Let me start by saying I am not looking for reassurance or anything but just a general question about my intrusive thoughts. So apparently my mind is scared shitless of suicide and it’s triggered that I am suicidal - that is the root of my intrusive thought (fear of being suicidal) so I get random thoughts during the day that say “just kill yourself” or when I look into the future I get “you will be dead anyway because your suicidal” sort of thoughts that cause a crap ton of distress. I have no problem handling things though like sharp knives.. or anything dangerous etc so erp is a little hard for mean when I see harm ocd it’s always about harming someone else.. is this the same classification? I know they’re intrusive thoughts cause they give me so much much anxiety but since I have no issues with dangerous items is this the same? And any strategies to handle this? I don’t know how I can have the same damn thoughts allllll day everyday and not get sick of them yet when they cause so much anxiety lol

I completely understand this. I don’t really have specific advice but just letting you know I’m going through the exact same thing. My strategy at this point has been to label them as OCD thoughts - I will certainly let you know if I come up with something more effective.

Well, sounds like suicide OCD, but tbh the "classifications" we use aren't a clinical thing anyway, they're not distinct, they're all OCD, and they're all treated the same way as any other OCD. Honestly, as much as you want to remind yourself of all the reasons you want to live and don't want to die, that's pretty much just the kind of resistance which reinforces the threat level you feel from the intrusive thoughts. I don't have OCD about this, because when I (quite often btw) think or say to myself "kill yourself" (intrusive thoughts I suppose), I don't take it very seriously: I don't wonder why I thought it, I know people think weird things a lot and even if it's only me that thinks this stuff.... Well, never mind. You're not going to kill yourself without making a conscious decision to do it. If you're unlikely to do that, because you enjoy being alive, then that's just the way it is, OCD or no OCD. The only thing the OCD does is to give you a big layer of stress. I guess for you it goes intrusive thought -> adrenaline -> what if this means something? Best tip is the same as for every OCD out there: let yourself be adrenalised. You can survive being adrenalised. It goes away. Don't follow the urges to analyse, question or argue against the idea of "this might mean that I want to kill myself". You don't need to know.

Hi! Suicidal OCD is usually the same classification as Harm OCD, but OCD varies between everyone! Maybe a script would be a great way to practice ERP! You can start small- write out some statements/imagined scenarios that trigger minor anxiety & repeat them or listen to them until the anxiety lessens, then work your way up to a more triggering script. I hope that helps!!