- Date posted
- 3y ago
- Date posted
- 3y ago
I know of someone who had emetophobia when I was a patient at OCDi Jr. Here were some of their exposures: - eating then running around - looking at pictures of throw-up and writing stories about it - watching videos of people doing eating challenges and throwing up I know this person made so much progress doing these exposures!!! Though I know that different exposures work better for different people and that some people’s OCD responds better to treatment than others. I hope that maybe these are some ideas that might work for you!
- Date posted
- 3y ago
Thank you so much! I have taken these down and may implement myself
- Date posted
- 3y ago
I had it when I was younger.
- Date posted
- 3y ago
How did you get over it?
- Date posted
- 3y ago
@Anonymous I honestly don't know. Time and medication. Know as I'm older it is other things...but getting sick is like nothing now. I think being drunk and having to get sick one time was a way of getting over it. It just doesn't matter anymore.
- Date posted
- 3y ago
@waynoworlater I've had the opposite experience. This started for me in elementary school. The older I got the worse it got. I'm 45 and its still really severe. I've also had OCD since I 8. Didnt know or realize it until last month.
- Date posted
- 3y ago
@Lms526 Often times we only realize we had ocd looking back bc it’s under-diagnosed but I understand @waynoworlater with their experience being really therapeutic and if I had thrown up from drinking, maybe I would have been done with this but I had somewhat avoidant behaviors. I did throw up once last year but it didn’t seem to stop me from fearing it happening again. Hoping to get to the root of this.
- Date posted
- 3y ago
Me! I have have it for many years. I am focusing on my harm suicide OCD right now. But that one is next on my hit list.
- Date posted
- 3y ago
I also have that! It's those 2 are my biggest obstacles but right now emetophobia has taken over for various reasons!
- Date posted
- 3y ago
To be clear, I got over the being sick obsession, but recently had a reoccurrence of OCD behavior and lead into harm ocd and suicidal ocd thoughts. I think just stress and anxiety obviously triggered it again. I almost wish I had the being sick obsession back, but the symptoms were just as similar. The avoidance, etc. I'm just an adult now and have to keep a job and that makes it way harder than just missing school like when I was a kid.
- Date posted
- 3y ago
I totally understand. I also have the suicidal ocd and for whatever reason, that one is not bothering me right now but when it is, I of course wish it was the sick obsession instead and vice versa. I also have had to take some time off work to maintain my health and I was nervous about it but glad that I did it. Being that I work from home has helped some with the anxiety and not being in public but I also think part of not having to be in public is why I’m getting anxious more bc it’s less exposure.
- Date posted
- 3y ago
Yes. Being isolated definitely doesn't help me. I just have to find a balance.
- Date posted
- 3y ago
Yeah I don’t love it either, I’m a social person which is why when I fear getting sick it really turns things around bc I get scared of it happening in a social setting and will want to avoid or leave the situation. I just have a bit of safety being at home that I likely won’t get sick in public at work. I hope you can feel better soon. Suicidal OCD is rough and I’m here to talk about it if you want!
Related posts
- Date posted
- 20w ago
So I've had OCD since I was a child. Like really young. The first intrusive thought I can remember was when I was 5. It just keeps getting worse and lately they've been making me physically ill or throwing me into extreme panic attacks again ( ones where I can't move my body ) the other night I thought God was trying to kill me because I was thinking about ending myself from OCD+ life issues but in reality I was just having a panic attack😭😭it affects me daily. It gets a little better with therapy but I don't see therapy coming into my life any time soon and I'm not even sure if I would want to go (for multiple reasons). To wrap this up if you have severe ocd can you tell me what it's like?? I don't want to label anything without proper research and hearing others perspectives. Thank you!! <3 (My profile says all of my subtypes if that helps any)
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 10w ago
Hi everyone, I’m Andrea and I am a member of the Intake Team here at NOCD. In junior high, I was known as the “aneurysm girl” because I was convinced any small headache meant I was dying. At just 12 years old, I read something that triggered my OCD, and from that moment on, my brain latched onto catastrophic health fears. Any strange sensation in my body felt like proof that something was seriously wrong. I constantly sought reassurance, avoided being alone, and felt trapped in an endless cycle of fear. Over time, my OCD shifted themes, but health anxiety was always there, lurking in the background. I turned to drinking to numb my mind, trying to escape the fear that never let up. Then, in 2016, everything spiraled. I was sitting at work, feeling completely fine, when suddenly my vision felt strange—something was “off.” My mind convinced me I was having a stroke. I called an ambulance, launching myself into one of the darkest periods of my life. I visited doctors multiple times a week, terrified I was dying, yet every test came back normal. The fear never loosened its grip. For years, I cycled in and out of therapy, desperately trying to find answers, but no one recognized what was really happening. I was always told I had anxiety or depression, but OCD was never mentioned. I was suicidal, believing I would never escape the torment of my mind. It wasn’t until 2022—after years of struggling, hitting rock bottom, and finally seeking specialized OCD treatment—that I got the right diagnosis. ERP therapy at NOCD was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it saved my life. Today, I’m 34, sober, and living a life I never thought was possible. Do I still have hard days? Absolutely. But I am no longer a prisoner to my fears. The thoughts still come, but they don’t control me anymore. They don’t dictate my every move. Life isn’t perfect, but it no longer knocks me off my feet. If you’re struggling with health OCD or somatic OCD, I see you. I know how terrifying and isolating it can be. But I also know that it can get better. If you have any questions about health & somatic OCD, ERP, and breaking the OCD cycle, I’d love to tell you what I’ve learned first hand. Drop your questions below, and I’ll answer all of them!
- Date posted
- 10w ago
6 months ago I had a severe panic attack and it’s changed my life. Scared of 99% of foods, can’t take meds out of fear, been hospitalized a few times cause of blood sugar drops and other health scares due to poor eating. I’m constantly scanning my body finding any little thing that’s uncomfortable and then fixate and panic over the smallest things. Whether be a smell I’m unfamiliar with, a weird sensation in my arm literally anything freaks me out….. who has had success with exposure or has dealt with similar issues. I feel like I’m unintentionally slowly killing myself but I’m too scared for meds and therapy doesn’t seem to make much of a dent right now. Please share some success stories I need hope.
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