The urge to confess - is it OCD?

My brain constantly finds things I need to “confess”, to for example my partner. Things that are not relevant now, nor important in the present moment (it is for example something that I did 10 years ago). I get so stuck on these thoughts, and when I confess them there always pops another thought up that I obsess over and I feel the extreme urge to confess again and it gives me so much anxiety. Those confessions are all things I am ashamed of, or I judge myself on immensely. The anxiety stays till I confess it, then the anxiety calms down for a bit, only to flare up again with another thing I get stuck on. Is this a symptom of OCD? Is there anything that can be done about it?

Username: Rewired4purposeRewired4purpose

Date posted: 24w ago

I struggle with this constantly and every day too. It really feels like if you don't say something you're the worst person in the world. And it sucks when they're really bad intrusive thoughts and the things you confess just end up hurting people you care about instead of actually providing the reassurance you're looking for/seeking. That article below is very accurate in saying that it's a double-edged sword. It hurts you, perpetuating the cycle, and it can also damage relationships and hurt the people you love. We've got this, though. We can offer ourselves the compassion and kindness we're seeking for when we look for that reassurance. I've just started to realize and see the pattern that the thoughts are never going to stop. We just have to be stronger than them and resist this sneaky compulsion. These thoughts can't hurt us-- only our reaction to them can. You can do this, fellow warrior.

Username: Jay BirdJay Bird

Date posted: 25w ago

This is a common compulsion, try not to engage in it. https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/confessing-and-reassurance-a-double-edged-sword

Username: ~Bee~Bee

Date posted: 25w ago

@Jay Bird Thank you for sharing

Username: Chelseag67Chelseag67

Date posted: 25w ago

I just joined this website and was surprised to see this question. I was just diagnosed with ocd last week. I do this too. Had no idea this could be an ocd thing. I also feel the strong need to tell my leadership at work when I make mistakes. It’s real annoying. Luckily I’m a good employee.

Username: ~Bee~Bee

Date posted: 25w ago

@Chelseag67 Thank you for sharing with me Chelsea

Username: XwiXwi

Date posted: 25w ago

Yes I know how you feel I get like that a lot too. Like I can’t keep any surprises to myself like gifts because I feel guilty that I’ve kept it from my partner and I end up telling them early or stuff from my past springs back to my head and I have like a need to tell them even if it’s not related to what we are discussing

Username: XwiXwi

Date posted: 25w ago

@lissabee Yeah I get this a lot and I’ve been getting irritability loads too recently and I can’t help but feel guilty. OCD can be the worst sometimes

Username: Allison_

Date posted: 2y ago

Confession OCD

Anyone know anything about confession OCD that can tell me about it in a nutshell? I’ve always felt the need to tell everyone whatever is going on in my head and I feel guilty if I don’t. I would always tell on myself as a kid but not for the things I did wrong but instead for all the bad things in my head. Now I obsess over everything from my past and experience with other partners and have horrible guilt if I don’t tell my boyfriend absolutely everything that has ever happened or just things my mind gets stuck on. Only when he knows everything I can think of do I relax. Is this what confession OCD is? If not- does anyone else get the compulsion to get the truth out?

Username: tiana17

Date posted: 1y ago

Can’t Stop Confessing

It feels like my mind scans for things for me to “confess” to my partner. Things that aren’t even important or necessary come into my mind and I feel so guilty about it and get super stressed and feel like the only way to get rid of that is to confess. I feel like it’s something I have to do. No matter how much I tell myself it’s something that doesn’t need to be said I still have to say it somehow. I don’t know if this is normal, but I just feel like my partner has to know everything. And this is causing arguments and making him upset. I don’t want to hurt my partner anymore as I can tell my OCD is really affecting him. If anyone has any advice that would be great!

Username: aneyh

Date posted: 49w ago

How do you deal with confession urges?

I have a really awful event. One that required a lot of non-OCD related confessions to my gf. It happened 4 years ago. I don’t really consider any of my thoughts around this event to be OCD related, because it was actually THAT BAD, and I actually should feel the things I’m feeling. The problem that keeps coming up is my urge to confess more details. The thing I did wasn’t one event, but a series of awful events. My girlfriend doesn’t want to know anymore details. She says no matter how bad it is, she doesn’t want to know anymore. I keep getting memories of details that I’m worried would end our relationship if she knew. I’ve confessed so many awful details and she hasn’t left me yet, but there are so many genuinely terrible things that I thought, felt, intended, and acted on. With the thought that revealing a detail could end my relationship, how am I not supposed to confess? I feel like I am tricking her and she doesn’t understand the full extent of my depravity. When she looks at me with love I feel sick and unworthy. She doesn’t want me to confess anymore, my therapist doesn’t want me to confess anymore, and these memories are just sitting in my head, eating away at my soul. I feel so alone. I feel like most of you can probably guess the nature of what I did and might not appreciate me posting about it here. I’m sorry, I just need someone to talk to…

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The urge to confess - is it OCD?

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