I've been using this app to ask questions about OCD. Is it a reassurance-seeking compulsion? Should I stop?

(This is all my personal opinion!) One of my compulsions is obsessive research. I'm doing a project for school right now based on OCD, the stigmatization, and personal stories. I had to do a lot of research for this, and honestly I feel like it's been helping me understand it a lot more. I can recognize my own symptoms and triggers better! I can also recognize these symptoms in others. But there's a line between curiosity and compulsion. Curiosity is "What is this?" And compulsion is "What if I have this? Do I have it? Do I know people who have this?". So ask general questions and not "what ifs" or "I" questions!

It depends on what your questions are, your motivations for asking, and the kind of answers you’re seeking. I love @archer’s answer! I’d add that information can be important and questions aren’t necessarily asking for reassurance; obviously they can be- this very question could be either - and it’s important to be honest with ourselves.

Polaris-It depends on WHY you are posting. If it to share an experience or learn about OCD, its probably okay. But if you are doing it for reassurance or to relieve your anxiety, then its a compulsion. A compulsion is anything you say, think, or do in an attempt to relieve your anxiety.