Is researching ocd therapies and mental health constantly a compulsion? Even though I have always enjoyed learning about psychology and reading articles on mental illnesses or relationships and attachment theory. And I now have a wealth of knowledge of how to combat ocd... looking for hope for a cure or some relief. Is holding onto hope a secret compulsion?
I juggle with this exact same question! I also really enjoy learning about the brain and mental health, etc., but do worry it trends toward compulsive at times about "needing" to know all the answers or have certainty on exactly what's going on in my brain. I've experimented with giving myself a time limit, like "you have 10 minutes to research this question/topic" and then force myself to stop reading/listening to whatever at that time and sit with whatever feelings come up about not having all the information, etc. I still don't know if this is the right approach or if this is more of an autistic trait, etc. of wanting to have information to help contextualize my understanding instead of OCD? But I try to be cautious and treat it like OCD when I notice (which, tbh, sometimes I just get really stuck in wanting to know all the things and am convinced if I just read/listen to "one more thing" I will finally know...so that's probably a good indicator OCD is at play). It definitely feels super tricky when the compulsion (researching/learning) is so intimately tied to something I genuinely enjoy.
Thank you for replying. I see your points yeah. It's great to have someone who understands to talk with about it.
To sit with your feelings if you don't research. This is an interesting concept to try thank you
@Anonymous - Yesss, I think it definitely sounds a lot easier than it feels in the actual moment to just stop and leave information hanging (for me at least haha). But at the same time, I think we also have to recognize there will never be a situation in which we have ALL the information...so maybe underneath it's really about learning to trust ourselves that we will do our best with the information we currently have? Good luck! :)
Yes, it definitely can be.
I agree, it can be. Basically, anything you do with the intention of reducing your anxiety or discomfort or to find a "cure" (there is no cure) or relief, is likely compulsive. ERP is the most well-researched treatment and continues to be the most effective. Any new developments are likely to garner quite a bit of attention, like ICBT is getting. You're unlikely to miss any major developments - if/when that happens, you may want to learn about them, and that's ok! At the end of the day, your energy is best spent resisting compulsions and focusing on response prevention.
My counselor says she thinks I have ocd from what she knows so far. It makes me uncomfortable to hear that and I keep thinking about her face when she said it. I have spent hours researching it and I can’t sleep because all I want to do it know more about it. I google search on my phone and read article after article. Is this like an obsession? I don’t really get it. But I feel like I have to be the expert on ocd all of a sudden and I don’t know why.
Does anyone else here struggle with mental compulsions? I have harm ocd and I have been doing ERP for a while now and I have given up all of my compulsions (on good days) but notice my mental compulsions are almost instant.. so hard to stop. I would say I am about 80% better than when I was in the thick of it (worst ocd spike I’ve ever had in my life). I KNOW I would be in remission by giving them up. Can anyone share some of their mental compulsions and how they stop them? I notice mine are comparing myself to other people saying they don’t have this issue, what would they do if they were alone, thinking my way out of a situation as soon as I am triggered (my biggest compulsion is avoidance), thinking of different safety precautions.. etc. I would love any feedback 🤍
Is it normal for me to focus all day everyday on my mental health? Checking to see if I am going to have thoughts and get anxious before I even do? Always looking up stuff to find more information about OCD? I’m in recovery of OCD and I always check my symptoms around my daughter, before I even have thoughts I get anxious I’m going to have them or something will trigger it, all day I’m looking up stuff about OCD , why am I so focused on my mental healthy every single day! What can I do!? Practice mindfulness? Nothing on the internet says anything about this
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