Struggling with the idea that ocd is chronic or not some say it is some say it is not . What does your therapists say

I would disagree with this! In alot of cases it can go away for many years or even for a lifetime if persistent erp treatment is used and all compulsions are stopped. It won't be an everyday fight, alcoholism and addiction often is.

@Dianaaa I respect your opinion though, there is just a lot of proof that it goes away for many years or even for decades or lifetime. Even before treatment I would have months without high anxiety and I have severe ocd...hopefully this puts a more positive spin on ocd than you even realized!

@Dianaaa You say, “it can go away for many years or even a lifetime if persistant erp treatment is used...” That’s exactly my point in comparing it to alcoholism, which can be in remission for years, decades, the rest of one’s lifetime by persistently not drinking.

@ARTnotOCD yes but often alcoholics are bombarded with urges to drink daily. They may not drink for 30 years but it is a daily desire to drink. It is an ongoing battle dailyyyy. What im saying is with effective treatment ocd can go away and be absent from daily life for many years. The urges and anxieties will be completely absent for many months, years or even life. I think thats the difference :)

@Dianaaa Maybe I see alcoholism in a more hopeful light than you do. While I’ve seen alcoholism and addiction seriously hurt, I’ve seen OCD also. I’ve also seen many family members thrive as “recovering alcoholics”, just staying vigilant enough to not drink. That gives me hope that I need for them, and it gives me hope in staying vigilant in dealing with my chronic issues.

@ARTnotOCD My brother is a recovering addict as well as my ex-fiancee an alcoholic. They describe their journey as their urge to drink or do drugs can be daily, while those who recover from ocd can experience relief and no urges for months or years or even forever. People who are recovering addicts have described to me it is a daily battle

@Dianaaa I know a lot of alcoholics doing well with few urges, so happy to be where they have gotten that they never want to look back. I also know when I am in a period of remission, I am aware that my brain could re-flare and I must check myself if/when it does, like an urge to drink that must be fought.

@Dianaaa Alcoholism and addiction has lots of hope! They are just different diseases so they have different recovery rates and relapses etc

@Dianaaa Yes but see they still have urges. Doing well with urges means they still experience urges often 😂 My point is ocd can forreal go away for a long time and not resurface as often as addiction based behavioral diseases

@Dianaaa Nope “Doing well” “with FEW urges” means the opposite of “they still experience urges often”.

@Dianaaa Maybe it all depends on what kind of OCD you have. When I am doing really well for long stretches and even feel like OCD is a non-issue for me, I still get intrusive thoughts and still enjoy when something feels right, even get the urge to help make something be even. My success is measured by how little I respond to those urges, how little the OCD is affecting my life. And an alcoholic’s success is also measured by how little they give into those urges, whether they feel the urges everyday or hardly ever.

@ARTnotOCD Yes I just disagree. I have many addicts who I am and was close with and I've noticed lots of differences with recovery of addiction and recovery of ocd. They all say that them and in their groups that still experience urged weekly even though they are doing well. Have you been through recovery yet though? Im glad sometimes u don't experience anxiety but I have been recovered for a while and it is different than my brother who has been in drug recovery for a while.

@Dianaaa I just have to say, I’ve really enjoyed our conversation. Even if we ultimately don’t agree, or just have had different experiences leading to differing conclusions, I absolutely appreciate a civil and kind discussion. I hope my part has held up to those standards for you. I feel like I have had periods of recovery, yet intrusive thoughts and images are a part of life for many, even without OCD. I know in most texts, OCD is considered “chronic”, and it doesn’t take much to fall down a peg with it, just giving in to any compulsion. The great news is that with this cyclical illness, once you learn the skills to fight it, any reoccurrence is easier to both recognize and fight.

@ARTnotOCD true! I respect your opinion. I just think that depending on the individual, recovery and remission have longer periods compared to others! but with each compulsion we resist our ocd grows less strong