- Date posted
- 1y
Never understood this
I see people use the following terms: "OCD episode ", " Spike", "Setback" And "relapse", yet I never understood the difference between the four terms, does anyone have an idea?
I see people use the following terms: "OCD episode ", " Spike", "Setback" And "relapse", yet I never understood the difference between the four terms, does anyone have an idea?
OCD episode sounds like it could be a short or long period of time where you are ruminating, experiencing intrusive thoughts, etc. Spike sounds like a sudden large increase. Maybe this could be someone who deals with a base-level of OCD and then notices sudden heightened intrusive thoughts. Setback sounds like someone who is on the path of managing their OCD, developing better strategies to avoid rumination, and then they experience a period of time where they feel they have reverted back to their former thought patterns they were fighting to manage. Relapse sounds similar to setback. Setback is a bit more optimistic because it describes a brief moment of weakening during a journey onwards, whilst relapse does not necessarily describe itself as part of a journey but more of a pattern. That being said, setback and relapse are synonyms of each other. I just think setback is used in the context of a journey more.
Thanks!! Do you think that a setback can happen more than once or twice during the journey?
@Moha🍃 Yes
I’ve best understood this as stressors in life. As stress goes up so does OCD response. A stressful event (like an exam or planning for a wedding) would cause a spike in OCD and if a long duration maybe an episode. Maybe it’s been a while with lower OCD tendencies and then a strong stressful event happens in your life. That would cause you to relapse into strong OCD or set you back. Think about stressful events and situations that cause OCD to fluctuate like a roller coaster.
Im still searching about pure o ocd while I still look for a specialized therapist so that's why I'm asking the following thing lol Is normal to have months and/or years without an ocd episode? I noticed I had a considerable amount of episodes in all my living years but sometimes they took a year or a bit more than a year to appear, in worse scenarios I noticed the took just months to appear once again Is that normal? Im kinda feeling guilty about it because I notice some people live 24/7 with ocd since they are kids while my thing is more like, episodically, not 24/7 since I was born? My last episode started in August of last year and is still haunting me but I know people had it worsened since their earlier years of life
I’m a teacher, and for the last two school breaks, my harm OCD spikes regarding my girlfriend. The first one was winter break (It came back after three years), and when I was recovering, it came back in the beginning of June. Just out of nowhere. Even though I know it’s OCD, it still scares the hell out of me and I spiral for weeks and weeks. Does anyone else have spikes and relapses when there are breaks in your routine?
I see a lot of “general” advice on here from people who have conquered their OCD, and i dont often find that advice helpful. How do i identify compulsion when OCD is bad? Its a whirlwind. Nothing makes sense. I’m pretty sure i have something in addition to OCD but modern science is not good enough yet to let me know. At times like this I need medication. I am weening off Zoloft to try Clomipramine or maybe Vyvanse. I’ve been on Zoloft for 6+ years so decreasing is causing quite an uptick in symptoms. I feel very impulsive lately, i say and post things i dont mean to and it causes interpersonal issues and doesn’t represent who i really am. Is it impulsion or compulsion? I’ve asked this before and only got textbook answers, not personal anecdotes (what im looking for). What does ADHD and RSD feel like? I think i have both ADHD and OCD, even though scientific models show these having opposite activity in the same areas of the brain, leading one to wonder: how can someone have both conditions simultaneously? Science contradicts this but also acknowledges a large population of people who have comorbid OCD and ADHD.
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