I have sometimes seen videos on Instagram or tiktok that have the captions: “when the intrusive thoughts win” and at times, reading that can be very triggering for me. It makes me start thinking of my intrusive harm thoughts or others and imagined that one day, they will win and take over. Wondering if others ever feel that.
yeah, i hate that stupid saying and i wish people would stop using it, it's not even a funny term either, it just takes the seriousness out of ocd and makes us seem like monsters for struggling with intrusive thoughts. it's gotten to the point that i had to block specific people on tiktok or twitter for joking about it.
@anxious artist Totally feel that, I’ve had to do similar to avoid seeing unnecessarily triggering content. None of it is ever actually funny.
@RS1208 - agreed, they keep confusing intrusive thoughts with impulsive thoughts which aren't the same thing. impulsive thoughts such as dying your hair or wanting to buy concert tickets aren't intrusive. if they had just use a different terminology, it wouldn't cause so much stigma against ocd sufferers.
I'm lucky I never stumbled across something like that... no, actually the brain-dead people who post bs like that are lucky I have read their stupid posts. Some people are just plain stupid. 🤦🏼♀️
@Zoë_84 *haven't
yes i always do… it worries me a lot because, as you said, it makes me think all my intrusive thoughts will come true one day too 😭 i don’t know why people even say that phrase because why would the intrusive thoughts winning be a joke??
@0045 Because they are dumb, uneducated and have no idea, what they are talking about. I think to a lot of people OCD is a joke. The character Monk from the show with the same name, is pictured as quirky and odd. The show is called a drama show, but I see it more as a comedy show. I think this show and the focus on the subtypes Contamination OCD and Symmetric OCD in the media has heavily influenced people's perception of OCD. I hear a lot "Oh, I'm a little OCD", e.g. when people want pictures to be perfectly level, or when they prefer a specific spacing in their word documents. And tbh, that makes me really angry, not only because I suffer from OCD and to me it is not a joke, but because by downplaying the severity of OCD, they make it harder for OCD sufferers to find understanding and support from non-OCD-sufferers.
@Zoë_84 There is certainly truth to what you're saying. Many people don't understand the severity of OCD. But remember that almost everyone has intrusive thoughts - not just people with OCD. The difference is that for people with OCD the thoughts induce extreme anxiety and we can't just brush them off as some ridiculous thought that crosses our mind like others too. I don't think we should immediately assume that those poeple who joke about intrusive thoughts on tiktok etc. mean harm to anyone.
@Anonymous Well, OCD is an illness and before anyone makes jokes about an illness on a platform that reaches millions of people, they should inform themselves on what they want to talk about. It's a huge difference, if someone says something stupid about an illness, when they hang out with a couple of friends, but on tiktok or any other social media platform it's a completely different story. So, my point stands, those people are dumb and uneducated. And as they show no compassion for people who suffer from a severe mental health issue no one can expect me to show them compassion, or understanding. If you want to, that's your choice, but please don't try to push it on to me.
@Zoë_84 I am sorry, if it came across as trying to push an opinion onto you. I just wanted to make the point that intrusive thoughts are part of everyone's life experience. Not just OCD people. If non-OCD people make fun of THEIR OWN intrusive thoughts it does not mean that they make fun of people with OCD who may find their intrusive thoughts distressing. But of course, you are 100% right about the fact that many people are indeed uneducated about OCD and society as a whole needs to show more compassion to those who suffer from it (as with any other mental illness).
Absolutely!! I can have extremely intrusive thoughts but whenever it gets brought up in a video or caption it’s all I can think about, even if I don’t want to!! (˃̣̣̣̣︿˂̣̣̣̣ )
yes, there is a time when i saw a video saying "this woman mocked God" and the women terribly happened, as that was saying on the video. Aftee watching it i was frightened, i feels that i did that thing also, it feels that i mocked God also. and by that, my anxiety came and destrou me at all depth of my state and i still have this today, i barely sleep for a year, i cant focus, i can think happiness and everything.
I kinda feel like that often. The thoughts taking over and such.
Just remember to give yourself grace, and use it as an opportunity to practice sitting in the discomfort. And your therapist may have some practice you can for this. I don’t get triggered by those videos (but they irritate me), but I get triggered by other things on the internet. It’s hard when the triggers come from nowhere
I don’t know how to explain this so I’ll do it to the best of my ability. Does anyone experience “co-intrusive” thoughts that try to negatively support the initial intrusive thought? Example: Me: “Thank God I never acted on (scary intrusive thought) & I’m getting better!” Intrusive thought: “What a shame you didn’t” These types of things send me into a spiral. It makes me think that it could lead to a desire instead of staying a fear. Like an intrusive disappointment that I didn’t follow through with the thought? It’s been a long fear/obsession & I think my OCD is trying to trick me that the only satisfaction would be to act on the thought. (I know that’s bs) But IS that why it sends me the negative co-intrusive thoughts? That’s the only explanation that makes sense. Then I wonder is it something else? Am I a grenade waiting to explode??? I simply cannot relax in any moment because I think what’s the use if I’m just going to (xyz) one day?
Idk anymore it feels like being on here is a trigger. Every time I see a minor post on the app, my intrusive thoughts go haywire and then my brain says maybe you should comment something inappropriate and i literally don't wanna fucking do that. It's the last thing I want to do. And now im scared that I commented something crude on someone's post. obviously, when I went to check there was nothing now my brain is saying "you commented and then deleted". I want to think it's something I wouldn't do, but why are the images in my head so real. Children should be safe. I feel like I need to be locked away. Someone please help me.
Does anyone experience ocd really bad with posts they see online? I just saw a post just now about someone who said they’ve come to terms with dying in their early twenties, and it popped up on my Instagram for you page and i panicked. I’m 20 myself and posts like this genuinely scare me because I always think “It’s a sign or there is a reason it’s popping up on my page.” Has anyone dealt with this before or had an instance like this? Especially with those posts that say if you don’t share or like it something bad will happen, it genuinely freaks me out and I love instagram.
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