it has been almost 9 or so months for me with my theme, i just recently started seeing a ocd therapist so i dont expect to see major changes yet, but still. i struggle with SO-OCD and R-OCD mostly right now. how long has it taken you to get better and feel semi back to normal ?
Mh mh mmh what an innocent question š For rocd, when you are completely single. But for general ocd, It never go back to normal, because when you start to forget about it, ocd will come out again for something newš«”š«” Good thing is, there are super good days aaand even in the bad one is never as bad as before therapy. Remember that, it's progress even if it's not linear. You'll probably starts to see progress in some months, a lets say 3 or 4. It also obv depends on how much therapy you do and on yourself too, how much you follow your therapist indications etc. But yess, i'll say a couple of months for understanding it, another couple of months to learn how to deal with it and than you'll start to recognise an ocd flare up on your own, you'll know how to deal it and BOOM it will trigger you less, and less and lees every time that will happen it will be always easier :) At the end you will even be able to laught and instantly move on :)
thanks so much for the reply
I usually have OCD relapses every 2-3 years, and they last a lot (from months to 2 years, in my worst crisis)
how long have you had ocd for ?
and are the relapses about the same obsessions? or are they different every time ?
@RRubberDDuck I have had it since i was 12 years old. And nope. It usted to be Somatic most of the times, but recently i have fallen into Harm and Incest OCD, which have been more tough imo
@Kai95 i understand, it sounds rough! i hope it only gets easier for us
I have relapse too, maybe every few months but they last like a day or two, MAXIMUM a week when they hit hard š Once i recognise them they go away pretty fast tho :) And sometimes they are on the same topic, sometimes they aren't. But hey i started from not being able to getting up from bed or washing, or stop crying and always wated to die because of guilt anxiety etc... so a good progress i sayš«”š
My SOOCD theme started in lockdown 2020. I was in a very very dark place: thinking about it all day every day, dreaming about it, the moment I opened my eyes it was the first thought. I didnāt want to be around anyone/watch anything out of my comfort zone in case of ANY triggers. I remember being in the bath one day crying my absolute eyes out thinking, this is it, I donāt want to be here anymore. Iām in a long term relationship too so the guilt I felt was heartbreaking. I did my own research and came across intrusive thoughts and arranged a phone call with my local mental health community centre and they told me thatās what Iām dealing with. I would lie in bed with my boyfriend and thought of even being in bed with him and the āsickā feeling was SO overwhelming I couldnāt even cope. The thought of even saying the word āboyfriendā was such a HUGE trigger as I used to think āshould it be boyfriend?!ā And that was just a minor! It was BAD. Cut long story short, I struggled almost every single day for about 12 months before I even started to see a ānormal dayā. I opened up to a couple of close friends and my mum and it turned out that all three of them that I opened up to said that theyāve had thoughts like that but they just laugh it off! And thatās when I realised that Iām not alone but I OBSESS and that is the difference. About 2 years down the line and I didnāt get that āsick feelingā or anxiety when I had the thoughts and that caused MORE anxiety! Which is when I learnt about the āback door spikeā. 3 years down the line (to now) my boyfriend is aware of what I was going through, I still have thoughts but no sick feeling anymore. Yes I still have some tricky days but a lot MORE better days. Something I read once was: Do not ever make a decision when your in a dark place or having a bad day. See what you are like when you are having a really good day and your mindset is different - do you still want to make the decisions you were considering on your bad days? Trigger!!! Iāve come to terms that at the end of the day I will NEVER always know, I need to live each day as it comes. Iām happy and content right now in THIS moment. You are NOT aloneš©·
thanks so much for your reply, it sounds so rough! can i ask at what point if any did you start therapy for ocd and how did the treatment help ?
Iāve OCD for about a decade and had SOOCD in particular for 1.5 years. Recovery has been super difficult but so, so worth it. SOOCD is by far my worst theme and I genuinely believed I was never going to get better. However, after 4 months of doing intense ERP, my symptoms have gone down drastically- and I can say that the thoughts donāt affect me as much anymore. I still have my bad days, but it doesnāt leave me in a spiral and state of hopelessness like before. Things will get easier and you will feel okay again. Do everything your therapist says/recommends, stay consistent with your ERP, and you will start seeing improvements as time goes by. š©·
Anyone here recovered from severe OCD with NOCD? Iāve had it for thirteen years and just feel like my ocd will never get better because Iāve had it for so long and itās so severe right now
Hi everyone, how are you doing? Itās been a really long time since Iāve posted on here. I still remember at the beginning of this year (in January) I had gotten my ocd diagnosis. After that I did ERP and I did get better thankfully. Started doing mindfulness and being present in the moment. 11 months on I feel better than I was at the beginning. Yes there are times where it is tough, but after the rain there is always a sunshine Right now I feel like Iām relapsing, but the truth is ocd isnāt something that goes awayā¦ itās something that will always be a part of you. You just need to learn to accept it. Sometimes when we get better we forget that ocd is still there, thatās when we get caught off guard. This is a reminder to myself first, always continue to be consistent with ERP. By the way, has anyone got any advice for when ocd themes/symptoms resurface again? Thanks!
OCD hit me 12 years ago when I was in college, but I had no idea what was happening. I thought I might have been going crazy. I felt so lost, and I eventually fell into a deep depression. If you can relate to this, know that youāre not alone - I get it, and I can also tell you that thereās hope. Once you have the tools to manage OCD, things can become so much better! For me personally, getting effective treatment helped me get my life back, and still helps me manage OCD every day. From there, I began to find myself again. I felt like Allison again. I could start doing the things I love again. If you knew in 4 months from now you wouldnāt be as bothered by OCD, what would you do first?
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond
