I can’t see how my situation applies to ocd or intrusive thoughts? Long story short I’m terrified I’m riddled with STDs and my partner will think I cheated and leave me. Neither of us have ever had one but I started having weird symptoms and googled them, THEN I spiralled. How can this constant nagging all day everyday fear be considered intrusive thoughts when I had symptoms? I’ve been tested about 6 times since that initial symptom and it’s been clear. Had clear results last week too. Now I’m panicking because my partner had painful urination a day ago and I feel like my relationship is at risk again. I only feel this way because we had symptoms!!!! How is this intrusive I don’t understand. I feel my situation is different I’m scared 24/7

Hi, I've seen you on here a lot and I just want to point out that the definition of OCD is having distressing intrusive thoughts throughout your daily life, feeling anxiety, and reacting with compulsions. Whether you have symptoms or not, your reaction is irrational and fuelled by anxiety. And if you are thinking about it 24/7, it's an obsession!

There always has to be a trigger for obsessions. For you, it was symptoms triggering it; for someone else, it might be someone's comments, or a TV show.... He should maybe go to the doctor's just to check, but it is likely to be something minor. And even if you were "riddled", you should not be this anxious about it! That's how you know this is OCD eating you up

You have to remember - you have OCD, and your boyfriend doesn't. So when you've been compulsively getting tested, he hasn't because he doesn't have that compulsion. His reaction is more 'standard'. And if the pain has stopped and it's happened before, it's not going to be a serious issue. Allow your anxiety and fear, but don't react to it too much. Your thoughts and worries do not mean that anything bad has happened

Also - how do you know he'd think you were cheating and leave? He probably wouldn't. Again, this is an intrusive thought you're having. Have you ever tried some ERP therapy? It might help a bit

My partner hasn’t really helped in general with my fear of him leaving tbh His psychotic bitch ex is still around due to work reasons He’s said multiple times he should stop seeing me as a result then I’m in PANIC constantly An ocd therapist did say last week my constant std testing could be my way of either predicting I’ll be abandoned so it’s less shocking (I was once after ten years with no warning) or its a way of proving he won’t leave me at all

You know, I hate to say this, but it sounds like he's not really very good for your mental health. I could be wrong, but maybe you need to take a step back and think about whether maybe things would be less stressful for you if the two of you had a month of break from each other. It might help you both put things into perspective too. Your thoughts are very irrational, but I won't try to explain them rationally because that will just make it worse. But I don't think your OCD therapist is necessarily right about your tests "predicting" a break up, because actually obsessive thoughts don't need to have much reason at all! But if you are so obsessed that it makes you panic to think about even irrational things that you think would make your boyfriend leave you... then maybe you should take some time out for your mental health, get some therapy, and return to relationships fresh when you're ready ?

Ah yeah it could be. It's not a good way to soften the shock though ahah And possibly? I've never heard of OCD being like that