So one of my themes is the fear of going crazy. When it was so bad I was having thoughts all day that everyone knew that I was going crazy and they were talking about it and just not being honest with me. Has anyone experienced this? Is it just ocd?
The fear of "going crazy" is a common one. I feel your pain! I think this is where labels like OCD can be a little counterproductive, because whether or not this "is OCD" is kind of irrelevant. OCD merely describes a state of mind in which you experience a cycle of obsessions and compulsions so often that it significantly affects your daily life. The content of the obsessions is irrelevant. There are common "themes" that people obsess about, but the only thing that matters is that they are intrusive thoughts, and they feed the obsession/compulsion cycle. The thing that makes it OCD is the frequency of the thoughts and the intensity of the anxiety. So personally I would take "OCD" out of the picture entirely, and just recognize what you're experiencing as intrusive thoughts. Nothing more, nothing less. Hope that helps.
How would you define “crazy”? is experiencing obsessive compulsions crazy, or do you worry your sense of reality is literally delusional ? I’m only asking because maybe being more specific with yourself about what this judgment is could help you accept it untrue, or as true and treatable. I can’t know if your intrusive worries about others opinions are accurate or just paranoia. But even in the worst case if someone else is thinking you seem “crazy” … maybe that’s okay? I worry about how others might misunderstand or judge me all the time. And sometimes they actually do! But I can survive being judged by someone. If their opinion practically matters enough to affect my life, then we can address the problem when necessary. But maybe relief can be found in acceptance that we can’t know nor control what anyone else’s impressions and judgments of us might be. Just do the best you can to be a good person in your actions and take pride in that, no matter what anyone might be thinking.
Yes, and they didn’t notice when I got better. Even when they hurt me now, they blame it all on my psyche that I’m hurt and not on their behavior.
I guess I worry about becoming delusional. I'm pretty constantly checking to see if my thoughts are "normal". so stupid. Logically I know everyone gets weird thoughts every day....
Fear of psychosis. I don’t want to trigger anyone, but I’m having a particularly hard time with this “theme”. I’ve been on a high state of anxiety for days now about developing psychosis or already having it. I went to my psychologist and she claims it’s ocd. Basically what is going on is that I’m having obsessions over hearing voices. I’m compulsively researching etc and I fear I’m making it worse. I have intrusive thoughts about “hearing” a voice say something if that makes sense. Like I don’t actually hear a voice but I have a thought about a voice. It’s pretty scary and idk how to do erp with it. Also, late at night I have severely racing thoughts lately. Does this sound like OCD or something else?
Living with the fear of going crazy. Hey everyone, through my journey living with OCD I’ve had many different themes. The most enduring one was Harm OCD, but I would also have intermittent POCD thoughts. It wasn’t until the last few years that I developed a new theme: the fear of developing psychosis/schizophrenia. While this theme seems to be far more common, it is my experience it isn’t really noted in most of the conventional information you might find online. In all the books, websites, videos, and blogs I’ve digested, I’ve only seen it mentioned a few times. But a perusal online shows that in many OCD communities, it’s a common fear. That’s why, for those of you who are suffering or may suffer with this theme, that I find it important to share the experience openly. During the day-to-day, depending on the intensity of the obsessions, it can have a profoundly limited effect on your life. You want to avoid any scenario that might trigger the thoughts, but the avoidance leads to ever-increasing isolation. Personally, I’ve found actively participating in treatment and ERP has helped me maintain most of my regular responsibilities and habits. In the past, an OCD spike could really derail my life. And while I’m certainly dealing with more intrusive thoughts than “usual” at the moment, knowing I have the support of the community and my therapist helps me stay on course. It is without question that without treatment, my suffering would be greater than it is now. I have tools now to manage it that I never had before. It’s important to remember that no matter the theme, someone else is experiencing it. And within that theme, the particular thoughts aren’t really the issue. It’s our response and relationship to them. OCD is incredibly creative, and many with OCD tend to be reflective and conscientious people! You may have all manner of odd, strange, or disturbing thoughts. And that’s ok! Although it seems like a tired cliche, you’re never truly alone. If you have this theme, and are comfortable sharing, it can help others feel that they can be open and without judgement. I hope this has helped someone who felt isolated. Thank you!
My OCD theme is fear of psychosis/schizo and it’s gotten so bad idk what to. I feel like it’s starting to make me think crazy.. like my brain gathered all information on this mental illness and now mimicking it. Does anyone else have this problem? I feel like crying
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