Health OCD

ok so your afraid to be unhealthy....so than be unhealthy.... isn't it better to be unhealthy and to (maybe) die early than to go through what you are going through.... you're only doing compulsions to protect yourself from becoming unhealthy.... dont protect yourself from becoming unhealthy, rather allow yourself to become unhealthy and live a happier more free life but not repeating actions and having compulsions

For me, when health ocd gets triggered it feels like it would be utterly crazy to not take immediate, emergency (or at least urgent) action. Like, why would I risk it? But if I play it out, it's clear that I can never take enough action for ocd to be satisfied, for it to feel safe. Even if I went to every specialist and was told i was ok and i believed them, I'd have to go back and see them every day, since health can change. So I work to keep myself focused on what is reasonable to do. What would someone without ocd do? And if I'm doing that, then my task is to keep living my life, knowing that to be alive means there is risk. I'd rather enjoy whatever time I have.

I don’t have health OCD, but as you identified, trying to see every specialist will not give you certainty. Doing so will keep you in the OCD cycle. The unknown is terrifying. Especially when it comes to health. I’m sorry you’re struggling with this. If you have an urge to schedule multiple appointments, try delaying doing so. Push off the scheduling, and only schedule what is necessary. When you’re stressed, try telling your OCD that you are choosing to address your health how you decide to, and that you are in control, not your OCD. Non-engagement responses, self care, and following your values may help you here. Do you work with an OCD therapist?

Hi tryancav, That sounds scary and I'm sorry you're going through that. Although I don't have health-related OCD, I do know that managing it uses the same skill throughout all subtypes. As scary as it is, I can say the best thing you can do is talk to a therapist and do ERP therapy. I always recommend the NOCD therapist because they are trained in OCD treatment. One of the skills I know is telling OCD what it wants... "Ok, yeah I could be dying, so what. I don't know for sure, but oh well." But doing this, you're training your brain to not recognize these thoughts as important and you won't have the panic attacks that come with them. You can also try writing or thinking about scenarios like "I'm going to suffer the way my mom did" or whatever your thoughts are leaning towards and then repeat them until your anxiety comes down. You will peak and feel all of it crashing down, but keep repeating it until you start to feel better and then repeat it a few more times until it doesn't get to you the way it was before. This is ERP-- exposure response prevention. It is hard to get out of the OCD loops, but you can do it!