- Date posted
- 25d ago
What do themes mean?
I have read many people use the word theme in their posts. I think I know what that means as far as OCD goes but could someone please confirm me??? Thanks!
I have read many people use the word theme in their posts. I think I know what that means as far as OCD goes but could someone please confirm me??? Thanks!
Hey there! OCD often tends to go after specific types of thoughts, such as fearing for the health of others or your own health/being overly aware of physical symptoms of potential illness (health OCD), fearing germs/being dirty/getting others dirty (contamination OCD) as has been mentioned a couple times (this is probably the subtype that people are most familiar with), or questioning sexuality (sexual orientation OCD). OCD doesn't necessarily always follow clearly delineated themes, though, and it is possible to struggle with more than one type of theme. It is also possible for OCD to "hop" themes, as well, so you may struggle with one theme at a specific point in your life but then may struggle with a different theme at a different point in your life. I hope this helps!
Mine started after losing 4 family members. I did not lose them it same time but acter losing the first one I started being very careful with my lite boy at the time. Then List another person and it got worse. Etc.... Do is that health ocd??? But how come I worry or focus on one thing related to my fears and then days later I am doing better with that but am worried about something else? It makes me feel lije I am.worried about everything around me that reminds me if the period of times when I lost them. I avoid, things, places, even peiple sometimes. Very hard to explain but I feel.like it has isolated me too having ocd cuz nobody understands it.
I guess I am asking if my OCD is done theme but that I sometimes worry more about one part of it (probably what is happening or what I am going through at that time) but it all his,to do with a fear of hoing through what I want through with the other losses but also....to be honest it is like I am worried about any memory or y is that brings me back to those times when I lost someone. I am afraid too touch certain things or visit other family.members, public places (stores certain restaurants) cuz they have some tie to that point in my life. I still wash my hands but not like when my ocd started. So it is like I get "better" with certain things but then I am focusing on another ...but it still has same "theme.
ocd tends to lean into themes or categories for example 'contamination ocd' relating to fear of substances, germs, illness. Or 'harm ocd' fear of hurting themselves or others. Rocd, pure OCD, and the list goes on.
Mine started after I lost family.members. I begin to worry that others around me would get sick so I'd make sure I would clean thoroughly, wash my hands a lot, etc. Years later I feel like it is still the same yet I wash my hands less or at least not so long and don't clean like I did before but I worry a lot. and avoid a lot. So I have not changed themes then right?
However, it does feel like I worry a lot about sfuff and then later I am worrying not ask mych about a,certain part of my fears but I worry about another thing....but they bith have something to do with each other. So...is that still the same theme?
OCD can attach to any thought but there are specific thoughts that are more common, such as contamination, harm, health, and others. As a result there are subtypes that have been identified. The theme is the subtype or type of thought you are having. Below is a great article on subtypes and themes from NOCD. I hope it's helpful. A Quick Guide to Some Common OCD Subtypes (Patrick McGrath PhD for NOCD): https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/a-quick-guide-to-some-common-ocd-subtypes
It started when I lost 4 family members but it did not happen it same time. After the first one I was sad, depressed, etc but I feel.like it got worse than just that. I begsn to get very careful with others around me. And then I lost my mom. After that, tjings got worse. Than I lost two more people AMD so I guess mine is a health ocd as I feared if I was not careful.enough someone else wouod get sick or something. Or i would But now years have passed and I am still worrging etc. I don't get it. Is thishealth ocd? I also avoid youching stiff from.that period of times.or anything that has a memory of that time...including visiting houses of people who had anything to fo with that time in my life. It is awful!
Hey, a theme is pretty much what OCD has attached to. For example, if someone has a fear of being contaminated there OCD theme is contamination.
Themes are different types of OCD obsessions. POCD, Contamination OCD, Real Events OCD, and Somatic OCD are all themes of OCD. Hope this helps!
Thanks. So it isnt a different theme if my fears or worries go from worrying ago it one thing to another as long as they are about the same thing?
@Anonymous - (TW FOR HARM OCD!) If it's the same general sort of obsession, yes, it's the same theme. Like, if you have a fear that you're going to lose control and stab someone, and then switch to being worried that you are going to accidentally hit someone with your car, than both of those are the same theme because they are centered around the same obsession, which in the case of the example is harm.
@needtoescapetheV0ID Thanks for answering!!!
I get asked about the name NOCD a lot. People might want to know how it’s pronounced, and they’re curious about our story. Every time, I’m excited to share a bit about what the name means—in fact, it’s an opportunity for me to talk about something everyone should know about OCD. First things first: it’s pronounced “No-CD.” And it actually means a couple things, both central to our mission: To restore hope for people with OCD through better awareness and treatment. The first meaning of our name is about awareness: Know OCD. Though we’ve come a long way, not enough people truly know what OCD is or what it’s like. How many times have you heard someone say “Don’t be so OCD about that,” or “I wish I had a little OCD. My car is a mess!” Things like that may seem innocent, but they trivialize the condition and keep most people with OCD—around 8 million in the US alone—from getting the help they need. The second meaning of NOCD is about treatment: No-CD. To go a bit deeper: Say “No” to the compulsive disorder. On one level, this is also related to knowing OCD—noto means “to know” in Latin. This inspired the name NOTO, the operations and technology infrastructure that powers NOCD the way an engine powers a vehicle. But this meaning goes even further. It has to do with how you can manage OCD symptoms—learning to resist compulsions. This is the foundation of exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the most effective, evidence-based form of treatment for OCD. Learning how to resist compulsions with ERP changed my life, and it taught me how important it is to get treatment from a specialty-trained therapist who truly understands how OCD works. I’ll give you an example. When I was 20, my life was going according to plan. I was thriving on the field as a college quarterback, doing well in school, even winning awards—until OCD struck out of nowhere. I started having taboo intrusive thoughts, things that horrified me and went against my core values and beliefs. Desperate for help, I saw several different therapists—but no one diagnosed me with OCD. At one point, I was instructed to snap a rubber band against my wrist whenever I had an intrusive thought. It was supposed to stop the thoughts, but it only made my symptoms worse. Driven into severe depression, I had to put my entire life on pause. Once I started ERP with a therapist who understood OCD, I learned why: you can’t stop intrusive thoughts from occurring. Everyone has them—and the more you try to get rid of them, the worse they get. Anything you do to suppress them is actually a compulsion, whether it’s counting in your head, snapping a rubber band against your wrist, or using substances to drown the thoughts out. To get better, you have to learn to resist compulsions and accept uncertainty. OCD doesn’t get to decide how you live your life. How do you educate the people in your life about OCD? Whether friends, family, or strangers, I’d love to hear how you share your understanding and raise awareness about OCD.
so i was on instagram and it came up with other signs of ocd then someone commented this doesn’t mean you have ocd now im stressed that its not ocd background - i had so-ocd for a few years then got treatment for it but am now on the waiting list for further treatment for other stuff but i dont have another theme which makes me feel like its not ocd my day to day life consists of touching the door handle every time you go past it or someone will die, and inability to send emails without re reading loads of times and getting other people to check because im scared i wrote something bad but the what if it’s not ocd thought is triggering me now and i don’t know what do
Or thought-stopping, or suppression. I'm new-ish to OCD treatment and recovery, and I understand and believe that I'm living with this condition, but I still don't *get* it sometimes. I don't immediately click with what other people are describing. For example, when my therapist suggests using mindfulness techniques like naming something in my environment for each sense (something I see in this room, something I hear in this moment, etc), I'm thinking, "is this thought-stopping?" because I'm using the technique to get out of an obsessive spiral and redirecting my attention outward. Isn't that a good thing? Is it thought-suppression *every* time I try to change the subject in my mind? How would you describe "thought neutralizing" mental compulsions to someone who doesn't get it? (ie me lol)
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