Phobia

I have not been diagnosed with OCD, but, just to find out who does, have you ever developed a phobia that is made worse by your OCD symptoms? Since a robbery occurred in my house in the night while i was inside, i have a very intense phobia of spiders. I know it sounds strange, but somehow i related them to that event and not being able to be secure in my own house when i'm sleeping. I often check the corners of the room to see if there are spiders, and when i find them, i am unable to kill them because i am very afraid of them, whether they jump, or more appear. There are times when i don't even want to check the corners because i'm very afraid of encounter another. My anxiety is quite bad with this issue, quite large spiders appear in my house and they look threatening, when i find spiders like that, i start crying and screaming, much worse If i find them in my bed or they come up at night, in that case i have a giant panic attack. There have been times when i have had night terrors, very bad nights that have caused physical symptoms. These terrors and nightmares come from the same fear of a spider crawling while i'm sleeping; I have been so afraid that i have not slept in a comfortable or extended position to prevent a spider to crawl on me. Fortunately that doesn't happen to me often anymore, but it happened recently.

sarkaa

Date posted: 1y

I have the exact same thing. During my early childhood i experienced a lot of scary moments with spiders, including them crawling on my bed when I was sleeping. This made my OCD and phobia connect in such way that I must do certain rituals throughout the day just to check if there's no spiders. So yes, it's possible that your phobia worsen your OCD symptomps, since this was what happened to me. But what really helps me is exposure therapy, expose yourself to spiders by killing them. It takes time and I still am not able to kill big ones, but my OCD phobia is getting better knowing there's nothing to be afraid of. They can't kill you, but you can. Try using spider spray, vacuum or buy long fly swatter. Basically anything that puts distance between you and the spider. Once you'll learn that spiders are harmless, your OCD will get better. Take care.

mononono_

Date posted: 1y

Thanks for the advice, and also take care. The idea of feeling vulnerable in your house while you sleep is truly terrifying, but i have to learn that it's irrational like you said. Is understandable why i have developed it, but cannot stay because it does a lot of damage.

NODA

Date posted: 1y

So why kill something that is harmless. Why not just learn more and find other ways. Where I come from, seeing a spider in a home and not killing it, means it will bring you enormous good luck and all your wishes will come true. If that is too much, it just means you will have a great day. Do not kill just because you are scared. I understand your fear, try and understand the harmless spiders'.

mononono_

Date posted: 1y

I see your point, and it's a viable option, but what if they aren't actually harmless spiders? Like corner spiders, or black widows. I live in an area with very desert fauna so it would be possible that one would appear one day. Anyway i understand that it's probably just fear, because other animals such as lizards or crickets also appear out of nowhere, but i wouldn't want to kill them. The problem is the fear that i don't know how to overcome, but it is interesting to know that in fact spiders bring a good omen in some cultures, since they are so popularly associated with terror!

NODA

Date posted: 1y

I understand. Sarkaa mentioned the adjective harmless, so I jumped to the conclusion that you, just like me, live in an area where poisonous spiders are rare if any. I took some time to think and research what to do in such cases. I think not touching a black widow is good luck in itself. 😊. Yes, people here in this part of Europe truly believe spiders bring good luck. One doesn't need to keep them as tenants in homes but there are some possible ways of removing them or incourage them to leave on their own. Instead of killing them, which is the majority's first reaction, some people use non-toxic traps and techniques to get rid of insects without harming them. Such as; –Chemical-free insect repellant; these won’t harm insects, but they will help keep your home bug free. – Friendly bug catchers instead of traps that kill them, or, simply a glass and a piece of cardboard to transport them to a safe spot out in nature. – DIY bug sprays using essential oils proven to keep critters at bay. Such as; lemon, thyme, and peppermint. Just a suggestion. I would also be scared of a black widow and I can just hope I would react in a kinder way and not act out of terror. Who knows. I wish you and Sarkaa good luck. Good luck to non aggressive and aggressive spiders as well. 🍀😊

mononono_

Date posted: 1y

Thanks for the advices! They are very useful. 😊

spelamarela

Date posted: 25w

Is this normal for ocd?

Have you ever felt the need to hide knives because you’re scared someone might hurt you while you’re sleeping? Or have your thoughts ever tried to convince you that you have feelings for your family members? Maybe you feel like you need to tell your parents to “drive safe” every time they go somewhere, believing that it will prevent them from crashing, or that something bad will happen if you don’t. These are things I’ve experienced, but they didn’t last long, and because of that, I’m unsure if I actually have OCD, as these thoughts don’t happen frequently. I’m 17, so maybe it’s still developing, but I’m not sure. At one point, I even thought I might be a psychopath and would become a serial killer (i was analyzing my past and feelings but it went away quickly) When I was a kid, I was also scared I had a tumor and constantly needed reassurance from my parents that everything is okay, but it wasn’t as intense. Recently, I’ve been scared that ghosts would come or that a demon would possess me, or that if i open my eyes i will se my dead uncle (i was 16😂) which kept me from sleeping. Are these signs of OCD? Should I consider getting treatment? About three months ago, I had my first big obsession about possibly having OCD itself (i was scared of going crazy, of feeling like this forever, of not being perfect, of not having control), and now I’ve been struggling with HOCD for three months. But I’m scared that I don’t even have OCD, and that these thoughts might be true. It’s funny because just a few months ago, I was terrified of having OCD, but now I feel like I want to have it. I think a traumatic experience with weed might have made my OCD worse, but I’m not sure. What do you think? I also found out that my mom is also hiding knifes and that she was also obsession over sickness…

spelamarela

Date posted: 25w

OCD about OCD

Is it possible to have a huge fear of OCD itself? (OCD about OCD) I’m scared that I’m not perfect and that I’ll go crazy or something like that, that i won’t achieve the life that i want, that im weird bcs of ocd, what other people will think bcs of my ocd, that i will feel like this forever... I try to reassure myself that I don’t have it, but I just want to cry. Everything related to OCD triggers me, and I know these things are also signs of OCD. Is this normal for OCD? Maybe I just need to accept it, I don’t know. I think about this 24/7—some days are better, and I kind of feel like I don’t have OCD, but it always comes back when something triggers me. I also keep asking my parents if they’re sure I don’t have OCD. They tell me I don’t, but it doesn’t help because I know they don’t really understand OCD. So, it’s basically just another obsession, but about OCD. Has anyone dealt with this? I’ve never heard anyone talk about this, so I’m not sure if it’s even a thing.

spelamarela

Date posted: 24w

Children with OCD

Is it common for children with OCD to have intense fears of certain things? For example, I was extremely afraid of tsunamis – I was constantly dreaming about them. Then, I became afraid of ghosts, robbers, war, the possibility that someone close to me might get sick or die, that I might develop a tumor, that our house could catch fire, or that I would grow up to be a drug addict. I even thought about getting a tongue piercing when I was older and was scared of doing that without having control, which now seems kind of funny. There were periods when I had different fears, but I always needed to ask my parents if these things would happen, and they would always reassure me. Although I don’t remember everything clearly, I know that throughout my childhood, I constantly had such fears. I remember ehen something was wrong with me (for example: i had headache) I immediately thought of the worst case scenario and I was extremely anxious. And another thing is that I couldn’t let go of a past as a child (still actually) Now I’m wondering, is this something every child experiences (even those without OCD), or is it more intense for children with OCD?

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Share your thoughts so the Community can respond

Phobia

Related posts

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Be a part of the largest OCD Community