What are your struggles

@StoicGuy You have ocd?

@TheOCDpig For 25 years now. Since I was young.

@StoicGuy What kinds do you struggle with

@TheOCDpig Harm OCD, contamination, scrupulosity mostly.

@TheOCDpig But it doesn't matter the subtype all OCD treatment is the same.

@StoicGuy What do you mean and what is scrupulously

@Studybug I think having that feeling actually is what makes you a good person. A bad person wouldn’t care

@TheOCDpig Thank you. It’s just I'm always worried something I've said has come out wrong or too harshly and then I start feeling guilty and ruminating on it for days

@Studybug I’m sorry you deal with that

I'm sorry I know it can be difficult. Remember feelings are controlled by OCD too so you do have a choice in how you respond. Thoughts and feelings aren't facts. Let your brain know this is an intrusive thought, then tell yourself you may be a terrible person. Your brain is scared of the uncertainty. Deep down you know you aren't terrible but OCD demands certainty that you can't ever give it. So accept that you may be a terrible person even though highly unlikely allow yourself to accept the possibility. This will make the thoughts infrequent and not bother you anymore.

@Studybug If these are OCD thoughts. If just general anxiety then you'd treat them differently. It's important to get diagnosed and make sure they are OCD thoughts so you can treat them effectively.

@TheOCDpig Scrupulosity means I struggle with extreme guilt and OCD related to religious concepts.

@StoicGuy Thank you 🙏🏾

@Studybug No problem, I know it's scary to have to accept these thoughts as possibly true even if one in a trillion chance but it helps to remind yourself each day that thoughts are just thoughts, not facts nor anything to pay attention to other than recognizing it's intrusive and letting it be because it has no value. Don't push or force the thoughts to stop as this is telling your brain they are important and the brain will continue to focus on them.

@Studybug Let me use an example. Don't think about a pink elephant. Try really hard to not think about a pink elephant. See what happens? The key to beating intrusive thoughts is recognizing them and then letting them be. Don't do anything to them just accept they may or may not be true. They don't receive any special attention because they have no value other than saying, maybe or maybe not, in response to the thoughts if it's an OCD fear.

@Studybug I do that too. But then I actually do say something stupid and end up feeling like an jerk.

@StoicGuy I don’t delete it, the site did…

@TheOCDpig Didn’t *

OCD attacks whatever we value so you value not being racist. The scary part but effective for treating OCD is you have to tell yourself maybe or maybe not that you are racist. You have to live with the uncertainty.

They are thoughts or feelings but not facts. There is no way to prove you aren't racist because your mind will come up with new examples every day that you must ruminate about. So reassuring yourself you aren't racist will make the OCD worse and the thoughts will keep coming.

@TheOCDpig i’m struggling with this currently , can i ask you what ur experience is like

@sayso Sorry I didn’t see this earlier… I can’t be around people of a certain race or I compulsively clean EVERYTHING. What do you deal with?

What do you mean dangerous mentally?

@StoicGuy SI

If you have contamination OCD it's treated the same way. You can't see the germs so you can never be certain even if you wash, even if you clean. Accept that you may or may not be contaminated and live with the uncertainty. That's how you escape OCD. Mindfulness, meds, and ERP all work for me. Meds come with risks so you have to weigh the pros to cons of course but without them I get severe panic attacks that lasts weeks.

@TheOCDpig I haven't personally dealt with SI so I can't offer insight into treatment for that. Are you working with a therapist?

@StoicGuy No lol

@TheOCDpig Oops no lol… I can’t find a good one

@TheOCDpig There are a lot on this app. It is really tough to find one locally. OCD treatment is pretty much the same regardless of who you go to.

@TheOCDpig Just try to find someone with ERP experience and someone you trust. I was worried to work with a therapist through a video screen but it's basically the same as in office as I've done both.