Welcome to
the NOCD Community

Hi. I am in need of support. I'm having a hard time deciphering between what is really dangerous and what is OCD trying to call the shots. I am scheduled to fly across the country for my friends wedding on Tuesday and I've been overwhelmed with my health the last month after I lost my new counseling job( yes I'm an LPC/art therapist). First it was a Lyme scare, then my liver enzymes were high, then my back pulled out, then I sprained my ankle last week and now it feels like my old knee injury from last year has flared up from trying to keep weight off my sprain. I've been stuck in doors for two weeks due to the doxycycline I was on. Luckily I'm done with that med. anyways, now I'm having problems with my knee and I'm afraid it will escalate my already difficult to manage intrusive thoughts that will likely be triggered when I am back in a situation that I was in 2 years ago that will feel similar. My ERP therapist thinks I need to face my fears (this was prior to my knee issue). I've been hiding out in my parents house for 2 years, struggling to find steady work, and completely drained from my life revolving around therapy. I just want myself back. Before OCD shattered my life 2 years ago I was adventurous and enjoyed life. I can't tell if it's my rational mind telling me I shouldn't go to my friends wedding because I lost my job and now my knee is flaring up. Or if it's just OCD being clever and trying to find convincing reasons why I should continue avoiding facing my fears. Im so health concerned I'm afraid to move my body in fear of further damaging my injury. Thanks!

I have to repeat statements multiple times and get reassurance from people and do things a certain amount of times and if I don’t I feel like something bad is going to happen to me. Does anyone else have this?

I’m a teenager and so at the moment, the people I’m attracted to are also teens. But I worry that as I grow up and become an adult, I’ll remain attracted to teenagers (and not necessarily 18 year old teens). I’m petrified of growing up now!

Getting urges to break up with bf Bc he’s not a Christian even tho he prays with me Bc I’m scared to let god down (he’s agnostic) and feel urge to pray “if he’s not the one take him out of my life” but I don’t want to. Any tips?

Is anyone else here on disability because of their mental illness? I am currently living with my parents and sister but have been offered an amazing 2 bedroom apartment for low-income and disabled individuals. I was on disability for years (2010-2015) then tried my hardest to go back to work, which I did for 4-5 years (2015-2019). I am now trying to reinstate my disability benefits but the social security office here continues to lose or misplace my paperwork and give me incorrect information regarding my case. They say my case is currently being reviewed and I should get more information in the beginning of August. I’m afraid the housing manager won’t be able to wait. :( I’m supremely disappointed and was just wondering if there was anyone out there who has been through a similar situation. I NEED to get out of this house!

Hi, just wanted some support. I’ve been in therapy on and off for 6 years. I’m taking antidepressants continually and tranquilizers when my anxiety is too severe. I’m running three times a week and practicing meditation. Sometimes, I feel like I’m doing everything I can to feel better, but the anxiety is still there. I’m mentally exhausted. i just want to feel calm. Anyone living through this?

Im fighting hocd for 4 years straight now and have now the belief im really gay due to automatic homosexual thoughts but have still never been aroused by a man before in my life, my sexuologist says you have to listen to your body, not your head. If you get aroused and you like it, it was easy to accept it, but no arousal at all means also something. She is the specialist, not.my brain. OCD can trick you people

Anyone have existential OCD here? If so please help me out!

Are there any teenagers here with POCD?

Why is OCD not considered a side effect of GAD? I haven't met a person with OCD who didn't have anxiety and vice versa. There are too many conditions describing very similar symptoms for it to be a mere coincidence. Time for mental health to come into the 21st century. Side note:not sure if anyone has heard of ketamine infusion therapy or the new nasal spray. If you have or have tried it, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts. Thanks.

Hey guys! Can someone tell me about their experience with using Zoloft (sertraline)? Was it helpful and how long your Zoloft course had taken?

Right now I’m dealing with really bad OCD , but my dad doesn’t want to help me at all with it, he just brushes it off like it’s nothing and also I think I have ADHD or ADD and I can’t focus on anything, does anyone have any tips on how to tell someone you need help, please comment if you have any ideas

Ok... I was doing good until a few weeks ago. I really was making a lot of progress until a few weeks ago. Backdoor spikes turned up and ocd came back with full force. Or at least I think it's ocd... I hope it is. My theme is hocd, by the way. I try to not give the thoughts much attention, but they're making me mad. It feels so real, and when I see coming out stories it just adds up, as if I should come out too. It terrifies me, every day I think about wanting to die, to not wake up, to cease existing. It's been so draining, and so lonely. I don't want to be in the closet, I don't want to have romantic relationships with women. And ocd makes me question why that: because of my morals? What if your sexuality goes deeper than your morals and you're just denying you like women? Maybe you should try it out, you'd like it. This scares me so. much. And the thing is: I watch same sex porn. It turns me on. I've seen on the internet many women actually watch same sex porn, but ocd makes me question if my case isn't different from other women. All the time I'm worried that I'll just lose control and kiss any woman that's by my side. I haven't had any experience with men either, as I'm reserved and a hopeless romantic (high expectations). I've liked men before, though, and I still have many crushes today. Ocd tries to convince me this is just a cover up. This is just destroying my life. This is daily torture, I can't imagine myself living with this forever. What am I supposed to tell my eventual boyfriend, my husband? How am I supposed to have children in this state of mind? What if some day I just snap out of this and actually realize I'm gay? What if this question is actually me already admitting that I am in fact gay? Honestly, it's too much. This was quite hard to write, and I tried to include here as much as possible of my insecurities. If you read till here I'm grateful. Just wanted to say that I DON'T have anything against gay people, even though they're making me very anxious since this all started, which adds up to my endless collection of intrusive thoughts (it makes me think I'm in denial because of some prejudice).

I wanna know if anyone can relate. My family doesn't think my depression or OCD is real. They haven't said it in that many words but they've said along the lines of 'you just need to shake yourself and you'll be fine'. BUT I have my boyfriend who listens, who seems to care and I am very happy I have him but I just feel like I'm a tremendous burden on him. I don't have many friends and any friends I do have are always busy, are work friends who don't care or are only friends with me because of my boyfriend. I feel weak and lonely. I need to know what to do.

I’m still in the process of recovering from HOCD but if anyone wants to reach out to me about cognitive behavioral therapy strategies or ERP strategies/ideas I’m here to help- just no reassurance! ;) you are so strong- keep on going! ?

Anyone else also have Tourette’s? How do you differentiate between tics and compulsions? (I’m not looking for reassurance, I genuinely have both disorders)

How do people not obsess about sexuality when it’s so fucking complex? I just read about lesbians who still get crushes on men and now I’m spiralling again. Ffs.

Quick question: When I first was dealing with my ocd I would not talk to this one girl because my hocd tried to say I liked her. I thought if I ignored her it would all stop and I wouldn’t think about the thoughts anymore. Is that a compulsion?

I'm falling back into the old habits of analyzing the hocd thoughts. The last week i let the thoughts be there, and did not analyse them, but now it's getting so hard. Do you have any tips?

Backdoor spikes confuse me. How long are they supposed to last, I feel I've been in the backdoor spike for a month