’re seeking out answers to alleviate your fears and discomfort. But OCD isn’t really concerned with an answer, because there is no answer to uncertainty and what ifs

Username: yukariyukari

Date posted: 1y ago

abby 32 thanks for the second one. We can't be living in this app for hours lol

Username: NicaNica

Date posted: 1y ago

Yeah, basically. It’s a never ending cycle that continues until someone tells them they are seeking reassurance. The app used to have therapists volunteering or maybe being paid? and that was working but they pulled back on that last year. Then there are official volunteers through the app and others that have recovered that stick around. However, you just can’t get everyone all the time unless they set up a schedule for volunteers 🤷🏻‍♀️

Username: NMRTHGHTSNMRTHGHTS

Date posted: 1y ago

If we're all here I think at some point we all have looked for help in our darkest hours where there seems there's no light at the end of the road, haven't you also done this? I know it won't cure us and in the long run it might not be beneficial but also I think part of the process to deal with ocd is the question part I have learned so much from everyone here by posting questions and also I know that someday I will stop doing that and also I respect and understand that everyone is at a different stage in their process so I try to be as most emphatic as I can with others because we all know how difficult this can be and it doesn't help when you're alone without anyone out there who can understand

Username: Serena

Date posted: 6y ago

A suggestion. I saw a post of @OCDtreated on Twitter and I’d like to share with all of you who want to recover. “I am not a fan of OCD forums. Full of reassurance seeking.” I kinda agree with him on this. When people are troubled by OCD, they are more vulnerable to negative stuff and more skeptical with positive information. Although an OCD online group/forum can be helpful in some way (knowing that you are not alone, reducing the stigma, finding understanding), it can also be not that helpful. We talk here without any therapists’ guidance, and it’s so easy we post “unhealthy” information or questions to seek reassurance. One way to get better is to “getting comfortable with being uncomfortable”. This requires you to get more involved with your life, less from OCD. Constantly checking on ocd forums is not getting on with your life. However, I am not saying that you should not visit OCD groups any more.

Username: Jay Bird

Date posted: 2y ago

This app has become overwhelming

There are so many posts on here now that it’s become quite overwhelming. Some days I can use the app appropriately and get actually helpful information out of it or attempt to offer insight to people struggling. However, lately I’ve found I’ve been using it as a bit of a compulsion to see other people struggling like me to “reassure” myself it’s OCD. But I’ve also been triggered by a lot of people offering others really bad advice that isn’t good for OCD. There are way too many reassurance seeking posts (I know it’s hard, I’ve been guilty of it too). I think I’m going to take a break from the app. My advice to you, stop seeking constant reassurance. Stop obsessively reading stuff related to your intrusive thoughts/worries.

Username: thatnerdtori

Date posted: 1y ago

Just Another Reassurance Seeking Forum?

I already don't like this app. It has the same problem as being on the OCD subreddit or in any OCD online group. It inevitably just devolves into people doing compulsions (reassurance seeking, mainly) at each other. My unpopular opinion is that people with OCD shouldn't have support groups unless they're HEAVILY moderated by a clinician. This one clearly isn't. I scrolled for 5 min and almost every post is someone saying "I'm worried about x, do you think it's true?". That's a compulsion! This app is not facilitating ERP it's hindering it.

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