- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
Honestly I agree with you about the spectrum thing, ultimately our classification of disorders is pretty arbitrary, not only do professionals often disagree about a diagnosis (and they've done studies about things which can influence their perceptions of somebody's issues) but the diagnoses themselves aren't all that evidence-based. We get updates to the DSM with new research, and disorders are names we give to patchwork presentations of various issues with the brain, genetics, etc. In psychiatry we end up going by behaviour but these supposedly neat boxes are just iffy abstractions. Perfectionism, control issues and fear of making a mistake or being to blame are common across people diagnosed with OCD but also people with trauma, personality disorders and even brain injuries etc. OCD is, literally, a maladaptive coping mechanism, just as you described. Confession like this is one symptom of it. I think the bottom line realistically is that if you find that being here is beneficial to you, you relate to others' experiences, and you find ERP useful, then it is what it is. It's usually beneficial to focus on the treatments needed to get to the point of feeling and functioning better, rather than on a diagnosis, as a diagnosis isn't particularly useful other than in terms of the treatments and understandings it can point you towards. I'm of the belief personally that ERP can help anyone who for any reason finds that their worrying is making them miserable or negatively impacting on their life. I have OCD and PTSD and I've actually found EMDR so far to be very similar to ERP, it triggers negative feelings in a controlled environments and encourages feeling them deeply while focusing on a moving light. Rather than doing this alone until you habituate to the anxiety, you go back and forth mentally between the triggering memory & beliefs and a more compassionate replacement (one where the memory went differently or you receive comfort) in order to associate the two together in memory reconsolidation (as the light distracts your brain from overthinking). It's actually a very similar thing to not checking the stove and allowing the experience of everything turning out alright even though you didn't check, to reprogram your brain to associate not doing compulsions with all being well. I think the cross-effectiveness comes from the fact that the major symptoms of trauma are rumination and suppressed unpleasant emotions, which are usually core symptoms of OCD. I have no doubt that I could use ERP alone for my PTSD in conjunction with counselling after habituation to triggers to help absorb changes in beliefs about the situation, the world and yourself- which is also required in OCD when you do work on underlying beliefs about yourself or the world (I'm bad/something bad is going to happen/I'm going to make things go wrong). It's all down to flexibility, being willing to change what we do and how we think, even though it's painful. If you're able to source the courage to do that, you're going to be fine.
- Date posted
- 5y
If this app is beneficial for you, there is no reason you shouldn’t be able to continue using it! Mental health overlaps, that is nothing to feel bad or dishonest about!! You are welcome on this community always!
- Date posted
- 5y
Hey, therapists can be wrong! Their understanding of what ocd is is always evolving and changing and some haven’t kept up with the literature surrounding it, so can sometimes misidentify what’s going on. I say this from personal experience, and I’ve also heard this anecdotally from others. If you feel your experience fits it might help you to visit a therapist that specialises in ocd so you can get a second opinion?
- Date posted
- 5y
I feel like feeling like you’re a constant liar when you think you have something is part of OCD
- Date posted
- 5y
And I know what it’s like to post something and worry I lied in it, which I’m doing *right now*
- Date posted
- 5y
Thanks for kind comments and taking the time to write them!
- Date posted
- 5y
Is the therapist who thinks you don’t have ocd an NOCD Therpist ? Or a Therpist outside of this app?
- Date posted
- 5y
A therapist outside this app. He treats OCD patients, too. He has 20years of experience and is a psychologist. I really like him, and I’ve talked about the OCD issues with him and improving my ERP skills. I’m even going back on meds because he recommended it for intrusive thoughts.
- Date posted
- 5y
@Alyosha Hypothetically speaking if it wasn’t OCD the condition. Most mental conditions have obsessive and anxiety components to them. So regardless, learning to accept anxiety and thoughts and not chasing them will help you!
Related posts
- Date posted
- 20w
I’m irrationally terrified of being found somehow by someone who knows me but I’m trying to post anyway. Not sure if I qualify as young adult or mid-life at this point because I’m about to be 30. Hi, I’m new here and I’m in the process of getting a diagnosis. I’m already diagnosed with autism, GAD, and probable ADHD, and I believe I’ve had varying subtypes of OCD since childhood. My worst OCD-related issue right now has been constant reassurance seeking. I’ve fallen into a trap of constantly doing it and without reassurance I’m terrified to make decisions in my new job. It’s causing me to ask too many questions I already know the answers to which makes me not look competent. Even though I’m somewhat experienced in my field of work, starting this new job has me feeling like I’m starting in the field all over again because I’m so bad these days with working independently since I can’t reassure myself that what I’m doing is correct. I’ve been stressed out of my mind and have come close to losing my job because the stress has exacerbated my autistic struggles such as meltdowns and social issues and I’m also battling the ADHD and GAD on top of it. I’ve also been pushing away people who are close to me with my reassurance seeking because I have problems with not being satisfied with any piece of advice or reassurance given to me by friends and family. They can say things will be okay a thousand times and even though I’m the one who asked I will fight them on it and I’m getting tired of my own difficult behavior and obsessive thoughts. I finally got into therapy again to try and save my job and my relationships from the clutches of my various mental illnesses and I’m just looking for community here.
- Date posted
- 11w
I was diagnosed with OCD around the age of 6, subtype- contamination primarily. It calmed down as I got older and I assumed it had gone away, but also didn’t realize it can show up in other ways, and it still had been effecting me which I know now. I’m not 31 and I’ve been in therapy for a year and it’s helped a lot, although I sometimes get thoughts that what if some of the stuff I’m dealing with isn’t ocd and I’m exaggerating. I feel like thoughts will feel sticky and I’ll do certain compulsions but then the thought eventually vanishes if I do it a few times which makes me think maybe it’s not OCD since other people/friends I know would probably do the exact same thing. Not sure if I’m making sense, but I guess my question is if that thought comes up with anyone else? Just being unsure if something you’re doing actually is ocd or not.
- Date posted
- 10w
Hello, I’m new to this app. I’ve always had an anxious brain, and I’ve had coping mechanisms for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, from as early as I could spell, until I was probably early teens, I would constantly write words in my head along to the beat of music. It’s such a vivid memory because I never stopped doing it. The word had to perfectly match up to the lyric and I loved that it kept my brain busy. I grew out of that, but felt like good context. My anxiety increased drastically around ages 17-19, and I began therapy. I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety and panic disorder, due to having a panic attack nearly every day at that time. I overcame that as well, and now the panic attacks are every now and then, but the anxiety is constant, and some recent symptoms have led me to believe I might have some form of OCD. Maybe not. I’m trying to understand myself and get better so I joined this app to make sense of things. Lately I’ve been having really intense intrusive thoughts. I’m really embarassed and they make me feel like a bad person. Thoughts pop in my head seemingly out of nowhere. It will be an image of me harming myself or someone else in a really bad way. (Trigger warning) for example the other day I couldn’t shake the image of me putting a knife through my own forehead, although it’s not something I want to do. Or I’ll imagine someone killing me. I imagine my loved ones dying often. The thoughts feel so out of my control it’s insane. I hate them. Another persistent issue that isn’t as new is replaying social scenarios. I’m a hairstylist so this one is difficult since I meet a bunch of new people every day. I obsess over how I act and if people like me. I will impulsively say things all the time and they will haunt me for weeks. I question even my closest friends and family who show their love. I find myself so angry and numb and like I have so much built up emotion and a busy mind always. While doing my job I spiral really badly if any little thing goes wrong and it’s embarassing. I know there’s more but I can’t think of it now. I just want to feel better and like I’m not constantly battling my mind.
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