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Does OCD cause intrusive thoughts and doubts and is that how they are related to OCD?

So I’ve been single for three years after an abusive marriage of 10 years. I finally feel good and healed. Went on a date and he texts a lot. I’m just feeling overwhelmed and need to run away. Cuz otherwise I can feel the OCD spiral coming. I am always balancing the idea that we should talk about OCD and mental health openly, but I also don’t feel like revealing that about myself after one date is like… healthy I guess? How do you all deal with it?

18+ So me and my bf have been trying to attempt sex. For context, we are both virgins and I have never done anything or inserted anything in me. The first time we attempt he wasn’t turned on and it just didn’t work so we took a break for a few weeks trying other things so the next time is more relaxed especially because it was a huge thing for me to want to do it because it’s my first time and very special for me but I realized how much I really want to have that experience with him. Well yesterday we tried again and it couldn’t go in and it was SOO painful and of course I googled and talked to ChatGPT and it kept saying “it’s not supposed to hurt” which of course disappointed me a lot and then triggered my ocd. Then I’ve seen many suggestions on making a gynecologist appointment but I’ve like never done anything like this before so it’s all so new and scary and kinda embarrassing for me and I’m also soo afraid that if it is a diagnosis is there something wrong with me? Why can I enjoy and have sex like normal people? And then I spiral into thinking my bf deserves someone who doesn’t have all these problems and honestly I’m experiencing soo much anxiety and I don’t know what to do and on top of that it was soo embarrassing ☹️

Part of my OCD as been religiously focused. Before I really struggled with OCD, my faith was such a beatiful and life giving thing to me. How it feels like I’m always struggling to feel okay during a sermon or during prayer. A big issue is that while I want to be someone who “walks by faith” I’m never really sure what’s God’s voice vs my anxieties prompting me to do something. It makes it hard for me to enjoy my relationship with Him. Anyone have any tips or has gotten better with this?

TL;DR: my partner is amazingly patient and I'm starting to trust and believe in myself and my ability to cope. So my partner has helped me put this all into perspective; my chances of getting rabies from a domestic dog lick on minor cuts is effectively 1 in tens of millions or infinitesimally low (in my situation). So my "crucial next step" - as my new archnemesis AI loves to say (which is a whole other post) - is...... to accept it. I know, I know, crazy! I have to accept that there is the teeny tiniest chance that I might have gotten rabies and that is so hard to do. It (my OCD) is trying so darn hard to take back control of the wheel to remind me of things I "forgot" or "misremembered" to "protect" myself. But I need to trust myself and my memory. The false memories and created plot points are endemic in my mind, I know what happened yet I don't believe it. But I have never once failed myself to the point of putting myself in harms way (e.g., I think I would be able to feel the difference between a bat literally landing on me and biting vs a small pinprick probably from leg hairs getting caught in my pants). I kept repeating to my self during this last week that I can't cope. I can't cope with that infinitesimally small chance of getting rabies because I KNOW I'll be that person that gets it. I'll be that insanely unlikely statistic. And you know what, my partner has helped me see that although the chance is so small it's negligible, I might. I might be the most unlucky person in the world (probably in human existence with these figures tbh) and I might get it, but I did everything (and more, he would argue and I would disagree) a rational, reasonable person would do in the same situation. I spent all day pleading and convincing him to let me call a doctor (something he was not physically stopping me from doing, I'm a grown adult, I literally could've done it anytime) even though I'd already spoken to a nurse. But deep down I knew it wouldn't help and that I didn't really need it. When he finally relented, I didn't feel relief, I felt wrong. I didn't jump at the chance, in fact, I didn't have the same urge to call one as before but my fear was that I would go back home to my country without seeing a doctor (who I was convinced would examine my barely injured hands and rush me to the hospital) and I would lose the opportunity to get the post rabies shots and I would die. I even started blaming him: "I'm mad at YOU because YOU didn't let me wash my hands afterwards (again, I'm a grown adult...)" and "YOU told me I shouldn't ask what the vaccination status of the dog was" and, my personal favourite, "if I die, I'm blaming you for convincing me not to do everything I possibly can to confirm I don't have rabies" (although more jokingly but with a tinge of panic in the moment). OCD fights and fights and tells you that even with all these ridiculous odds, you are 100% going to have or do whatever it is you are terrified of. I just need to start rationalising and living with that risk. That's what a part of life is, accepting risks. We can never be certain of anything (except that all dogs are amazing and I've spent the last few weeks being absolutely, devastatingly terrified of them...) and we can never prevent all risks. So I choose to live. I choose to live with the risks (you know in a normal, generally safe manner) and stop letting fear dictate my life. It's no life to be afraid of everything. And as my previous psychologist once told me (creative license used to make it more dramatic, of course): "Think back on your life: when have you genuinely ever not been able to cope with something? You have always come through it". So what makes me think I can't do it again? n.b. even writing this post, my brain was firing what if's at me regarding my own actions (e.g. not washing my hands for 15 minutes as recommended) but it doesn't remove the ridiculously low likelihood of the adorable doggo having rabies in the first place.

There’s this woman that I think is very beautiful and she is my type. I’m not a priority in her life which is fine because I really need to put my education first (and I need to fix whatever is wrong with me before I can be with someone) and I understand because we don’t know each other enough to really care about each other. She barely responds to me, like leaves me on delivered for weeks. Thing is I can’t stop thinking about her and I get excited when she finally does text me even if it’s boring. But I know that she doesn’t think of me like that cause why would she we don’t know each other. It has me worried that I can’t stop thinking about her and imagining what if of what our relationship could be like. Logically I know nothing will come of it and it’s best to stop talking to her if it’s boring but there’s like a nagging in my head that keeps me thinking and replying to her. It’s hard to let go and I feel trapped. Is this another OCD thing and if so how do I help myself?

From my experience, majority of the people on this app seem to be really open and forgiving. As well as really supportive and give grace since we are all suffering constantly with the disorder. But outside of this app, especially on social media I get quite nervous and the shame towards myself blows into full force whenever I come across a controversial video or someone getting held accountable and the entire comments deem them as evil or some even mention that they should die from how awful they are. Most times though what they say against the issue is correct in my opinion, and that's what makes my shame feel stronger. Does anyone who suffers with Real Events question someone who's good and wonder "I may be an awful person, but I wonder what bad things they've done.. maybe if I know I find out I'm not that bad???" I feel really invasive and rude for even thinking these ways but I just always feel like the devil whenever I'm anywhere besides on this app. :^( Like I'm the devil surrounding by angels who are well adjusted and correct.

Hi Everyone, My name is Sydney. I was diagnosed with OCD about 4 months ago when I went through a partial hospitalization program. I started ERP 7 weeks ago and my OCD has gotten so much worse. It’s so loud. I can’t get relief from googling anymore but I still reach for it. I don’t know anyone who’s gone through ERP so I feel very alone. I’m hoping it’s common for it to get so much worse before it gets better. I just feel alone.

Hey everyone, hope you’re doing okay, and if you’re not my heart is with you ❤️ I’m having a moral dilemma (well, 2 I guess) and I’ve been obsessing about it for a few weeks. Of course, I’ve only recently come to realize it might be OCD OCDing. 🙃 I met my cousin’s cousin (A) at a wedding and he’s so fine 😭 I have a crush on him. We have 0 blood relation, we simply have a mutual connection that happens to be a cousin (C). I’m related to C because my mom is her mom’s sister. A is related to C because his dad is her dad’s brother. We maybe technically?? met 12 years ago. C graduated high school, and we attended her graduation. A is I think 5 years younger than me. So A was 12/13 at the time, and I was 17. I don’t remember being formally introduced to him or ever speaking to him. I might have been told something like “that kid is C’s cousin” and I said “okay” without really glancing his way and proceeded to ignore him (I wanted to spend time with my cool older cousin C). I do remember seeing the back of his head when we walked into a restaurant after graduation, but he was sitting on the opposite end of the table from me, so we never interacted. He was also on my side of the long table, so when I’d look in that direction to talk to someone, I never saw him (and I wasn’t paying attention anyway). Like, I didn’t recognize him when the wedding began. That’s how much this guy is a stranger to me. I was sat by him during the dinner and got to chat with him a bit. He seems sweet and dang it he’s gorgeous… He’s 24ish? And I’m 29. So my moral dilemmas and feelings of disgust and shame come from me being American, and anything with a whiff of “cousin” being extremely taboo here. I’m worried about what my family and friends will say. And then also the dilemma of did I meet him when he was a kid??? Is having a vague memory of the back of his head making me a creepy bad person for liking him now? Or is this time that we were actually formally introduced at the wedding as adults the actual first time we met? I have talked to my mom, my aunt, and a friend. I still need to talk to C, but oh boy does that scare me. I’m sure C won’t hate me, but I’m still scared. Especially, what if A likes me too and wants to try dating? What will our families and people say? Will I even be comfortable with that, even though I like him? My mom said “it’s a little close” My aunt (C’s mom) said “oh sure you can crush on him, his mom would be so charmed to hear that” LMAO My friend said I can’t, but I think that was a knee jerk reaction to hearing the word cousin at all (like when I said he’s my cousin’s cousin). I did clarify theres no blood relation and we’re strangers. My friend asked how C would feel about it and I said idk, and that it’s like if C dated one of my cousins. It’d be a whole thing to process, those worlds colliding, but I wouldn’t hate them or feel like I had a right to tell them they can’t date. I’d just have to deal with my own discomfort and keep it my business. My friend asked me to send her a pic of him, and I did from the wedding pictures, and she responded with “I totally understand this crush” 😂😂 I think my friend is still a bit on my mom’s side of “it’s a little close” What’s gotten me obsessing, aside from just the worry, and feelings of disgust and shame, is that before meeting him I was hearing in tarot readings I listen to on YouTube that I was gonna meet someone soon, but it’d be a really slow thing. Welp, I’ve surely met someone I like 🙃 my compulsion is that I’ve been watching a ton of pick-a-card tarot videos on how A feels, the truth about my worries, the future of the connection, etc. My own oracle readings are saying my family would generally be fine with it or at least not hate me, he’d probably be down or at least endeared, and I’m not a creepy horrible terrible awful bad person. But “what if” right? I’ve come to realize just how much of my life is being consumed by this right now, and that’s when I started putting two-and-two together that I might be having OCD symptoms. Any advice? Especially from people with a history of ROCD, family themes, and limerence (I’ve had that with people a few times and am working to make sure that doesn’t happen here)? I’m definitely going to see him (A) again some day, but probably only for something big, like when C has a baby. If I move to their country or am vacationing there over Christmas, I might see him then too (I’ve thought about moving there for a few years now, that doesn’t have to do with A). So any advice on handling 1:1 interactions with a crush you’re ashamed to have would be great too lol.

Hi! So like I'm pretty sure it is like a "compulsion" of mine to re-read, re-think, or double check a lot. Like I had to write a few emails out for my boss, and all of them essentially said the same thing but like I kept re-reading them at one point over and over. Then there is the fact I got some information I needed for each email from a spreadsheet, so, at one point, I ended up going back and rechecking the information I wrote to make sure I ain't mess up anything. Then, I'm overthinking whether or not I should be even sending these emails out now because my boss didn't tell me a specific date she wants me to send the emails by. Even though I had her look at an original draft I wrote to make sure it sounds okay (minus the spreadsheet info). So like she EXPECTS me to do this for her sooner or later. I even CCed her on the email. I shouldn't be overthinking that fact but I WAS. I asked someone to reassure me it was okay to send them. I ended up sending the emails after taking way longer than necessary when I had them already written out. I'm okay now. What I'm trying to ask is, how do I stop myself from the "compulsion?" The need to re-check everything even when I know the answer, when it's not a big deal to mess up, when I have already been spending so much time making sure it's PERFECT. I know I gotta just resist or in this case, just send the damn emails without thinking, but like HOW??? Is this even OCD or am I just overthinking this whole thing too? I'm new to this thing. Just got diagnosed.

My boifriend (they're nb the misspell is on purpose) is poly and I can't stop ruminating about something their husband said to them. It wasn't anything bad it was mostly neutral but it involved me and it is making me ruminate and it's all I can think about. But there's really not much to analyze or pick at so it's not even rumination that has any sort of temporary relief. I really have no clue what to do to stop it's been days now and I've already told my boifriend it made me ruminate.

I have a friend that I have now realized has feelings for me. And is being extremely possessive over me to the point that he's minorly stalking me and getting pissed off at my other friend's for spending time with me. I'm worried about his mental health because I know he's showing signs of like psychosis. He has like hallucinations that he talks to and names and gives like personalities and stuff, and I just don't know how to mellow out the friendship, because i've just been ghosting him. I've had multiple people that go to college with me reach out to me and ask how I'm doing. Because he is so possessive that he's making other people uncomfortable. We reached out to my college's r. A about the fact that he has hallucinations, but they can't do anything about it because he's an adult, and he can choose if he wants to go to therapy or not. I just don't know what to do. Because i'm worried that he might escalate, he has my schedule, he made me change my schedule from it just being blocked with college to all of my classes during that time period so he knows what classes I go to. And it makes me worried that he might try and have a conversation with me. In person, instead of online like he has been. It's been making my anxiety spike and my ocd get worse due to the stress from it just not sure what to do.

I was asking my mom a question because I’ve been reflecting a lot on childhood behaviors potentially having been undiagnosed anxiety and OCD (I’m diagnosed now as an adult). When I asked, she told me I am dramatic and that I’m so obsessed with having a disorder but that “you’re fine” and therefore, being overdramatic. Then she said she has characteristics but that these things don’t bother her. And I asked her if there was a fear associated with it like “do you do it because you’re afraid something bad will happen? Like you count the number of steps and it has to be a number of steps otherwise someone you live will die and then you had that thought so now you have to knock on wood over and over again just to prevent it from happening?” And she said “why would I think that? That’s irrational” and I told her “that’s OCD it’s an irrational thought that you obsesses over and a compulsion to relieve the anxiety, and both cause distress and affect your daily life” and when I tried explaining it to her she told me “that’s not ocd”. And now I’m here worried, as I’m writing this, that someone is going to read this and say that I said something wrong. And I’m not trying to discount anyone’s experiences. I just feel like a lot of people who don’t actually have OCD say they do. I just feel like no one else around me understands it and ever will. And I want a group where I can just talk about those frustrations with it- but all the OCD groups I find are just about skills or ERP. None involve “wow I hate this. Why does it have to be me?” That I think we be more therapeutic than learning skills. Being able to actually connect with someone about it. Idk, am I crazy?

My work ocd is my fear that I'll do something illegal & lose my license. So I got the suggestion to do something illegal as ERP. I can't...so I guess I'll continue having my work backlog till I get a trusted mentor. I hate my life.

The majority of OCD awareness and stories I've seen are truthful and serious. I always send support to those who are struggling no matter the severity or subtype... but I feel really alone in the overall community. (Ps. You guys obviously aren't the issue, this community is really kind.. 💜💜💜 I mean it by experience wise.) I experience common subtypes and fears, such as "What if I left _ out, What if _ happens, What if..." or "I'm scared I feel _, I don't want to _ but I still get thoughts of it" and etc. But at the same time I rarely hear people who say that they struggle with Real Events, events that DID happen and not the fear of it happening. The feeling of being the most evil person ever,, there's a couple of you guys who experience the same here but I NEVER see the same outside of this app. I feel like my Real Events make me iredeemable and I'm worse than everyone else even though I don't want to be. I hate my past so much, to where my present feels tainted and it just makes me want to leave earth. My own name feels tainted knowing that it's a part of me, apart of my life.. I laugh when people make jokes of my name or just pronounce it, but deep inside I feel gross and dirty. Even my nickname is now tainted, and I'm trying to come up with a new way to call myself that only I can say as a solution. Or with my other main themes, obsession with my looks. Not in an insecurity way but in a way that I feel wrong, that I don't belong at my family since I'm scared I'm just so different and BASIC looking which leads to ancestry OCD. (Which has gotten REALLY time consuming.) I've never met anyone who's experienced the same issue. Or maybe about my obsession with colors, personality, self presentation. Etc.. And of course I'm dealing with the usual Taboo OCD, POCD, Racism OCD, Moral OCD, False Memory, Gender OCD and SO-OCD is resurfacing, and Contamination OCD has gotten me again, thanks to one of my classes at school. And more. And with younger/8( 9 ) year old me,, don't get me started with the sad and interesting situations I've gotten into because of OCD. I don't know. I just feel like even many people with OCD might find me insane. :^( I can't depict myself as anything else but a different species lunatic now.

I’m struggling while getting back on an SSRI. It’s been a week and I’m constantly restless, anxious, and not sleeping well. It’s making my thought patterns spiral and think there’s something else going on instead of just the side effects from the meds. I’ve only just begun with NOCD, so I’m having a really hard time breaking out of this negative thought cycle.

I have some questions!

It's been months since I last posted to this website. I thought I was getting better and learning to establish better boundaries. For a minute, I could live with myself despite the things I did as a teenager. Because I thought at the end of the day, I was only a kid when I did those things. It wouldn't erase the harm in them and it shouldn't ever, but I thought because I had these signs of OCD instead of not caring or getting off from them, I needed therapy to get back to where I was before this all started and be the assertive and moral person I want to be. I took comfort knowing those things happened because I was a dumb kid and not someone intentionally hunting vulnerable people down, so there was still time to fix it and I'd be able to protect others instead of hurting them But I started seeing these exposed documents all over Twitter even after I muted the words and my intrusive thoughts and compulsions started feeding on my past actions again. I have been relying on AI for reassurance, clarity and advice and I'm not sure it's going anywhere anymore. I feel like I'm a threat to minors again and I'll always be a groomer for what I did. But it's weird because I recently discovered that I myself was groomed by my ex friend. We didn't have a large age gap but it was everything else that made it grooming My intrusive thoughts and compulsions have been trying to turn it back on me by bringing up what I did and how it affected others. I don't even know if I can talk about it anywhere but with a therapist because it's super disturbing. But it's been telling me that if what my ex friend did was grooming, then that makes me a predator too. I keep analyzing my thoughts and trying to seek certainty but I don't know if I'm only avoiding accountability for my actions by doing that. What I did was deeply messed up and nothing can ever justify it. I worry about the people I hurt a lot even if it could be creepy, and I wish I could have only said no and draw lines and boundaries instead of letting things happen. I was so reckless and a pushover as a teenager and I know I can't take that back no matter how much accountability I take and how much I "prove" I'm not that person anymore I can no longer look at certain fictional characters and media without spiraling. Some time ago, I temporarily went back to looking at a child character and simply shrugging it off and telling myself any groinals was the stress and intrusiveness talking. But now I struggle to look at any character under 18, even if they're an adult for most of that media without worrying about whether or not I'm a pedophile. I stopped looking at a specific character I found attractive because of this and that character instead became a trigger for spirals I have also been dealing with contamination compulsions, specifically with bathroom problems. My hands feel dirty whenever I use the bathroom, and I agree it's good to wash your hands after you use the bathroom, but it's been stressing me out. It's not as bad as the pedophilic intrusiveness and compulsions but it's been something I have been noticing and wanting to say somewhere The good news is that I have insurance now. I'm praying that after getting my card, that I'll be able to see a therapist so I can at least find a way to deal with this in a healthy way. Even rn I'm trying to resist the urge to text crisis again because these spirals make suicide and reassurance seeking tempting. I'm only slightly better than I was earlier this year and that really sucks. I was doing so good for a few weeks and it came crashing down again. I'm so tired

So I’m not as knowledgeable with medication for OCD or for any mental illness for that matter. I never took a prescription and my past therapist never prescribed me one. But I guess I do have some certain questions about medication for ocd though? (Also I’m sorry if these are obvious answers) 1. Does medication stop you for having compulsions, rumination, etc.? 2.What were some positive or negative symptoms you had with certain medications? 3. Were you still uncomfortable with doing ERP while you were on meds? Again, I’m really sorry if these answers are obvious 😭. God Bless! 💛

I’m 24M and have been dealing with what I was diagnosed with as hocd for almost 5 years. Before this started around 19, I was completely convinced I was straight. I had crushes on girls, got nervous and excited around attractive women, had sexual thoughts and wet dreams about women, wanted a wife and kids, and never questioned my sexuality. I also remember being attracted to small things like a woman’s expressions, perfume, mannerisms, etc. I had basically never considered that I could be attracted to men. Then around 19, I suddenly became terrified that I might be gay. I started checking myself constantly and eventually started watching gay porn specifically to see if I would react. Over time, I began experiencing strong physical and emotional reactions toward men, and eventually those reactions started feeling very natural rather than just anxiety. At the same time, my attraction toward women seemed to disappear almost completely. I can talk to women normally, but when I try to see if I’m attracted to them, I often feel nothing or even repulsion. I don’t understand how I went from being so naturally attracted to women to feeling this way. The hardest part is that I don’t just have groinal responses I feel genuine attraction toward men, including fantasies, emotional feelings and wanting physical closeness. Sometimes I even feel relief when I think “maybe I really am gay,” which then makes me question whether the OCD is even involved anymore. Then the doubt comes back and I start analyzing everything again. My therapist believes I have OCD and recently told me to stop checking women, stop using porn as a test, stop putting pressure on myself to feel attraction, and let the whole subject breathe for a long time. She also pointed out that I didn’t start watching gay porn because I naturally wanted to explore being gay I started it specifically because I was afraid I might be gay and wanted to check. She thinks I need to stop trying to solve the question. I’m struggling because I understand the OCD explanation intellectually, but emotionally I keep thinking, “How could OCD make me feel this different for almost 5 years?” I’m not looking for someone to simply tell me I’m straight. I genuinely want to hear from people who experienced a major change in how attraction felt, especially people who had strong attraction to women before hocd and later felt strong attraction toward men. Did anyone else experience this kind of dramatic before and after and eventually understand what was happening?