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Methods for dealing with schizpophrenia ocd it seems to be my most prominent one lately... :(

Anyone randomly ever starts talking and midway my brain starts feeling weird so it gets super hard to complete my sentence. And often I’m thinking about something and I feel so deattached like I feel weird af like I can’t describe this weird feeling. Can anyone relate? Also days when I’m feeling good.. I still have the fear like don’t be too happy cause ur OCD will return and torture u randomly. And I keep thinking like I was control myself for a year without harming anyone... but what if I hurt someone randomly and just don’t give a fuck? That’s another fear I have. But yeah please do let me know if your brain feels so weird while ur taking and suddenly it gets hard to talk anymore/ concentrate or even complete it sentence? Please help. I want my old self back again. So So Badly.

does anyone else have mental compulsions? if so, what are they?

Hi great community! i would like u guys to share some experience when doing EPR for harm OCD. like how to do it properly for the first time and what to expect. im going to try my first time soon but a little guidance from u guys are extremely awesome! thank you!

So I’ll preface this by noting how new I am to all this. But what is pure OCD as opposed to just OCD? And what are you experiences with either?

For those who've experienced a decrease in symptoms after practicing ERP- how often did you practice ERP? What kinds of exposures did you do? What else can you suggest to people who are new to treatment?

I’m new here and need help, not as someone who suffers from OCD, but as a mother who’s child (I believe) suffers from OCD. We have not had an official diagnosis yet as I am searching for a physician at this time. She has all of the aspects on the subject specifically, so I really wouldn’t be surprised by an OCD diagnosis at all. My question is, do any of you remember a time when the OCD became a problem for you? I meant, did something happen to trigger it or make it much worse or more evident? I’ve always known she was a “perfectionist” and very intellectually minded, so to speak, but several incidents happened last year (she’s almost 14) with some friends that didn’t end well. Since then, it’s as if she can’t focus at all and gets very obsessed by things. Almost like the incidents last year exacerbated the underlying problem. I want to help her however I can until we can get into a Dr, I just don’t know how and it seems she gets mad and irritated with me when I try, which is hurting this Moms heart. Can any of you suggest what I should or shouldn’t do at this point? She literally becomes frozen with certain fears, like being stung by a bee (never been stung before). Honestly, she’s had a fear of going to the bathroom forever (10 years), but medical Drs have never been able to help and now I know why. So, all to say, I’m not in denial but just want to help her. Thanks for any input you can give.

Hey guys so I suffer from Harm OCD and thoughts about violently harming other and today I’ve been having super minimal thoughts . I had such horrible intrusive thoughts that it feels weird. I’m in constant fear that the thought will come back randomly and the urges will come back stronger than ever. And I’ll actually commit to my urges and act out on them. Like I still Feel weird because even though I don’t have anxiety ... the killer thoughts are in the back of my head. I gueninly don’t dee normal Anymore.

"Prevailing theories indicate that OCD is a biological disease. " Understanding Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders OCD is a common mental disorder, and is often disabling. The past few decades, however, have seen the emergence of many effective treatments, both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic. The challenges for the 21st century are two-fold: first, to make these effective treatments available to all sufferers; and, second, to unravel the biology of this disorder sufficiently so that we can cure its symptoms, and ultimately, prevent its occurrence. In order to tackle these challenges, it is essential that we understand the etiology of OCD. Prevailing theories indicate that OCD is a biological disease. Functional brain imaging studies have produced a model for pathophysiology of OCD which involves hyperactivity in certain subcortical and cortical regions. On the basis of imaging studies, Insel has proposed that inappropriately increased activity in the head of the caudate nucleus inhibits globus pallidus fibers that ordinarily dampen thalamic activity. The resulting increase in thalamic activity produces increased activity in orbitofrontal cortex, which, via the cingulate gyrus, completes the circuit to the caudate and produces increased activity in the head of the caudate. Hypothetically, primitive cleaning and checking behaviors are "hard-wired" in the thalamus. Insel's hypothesis is supported by evidence from MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) studies, which have found an abnormally small caudate in some OCD patients, and by positron emission tomography (PET scan) studies, which have found increased metabolism in orbital frontal cortex, cingulate gyrus, and caudate, with decreases following successful treatment. The association of OCD with Tourette's syndrome and Sydenham's chorea, which are believed to involve basal ganglia pathology, is also consistent with this model. In the section below, we have outlined a more detailed description of the various theories and hypotheses involved in the biological basis of OCD. As will be noted by many readers, the information provided here is more suited for clinicians, medical professionals, or others who are more familiar with medical terminalogy. For this reason, readers are encouraged to seek further information from their physicians/psychiatrists and/or other OCD resources. Etiology: Biological Models Functional Neuroanatomy Many investigators have contributed to the hypothesis that OCD involves dysfunction in a neuronal loop running from the orbital frontal cortex to the cingulate gyrus, striatum (cuadate nucleus and putamen), globus pallidus, thalamus and back to the frontal cortex. Organic insult to these regions can produce obsessive and compulsive symptoms. The results of neurosurgical treatment of OCD strongly support this hypothesis. Surgical interruption of this loop by means of cingulotomy, anterior capsulotomy or subcaudate tractotomy brings about symptomatic improvement in a large proportion of patients unresponsive to all other treatments. Cingulotomy interrupts this loop at the anterior cingulate cortex, thereby disrupting frontal cortical input into the Papez circuit and limbic system, which are believed to mediate anxiety and other emotional symptoms. Anterior capsulotomy (lesions within the anterior limb of the internal capsules) and subcaudate tractotomy (lesions in the substantia innominata, just under the head of the caudate nucleus) interrupt fronto-thalamic fibers, which may mediate the obsessive and compulsive components of OCD. Baxter et al. in 1992 hypothesized that the hyperactivity observed in this neuronal loop arises because of imparied caudate nucleus function. The impariment allows "worry inputs" from the orbitofrontal cortex to inhibit excessively the inhibitory output from the globus pallidus to the thalamus. The resulting excess in thalamic output then impinges on various brain regions involved in the experience of OCD symptoms, including the orbital frontal region, thus reinforcing hyperactivity in the neuronal loop. However, Baxter et al. caution that the abnormal neurophysiology underlying OCD symptoms may involve structures as yet undetected. Decreased metabolic activity can be missed by current scanning techniques. Alternately, the metabolic hyperactivity of small neuronal fields can be missed when surrounding structures exhibit no change or mask the increase behind compensatory decreases. Serotonin and Other Neurotransmitters The hypothesis that an abnormality in serotonergic neurotransmission underlies OCD arose out of the observation that clomipramine, which inhibits both serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake, relieved symptoms, whereas noradrenergic reuptake inhibitors did not. The unique efficacy of clomipramine and the SSRIs remains the strongest support for this hypothesis. Studies of peripheral markers of serotonergic function in blood and cerebrospinal fluid have not conclusively demonstrated an abnormality. Pharmacological challenge studies with serotonergic agonists have suggested dysregulation within the serotonin system, with behavioral hypersensitivity and neuroendocrinological hyposensitivity to the activation of serotonin receptors, but numerous inconsistencies remain to be resolved. The beneficial effects of enhanced serotonergic neurotransmission do not prove that abnormalities in this system are the root cause of OCD symptoms. Serotonergic neurons modulate the function of many other systems, where the primary cause or causes may lie. In patients with comorbid Tourette's syndrome, tics and schizotypal personality disorder, treatment studies indicate a role for dopaminergic neurons. Genetic Contributions Twin studies and family studies strongly suggest that vulnerability to OCD can be inherited, but a positive family history is absent in many patients. Older studies of monozygotic twins show a 65% concordance for OCD, but no control groups were included. One study found an 87% concordance for "obsessional features" (OCD symptoms that may not have caused significant distress or social impairment) in monozygotic twins; the concordance of dizygotic twins was only half as large. On the other hand, none of eight monozygotic twin pairs in another study were concordant for OCD, according to Andrews et al. in 1990. A recent review notes that in Pauls' study in 1992, 10% of the parents of children and adolescents with OCD themselves had the disorder, and in another study, OCD was present in 25% of fathers and 9% of mothers. The symptoms of parents and children usually differed, arguing aginst social or cultural transmission. A study by Black et al. in 1992 however, found no increase in OCD prevalence in first degree relatives of OCD patients compared to those of control group. The recent finding, by Murphy et al. in 1997 and Swedo et al. in 1997, that an antigen which is a genetic marker for rheumatic fever susceptibility is also a marker for susceptibility to an autoimmune form of childhood onset OCD will undoubtedly spur progress in unraveling genetic contributions to the pathogenesis of OCD. Source: OCD Stanford

First day of senior year tomorrow and my anxiety level is through the roof. Please send advice and tips my way that helped you through high school while struggling with OCD and anxiety! It would be very much appreciated.

Hi guys me again with religious ocd. In December I had the very scary thought god doesn’t like what music I listen to. Prompted by this horrible verse (sorry but it does give me anxiety) ‘so brothers only think of good things, talk of good things... in all and everything you do it must glorify God’ I loved hip hop and rap. I have not listened to music since December. Because every lyric I now analysis. Whether t be sexual or drugs or love or anything. I feel bad and guilty and that I am a bad and dirty person. So.. how do I start listening again? And WHEN do I do it?! Like do I just put it on?!! And whennnn. Like I feel I have to schedule it as an exposure ? Please don’t laugh at me, I know it is silly but I really feel so much anxiety about it

My ocd seems to have shifted. I used to really be afraid of psychosis and honestly still am, but now I can’t stop questioning life. I keep wondering how we came to exist and why everything looks the way it is. Like trees, animals, water etc. I keep thinking about infinity and size and it scares me. I keep creating all these theories about life and they’re very intrusive. I’m scared I’m going to believe them and go crazy. My biggest fear is just going crazy ? is this still just ocd/depersonalization?

Does anyone ever worry they don’t have friends? Like a solid group or get triggered when you see your friends with your other friends and you weren’t invited :(

still the obsession with the idea of devils, demons and being possessed is in my mind although now it varies in intensity. i’m so alert to every sensation in my body - pins and needles, moving in my scalp, tingling hairs/muscles. These flare up most at night time. These sensations still make me feel uneasy - even if im told its anxiety, i still regard being possessed (or turning psychotic) as a possibility cos of those sensations. I immediately link these sensations to horror movies or stuff i’ve been told about spirits. i wish i didnt have this disturbing thought ? it feels like an obsession that no one else with OCD has, but if im wrong i hope someone can reach out and relate ??

"Very Superstitious" by Fred Penzel, Ph.D. Together with morbid obsessions, magical and superstitious thinking makes up one of the stranger and more misunderstood aspects of OCD. When my patients try to describe their symptoms, they preface their explanation with, "I know this sounds crazy, but...." The presence of magical thinking is probably the main reason why many with OCD have been misdiagnosed over the years as schizophrenic. superstitious thinking makes strange and magical connections between things which logically don't seem to connect in the real worldthus the apparent 'craziness'. Some common examples, would be the idea that thinking of an unlucky number can ruin your day, that clothing you wore to a funeral can lead to more unhappiness if you wear it again, or that thinking of the name of a disease will cause you or someone else to get that disease. Magic and superstition are as old as the human race. They have represented a way for us to try to explain the normally unexplainable, and to try to control the seemingly uncontrollable. They have therefore always held great allure and attraction. One might go as far as to say that there is a human tendency to think superstitiously. Just look, for example, at people playing their 'lucky' lottery numbers, or reading horoscopes to guide their lives. Clearly, OCD does not have a monopoly on such thinking. There are limits, however. The average person can find a place for a little superstition without it taking over and causing them to be unable to function. Even members of primitive societies, where magic dominates most important decisions, can tolerate its presence without becoming paralyzed by it. It is used as a tool and a guide. In OCD, we see magical thinking run amok, and out of control. Once it establishes itself as a symptom, it can grow like a cancer, starting as a way to relieve anxiety, and expanding to become the sufferer's chief occupation and the cause of even greater anxieties than it was supposed to relieve. There is currently no scientific explanation as to why some individuals tend to have these particular symptoms, compared to any others. Many of those with OCD are constantly bombarded with very strange and doubtful thoughts about harm coming to themselves and/or others. Sufferers thus may feel that they cannot resort to ordinary protective measures, because of these extraordinary threats. Their world seems out of the range of normal control. They therefore turn to magic as the only other viable alternative, as a way of restoring a feeling of control. One other possible influence upon the development of magical thinking may be if an individual with OCD comes from a culture in which superstition plays a strong role. Coming from such a background cannot, of course, cause OCD, however, it can certainly help give someone at risk a push in the wrong direction if everyone at home is doing magical rituals. As we know, an obsession is any thought that causes anxiety, and a compulsion can be any action, either mental or physical, which relieves it. Obsessive thoughts generally tell sufferers that something harmful is happening, or will happen to themselves or someone else. Magical thinkers generally obsess about many of the same types of threats that other sufferers do they, themselves, or others dying or becoming ill or disabled, being 'cursed', having bad luck, being blasphemous or sinful, going to hell, getting into trouble, or deliberately or accidentally harming others in some way, etc. The list could be much longer, if there were space. The thoughts don't simply stop with a bad consequence being revealed to the thinker. They would otherwise be no different from morbid obsessive thoughts. What distinguishes them, is that they are also (as mentioned earlier) connected with some type of magical cause or attribution. Whether magical thinkers make this attribution themselves, or whether it is part of the obsession itself, is unclear. They come to believe, for instance, that the harm can be brought about by unlucky numbers or their multi-ples, by simply hearing about bad things happening to others, by thinking about or seeing certain words or images, by carrying out (or forgetting) certain actions or behaviors, by unlucky colors, by being 'possessed', or by contact with places, objects, or people associated with unlucky or unhappy occasions. Contact in this last case can be purely mental or physical. The most basic magical compulsions involve simple avoidance of the magically 'bad' words, numbers, objects, colors, persons, etc. We can call this avoidance magical because it is done in response to magical obsessions. Beyond avoidance is control. Perhaps because the harm is thought to have magical origins, the compulsions sufferers invent to control it are frequently also magical. There are more complex types of magical compulsions which resemble the practice of ancient magic and they tend to follow strict rules or precise steps, which if not performed perfectly, must be repeated. We commonly refer to these as 'rituals'. These types of magic rituals are also referred to as 'undoing rituals'. Magic, as we all know, must be kept 'pure' and perfect if it is to work. Because anxiety typically hampers most people's performances at anything, it is of course difficult for sufferers to get rituals to be perfect. They tend to get the steps wrong, forget something, or have some type of unpleasant obsession or image intrude, thereby 'contaminating' or ruining the magic. When this happens, very high anxiety and depression can result. Unless their obsession allows them to have another chance to make things right, a great deal of careful activity can be ruined in an instant. If it is a ritual that can only be done at a special time or on a special day, the sufferer might not get another chance for as much as a month to try again. I have seen individuals go into deep depressions because midnight rituals done badly on New Year's Eve have spoiled the entire New Year. Because sufferers identify words, numbers, actions, etc., as having magical power to cause harm or bad luck, the magical compulsions which are supposed to undo them are frequently seen to involve the same elements. These rituals are generally used to cancel out or negate the 'bad' magical elements by employing their opposites, such as thinking of health promoting words in response to thoughts concerning the names of illnesses. Examples of compulsive magical behaviors I have witnessed would include: Repetitive praying or crossing oneself Counting up to or beyond certain numbers Reciting or thinking of certain words, names, sounds, images, phrases, or numbers Moving one's body or gesturing in a special way Stepping in special ways or on special spots when walking Washing off bad ideas or thoughts Arranging objects or possessions in a special order Performing physical actions in reverse Thinking thoughts in reverse Repeating behaviors a special number of times, or an odd or even number of times Performing behaviors at special times or on particular dates Repeating one's own words, or the words of others Repetitively apologizing to another person, or to God Gazing at certain numbers or words to cancel others out Touching certain things in a special way or a particular number of times In terms of what can be done to remedy magical obsessions and compulsions, I recommend, as usual, the two-pronged approach of medication plus behavioral therapy. Antidepressant medications (Anafranil, Prozac, Zoloft, Luvox, Paxil, or Celexa) can provide a degree of symptom relief, reducing the obsessive thoughts and the urge to do compulsions sufficiently to allow behavioral therapy to help the sufferer overcome the rest of the problem. This is not to say that one cannot be successful without medication, however, it does improve your chances quite a bit. On the other hand, medication alone usually isn't sufficient to do the job entirely. By behavioral therapy, I mean specifically, Exposure and Response Prevention (E&RP). The person in treatment is gradually encouraged to put themselves in a position for the bad luck or harm to occur, and then is discouraged from carrying out the avoidance or the magical ritual. It is not that magical thinkers totally believe in their magic. They don't. They do, however, experience serious doubts and need encouragement to take the risks necessary to see that their beliefs aren't justified. These are beliefs that are never challenged. Most of those with OCD generally don't resist long enough to learn that their anxiety would pass even if they did nothing in response to the obsessions. In therapy, a listing, or hierarchy, is created in which all feared situations are ranked in order, usually on a one to ten or a zero to 100 scale. Patients work their way up the scale, gradually tackling more and more difficult items via homework assignments, or working with the therapist in the office or on field trips. No one is ever forced to do anything, and nothing is thrown at persons by surprise. Additional exposure to obsessive thoughts is accomplished via taped presentations, writing assignments, or selected readings. I have found the taped presentations to be of particular value. They are used several times per day, and increased in difficulty as the listener's anxiety decreases with presentations. Despite what you may have heard, obsessions can be as effectively treated as compulsions. There are presently some small case studies from Britain which give evidence that this is so. Further scientific study will be needed to confirm this, once and for all, to convince the doubters. Some people require repeated exposures to feared situations, and some actually require only one. In this latter case, it is almost as if by facing something feared, the sufferer is breaking a 'spell'. This is not to suggest that therapy is in some way like magic; it isn't. Therapy requires persistent and consistent work. In this way, confidence is progressively increased, and symptoms are systematically eliminated. The person becomes habituated to the fearful thoughts to the point of no longer having to react to them, even if they do not completely cease. In uncomplicated cases, the process described above should take anywhere from six to twelve months. With individuals who habituate after only one exposure to each feared situation, the process may even be quicker. If you suffer from magical thoughts and compulsions, my message to you is don't continue suffering needlessly. Help is available. Call the Foundation for a referral in your area. If you live with a magical thinker, remember: they are not crazy, just doubtful and anxious, and in need of support and encouragement. If you would like to read more about what Dr. Penzel has to say about OCD, take a look at his self-help book, "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: A Complete Guide to Getting Well and Staying Well," (Oxford University Press, 2000). You can learn more about it at www.ocdbook.com

Does anyone have hard time with sexuality and sexual things? I am worried to be sexual, that God is watching. I stopped everything remotely sexual. If it ever comes to the point where I will kiss someone again I will be so scared because God is watching me. And it will be uncomfortable because I won’t be enjoying the moment I will be thinking about my thoughts. I used to be totally fine and then all this came along and I feel like I can’t even be normal human. I have sexual dreams and I feel fine and aroused in them. Then I wake up and I’m like omg God doesn’t want me to think these things. I can’t even explain it all.. I wish I could all stop this and go back to normal me :’(

Anyone who deals with Pure O, have a negative thought come into your head and you spend hours justifying in your head why that thought is wrong? Any suggestions what to do in this situation. For example, someone pointed out a minor mistake I made and I spend the next few hours in my mind trying to justify why she is wrong or why it doesn't matter what she said. I hope you understand what I'm trying to explain. Hard to put this stuff into words.

I don’t even want to say the disturbing intrusive thought I’ve had for the last few weeks cos I fear I’ll be judged as a crazy person ?

My mind tells me I’m a evil murderer and a serial killer and that I’m gonna do it but I feel so depressed like I keep crying and hate seeing others happy. I’m dying. I can’t stop sobbing. Then my OCD tells me I’m Crying cause I can’t hurt anyone. Help

Does medication truly help OCD? I feel like I need medication at this point as I’ve been battling this disorder for years now without meds.