So... I had a mini revelation about my OCD and I’m wondering if you guys find the same thing... I tend to get intrusive thoughts from like the majority of categories that OCD has to offer, but it’s like only some of them reeeeally bother me (which I consider my themes of OCD) and others I’m like not phased by because I can recognize it as not characteristic of me and my brain is just going haywire... does anyone else notice this? Just curious ?

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

Everyone, even people without OCD, have thoughts from all the OCD "categories". What makes a thought part of OCD is the emotion attached, not the content of the thought

Emmaaaahh

Date posted: 5y

Ahah that makes sense! Would you say that OCD stems from negative beliefs about yourself either reinforced by you, others or the events happening around you? Can OCD be induced by trauma for this reason?

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

@Emmaaaahh There are lots of pathways to having OCD. No definitive cause though

Fathomable

Date posted: 5y

@Emmaaaahh My therapist says in her experience her clients with OCD almost universally have trauma or underlying negative beliefs about themselves which make the thoughts seem personal. So pretty much exactly what you said.

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

@Louw My understanding of the research literature is that trauma is more often present in people who develop OCD as adults. Much less common in people who develop OCD in childhood

Emmaaaahh

Date posted: 5y

@NOCD Advocate - Katie That would make sense. I know there are also hereditary factors involved and I’ve heard that the virus causing strept throat can induce it in children as well. It’s crazy how many factors can initiate OCD symptoms. That’s probably why it’s so complex to treat (not to mention the diverse range of symptoms it can cause)

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

@Emmaaaahh Yep. There's no single recipe for how it develops

Emmaaaahh

Date posted: 5y

@NOCD Advocate - Katie I feel like mine has both genetic components (a lot of my family members have either OCD or OC traits) as well as environmental factors that triggered particular symptoms (emotional abuse). I find OCD so interesting (even though it really sucks)!

Fathomable

Date posted: 5y

Yep! I get brief blips of those intrusive thoughts which are linked to POCD, but I've never taken it all that seriously because it doesn't feel.... Personal. I don't have the instinctive resistance to it which comes from the fear that it might be very personally relevant. It wouldn't surprise me at all if I read that mostly men get POCD, because they're in the category people get suspicious of by default.

Emmaaaahh

Date posted: 5y

Yeah I just got an intrusive thoughts about beastiality today which doesn’t happen often at all, but like I know that’s definitely not something I’m the slightest bit interested in and I’d never do. I was just kinda like hmm that was a weird thought and then forgot about it

mhassan0117

Date posted: 16w

@Emmaaaahh Ha I repeat anything that disturbs me I’m so mentally fucked

Anxiousashley

Date posted: 5y

I have found that personally, my ocd seems to bother me most when it involves themes that I really care about. Like rocd bc I really love my husband and hark ocd bc I would never want to hurt anyone

Emmaaaahh

Date posted: 5y

Yes me too! It seems to attack what you care about most :(

Darz

Date posted: 5y

Yes! Mine as well!! Katie why is that?? Why would ocd attack the things we love the most??

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

Because we have stronger emotions about things we care about

Darz

Date posted: 5y

But naturally wouldn't we try to hide those or block them from ocd?

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

Yes. That's what compulsions are. The more we try to get rid of the unwanted thoughts and emotions, the more we reinforce them

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