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Anyone know the science behind false attraction and what it means, etc.? It is absolutely ruining me and preventing me from enjoying my life. Things I normally love to do no longer appeal to me because of my Hocd. I don’t know who I am anymore. It’s terrifying. I am hopeless and my days only consist of overthinking and praying to god now. I can’t see myself ever enjoying life again and it feels as if I have somehow turned gay out of nowhere. Help.

My town is doing Mandatory waer meter replacements. Where I live water meters are in the basement of the house. We are entering a second wave of covid and I'm going to have to allow two strangers into my house, who have also been in every other house in town? With their dirty shoes that have touched every other floor? And breathing on my house after being exposed to everyone else?? No. No. No. No. I haven't even let my mother and father in my house. What the hell am I supposed to do? This will break me for sure.

Having a really hard time with existential OCD. 😔 Earlier I Googled some complex topics I thought I could handle... let's just say it hasn't been easy since. The old me could have looked up moral debates and thought, "Huh, that's an interesting way to look at things." And moved on with confidence. Now I research moral debates and I'm like, "If morality is relative to where you are socialized then do morals matter?? Is moral objectivism legitimate?? Does anything matter?? Are my morals real?? Am I real?? Does anything I believe in matter?? Do I actually believe in my code of ethics or have I just been convinced to?? What is right and wrong??" The pandemic doom and gloom makes it 1000x worse. I am currently unemployed so I have nothing else to focus on except my stupid OCD. And my depression makes me unmotivated and unfocused. I don't even enjoy eating anymore and I am a food lover. I just feel nauseous constantly. And everything feels like I trigger so I barely enjoy any media these days. Universe, please save me from this disorder and this year. I just want to be normal, I want to enjoy life again.

Can anybody tell me what is a toxic relationship? My boyfriend is so good, he encourages me for everything anf supports me but he has mood swings and he gets angry(not often) when i keep complaining to him because sometimes he is busy with online games which fuels my ROCD. But he is very understanding and supportive. My ROCD tells me he us toxic because he gets angry and he suffered from depression 2 years ago and that phase was very tough for us which makes me think he is toxic. But he has completely changed now. It was just his depression because of which he used to shout at me and then instantly regretted. Sometimes i think I'm toxic. But i don't really mean what is a toxic relationship or person. I know I'm in a healthy one but it is what I'm worried right now.

Is hocd more likely to happen after a breakup? I keep thinking that maybe the breakup happened to make me realize I should be with a girl instead of a guy. I also can't seem to find any guy attractive or desirable other than my ex. I also read stories about people breaking up/divorcing and realizing they were gay. How do I differentiate hocd with something real???

so i decided i wanted to write my mom a letter about my soocd. can you gus give me any feedback/ stuff i should add or get rid of? to whoever may be reading this- ok. i’m sending this to you because i need to tell you something i couldn’t figure out how to tell you in person. basically what i want to tell you is that i think i have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). if you didn’t know, OCD is a mental illness just like depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, etc. in fact, OCD is one of the many kinds of anxiety disorders. it is not always what is commonly shown in the media, where people with OCD are obsessed with keeping away germs or organizing things. although these can be symptoms of OCD, there are many subtypes of OCD. these are referred to as “themes”. some common themes include: Religious OCD, Somatic OCD, Harm OCD, Contamination OCD, etc. OCD stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. since OCD is rarely accurately talked about, here is a definition of what OCD actually is: “OBSESSIONS are thoughts, images or impulses that occur over and over again and feel outside of the person’s control. Individuals with OCD do not want to have these thoughts and find them disturbing. In most cases, people with OCD realize that these thoughts don’t make any sense.  Obsessions are typically accompanied by intense and uncomfortable feelings such as fear, disgust, doubt, or a feeling that things have to be done in a way that is “just right.” In the context of OCD, obsessions are time consuming and get in the way of important activities the person values. This last part is extremely important to keep in mind as it, in part, determines whether someone has OCD — a psychological disorder — rather than an obsessive personality trait.” “COMPULSIONS are the second part of obsessive compulsive disorder. These are repetitive behaviors or thoughts that a person uses with the intention of neutralizing, counteracting, or making their obsessions go away. People with OCD realize this is only a temporary solution but without a better way to cope they rely on the compulsion as a temporary escape. Compulsions can also include avoiding situations that trigger obsessions. Compulsions are time consuming and get in the way of important activities the person values.” -IOCDF (“What is OCD?”) The treatment for OCD is called Exposure Response Therapy (ERP). it is supposed to help you learn to sit with your thoughts and not let them give you anxiety. it is the most effective and pretty much only way to treat OCD other than medication (although it is best to do ERP even if you are taking medication). i don’t want to seek treatment yet, so this is just another piece of information. some people divide certain themes into a group called Pure OCD, or Pureo. themes in Pure OCD are mostly obsessions, with little to no external compulsions (most compulsions are mental). some themes are: Harm OCD Relationship OCD Sexual OCD Sexual Orientation OCD Pedophilia OCD etc. The theme that i think i am currently struggling with is called Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD), or Homosexual OCD (HOCD). i know that this sounds ridiculous, but just bear with me with me. Sexual Orientation OCD is a real theme, with legitimate sufferers that have been diagnosed with OCD. obviously, i haven’t been diagnosed, so there is no way to be sure that i actually have OCD unless i get a diagnosis, but i have spent the past two months researching OCD and Sexual Orientation OCD, communicating with other people in my same situation, and comparing my symptoms to those of people with SO-OCD. i have found many similarities between myself and those of people with SO-OCD, so i have decided that is what i likely have been experiencing, but again, the only way to know is with a diagnosis from an OCD specialist. Now a couple things you should know about SO-OCD: •anyone can struggle with SO-OCD, regardless of their sexual orientation. this means that SO-OCD can mean the fear of being gay, bisexual, lesbian, straight, nonbinary, transgender, asexual, etc. •if someone is struggling with SO-OCD, it does not mean that they are actually whatever they are fearing (in my case, i am afraid of being bisexual or lesbian). this doesn’t mean that i am actually bisexual or lesbian, it just means that i am obsessing about the possibility of being so. •SO-OCD is not inherently homophobic. while it is true that some individuals are homophobic, many are completely accepting of people of all sexualities and genders, and are afraid of the possibility of being gay because it doesn’t feel right for them and doesn’t make them happy thinking about the possibility of being gay. i cannot remember when exactly my SO-OCD started, but i believe that is started around July 15, 2020. i had brief thoughts about this before, but i usually was able to brush them off. they became more frequent in the days leading up to when it started, and then one day they became incredibly intrusive and anxious provoking. there are obviously some differences between my case and the textbook case of SO-OCD that make me doubt if i even could have SO-OCD, but there is so many similarities that also are evidence that this is, in fact, OCD. OCD is a doubting disorder, so writing this has been difficult because i have been second guessing everything i’ve written and every time i say that this is OCD, it feels like a lie. this is common for OCD sufferers, doubting their diagnosis, symptoms, behaviors, etc. one common compulsion is asking for reassurance, (asking other people about who they are, what they will do, etc (anything that would reassure them that this is isn’t who they really are). compulsions like seeking reassurance is bad for people with OCD, because it alleviates the anxiety temporarily, but it only feeds the OCD, making it even more powerful than before. i am telling you all of this because i trust you to know what i am going through right now. i’m going to ask you to please not share this with anyone unless i tell you it’s ok to share. i am not looking to find treatment for this yet, but i did think you should know because sometimes it makes it hard for me to focus or be happy, especially when i feel triggered and upset. you don’t need to respond to this, i understand that it may be a lot to take in, but if you want to talk about it, i can talk to you about it. i don’t love talking about it because it can be triggering, but if you want to talk about it i can. if this made you upset or angry or sad, im so sorry. i just wanted to let you know what i’m going through. i love you mom. thanks for listening. RESOURCES- •International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation (IOCDF) article “What is OCD?” https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/ •International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation (IOCDF) article “How Do I Know Im not Really Gay?” https://iocdf.org/expert-opinions/homosexual-obsessions/ (not my favorite, but has a couple good points) •NOCD article “HOCD- Thoughts, Symptoms, Causes and Treatment” https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/hocd/ •The NOCD blog is helpful https://www.treatmyocd.com/learn/blog/page/5/ i know it’s long, but if you ave anything you think i should add or change, please tell me :)

can going down rabbit holes ever be like not scary theme related like since covid started ive wanted to adopt a dog and every day i go on pet finder and i heart different dogs and say this is it this is the one and i go through my list of dog names and go what kind of dog is this are they a hershel? are they a marty? the list has about 50+ options and i even research name meanings so the name is perfect and i tell my sister this is it this is the dog and shes like youve almost adopted like 5 different dogs and you never get any of them its like i go omg that one its the feeling this is the one and then i question can you even handle this? you can barely take care of yourself, if this dog dies its your fault, this dog could have a better home, can you even afford how much a year it costs to care for the dog, and its like i know i can but i still doubt that i can and im afraid of the day the dog dies and its like why put myself through that but its like every day i go on there and i hope to find my "the one" dog and its lile christ ive turned this dog into being this huge life defining thing that me before the dog will be different i will be forever changed in a bad way because after i will be a mother to another living being and that responsibility is something i cant handle when its like i trained and took cared my familys dog when i was 12 until i left home im 28 like i know i can care for my own pet but i just convince myself all the ways i cant do it even though i really want it and yeah and i do this with like my fear about my familys safety im like okay im going to get evil eye protection necklaces for us but i never buy it every week i search for the perfect item because none of them are perfect enough but by looking i feel good and im like shit is this all ocd? because i just actually enjoy these activities but like i turn them into obsessions and i later realize how much time i lost going down those rabbit holes its just these rabbit holes i like where as usually when i go down an ocd rabbit hole its hell because im trying to prove that im not an evil thing but my brain at the same time is proving all the ways i am that evil thing where as this stuff is like kind of fun just exhausting maybe? like oh research the perfect necklaces and dogs all the time until its just right what a great way to fill all hours of my day?

Can someone help me understand? If every white person has an inherent bias towards unconscious racism, what is the difference between unconscious racism and racist intrusive thoughts? Is my OCD right and am I actually a racist or?

This isn’t related to ocd just something I’ve been stressing about I don’t know what I want to major in and it’s stressing me out. All my life my parents have been telling me that I wanted to be a doctor. Yes, they were telling me what I wanted to be. And I went along with that for a long time. But now when it’s actually time to start thinking about my future I’m stuck. My brother started in Pharmacy, left to computer science. He still doesn’t know if that’s actually what he wants. I know what I want to be doing when I’m older, traveling, and I’m trying to think of a job where I can travel and make money at the same time. I still have time before I graduate high school. I know this isn’t the place to talk about this but I know that there are many adults here and I just wanted some of your advice. I also wanted to rant lol

Your ocd literally cannot survive without your compulsions. Without compulsions, ocd eventually goes away. This is in our hands, the choice to do compulsions and continue the cycle, or not. What will you choose?

I apologize for spamming but I feel so sick of all of this. I get aroused by the thought of having sex with a man now and I hate it, it's not just groinals. It feels like I was only against men because of feminism, which I always thought wasn't true because even if the guy was perfect I wouldn't want to be with him at all. I have talked to bisexual women who find sex with men absolutely revolting just like me. I had urges to kiss a man. I had urges to self harm via sex with men. My attraction to women is slowly disappearing once again. I feel like I want a man more than a woman and would be more fulfilled with one and while I feel like that's not true I feel like there's no denial anymore. I love women to death but I am undeniably attracted to men despite being repulsed by their physique. I have had male idols that I loved. My intuition has been wrong and let's face the facts, OCD is right and im bisexual even if I do not believe it. All evidence points to it. And there's nothing wrong with being bisexual except from my intuition calling me gay. But I know that that's not true. Even though I feel like I'm deep down gay. It is simply not true. I feel like telling myself I'm bisexual feels like lying, because not a single drop of attraction I feel towars men is genuine, ot so I think. But oh well, that's life. I honestly want to die so badly. I probably have a shit load of internalized biphobia.

How can I sit with the thought/possibility of being gay when I know or at least hope I'm not? When it's happening all day every day?! I tried to do self erp and I read stories about people coming out at my age (27) or when they were married with kids in their 30s and 40s. I really can't take this anymore.

I’m wondering what sort of upbringings you all had and if you think that effected your chances of developing OCD? I was brought up as an only child by my mother. She loved me but she had could have a bad temper and had issues being tolerant with me. I’d say you could call it emotional disregulation disorder. It means she would end up screaming and screeching at me for small things like forgetting to wash up as a 13 year old child - screaming at me and calling me a words like a bitch and a cow... I guess this would happen atleast once a week. And more minor stuff happening more often. As an adult I realise her behaviour was not acceptable at all. It was emotional abuse. I’ve come to the realisation that this constant over critical reaction to me could have caused me to become more of an anxious, self critical, over thinking adult. It makes sense that if your constantly being screamed at that you might end of ruminating over whether your a ‘bad person’. Which is basically the root of OCD... I know my mum has her own problems, and truly she loves me... but I can’t help thinking - fuck you have no idea what I’m dealing with now...

If this seeking for reassurance please tell me Does everyone else get bombarded by intrusive thoughts when trying to go to bed? I thought it was a normal thing but now I'm considered because even if i try to think positively they turn scary. And this is on a daily base. I hate trying to close my eyes And all this is happening when I'm changing boarding schools. Anyone wanna talk?

I really feel like a heartless monster. I just feel blank and empty inside, what if I can't feel love? What if I can't love? I say I love you to my mom and others but I just feel empty when I say it... psychopaths can't feel love, is this a sign I am one? I don't know how to keep living these rest my life if I can't feel anything especially love.

This is the seed that planted my huge trigger. My partner told me in July that he’s been feeling depressed for 6 years bc since my first battle with ROCD he got concerned that... maybe I’ve been forcing myself to love him that I was in denial about loving him... he told me his feelings changed on and off for me. He still loves me. But he asked me what happens if things did end.. would I wanna be just friends? I told him no... bc it would be too difficult for me bc I always want more with him. During this talk I’m having a huge panic attack and I am hyperventilating with my body trembling... I understand he need to speak his mind which I am glad he did. But it happened again last month and that destroyed me again. My close friend told me my partner needs to know who he is and that he needs to make himself happy too. I know he needs to improve his life and I need to improve mine. But bc of this talk this is what happened to me. TRIGGER WARNING: Please don’t read this if you panic badly. My thoughts. He doesn’t love you, he lied and hid this from you, he likes to hang out with other people more than you, you never loved him and you know it!, you don’t wanna move out with him again, you’re forcing yourself to love him, you’re lying to him and everyone around you, you had doubts before this yet you stay with him, you using him, your in denial,you can do way better than him, you know it’s you why are you fighting it... There’s way too many to put on here. But then I obsessed over past thoughts when he had his mental breakdowns or when we got mad at each other in the past. Which made me remember everything! All the doubts I had about him making me feel like I know I don’t love him.. but I was able to ignore them... my close friend asked me: are you happy with him? I said yes but even then I felt like a lier... I love being with him I love falling asleep next to him.. so why do I have to go through this again... but right now I am in the numb stage and I still obsess say I am in love with him over and over again.. He feels guilty bc he feels like he’s causing me to suffer... 😞 that hurt hearing him say that. I almost told him i wasn’t in love with him this morning but I stopped myself bc I knew it wasn’t me.. I am so scared of myself and I’m scared to be around him 😖😭 I’ve had ROCD before but never had it treated.. so I know I had obsessive thoughts throughout the relationship... 😞 if it is me.. my relationship is gonna end.. I’m hoping the medication helps me...

How many of you are in a relationship and have OCD/intrusive thoughts? How is it for you? Is it difficult, do you feel secure in the relationship?

I hate how I look. I hate it so much. People comment on my acne all the time and it hurts me so much. My sister has it too and I don’t want her to be treated this way... but I’m too embarrassed to bring it up to my therapist cause I feel ashamed about it.

I'm not boy crazy and I don't catch feelings easily. I also sense when a guy has feelings for me and then I would avoid them. This sweet guy just confessed to me (i suspected that he had feelings for me) and I got triggered. I didn't reject him, but I told him we should get to know each other more. OCD twisted this though :/ "What if he likes me and I'll never be able to like him?" "what if i'll never be able to develop feelings?" "what if i'm not being my true self?" IM SO CONFUSED AND I FEEL LIKE A BAD PERSON FOR CONSTANTLY REJECTING THE GUYS THAT LIKE ME. The guys that I do like me don't like me back and they are cold towards me. I'm so scared that this is a sign and i'm denying the truth or something. I hate feeling all shaky and empty. It's like i have no feelings anymore. Please reply someone. I'm so lost.

Hi! I'm new to this app. I've been having strange things and experiences for seven years, and I am 14 years old. It was 4 months ago that I researched about it and found out was OCD. I am not sure of it yey because I haven't consulted a psychatrist yet due to quarantine. That's why I'm still bearing the same attacks all over and over. It worsens as days pass. It affects me in my studies. I would like to share what I experience. I really hope someone would help me. When I was in gradeschool, I used to: - do repetitive acts (such as blinking, touching other people) because if I don't, something bad might happen - utter repetitive phrases to make me feel better - non-stop intrusive thoughts These lessened when I stepped in 7th grade for I became busy. But it came back when I was grade 8 and made it worse during this quarantine. In the present time, I: - experience intense sexual thoughts, thoughts of harming someone, dark images that are never my intention - death and history lessons in school trigger me - I always pray and stick to my religious beliefs for I feel guilty of my unwanted thoughts - I repeat words to make me feel better - I scream frequently for a second, turn my body, or pray, as an act of stopping an intrusive thought, but I find it hard and I always end up breaking down emotionally Would someone help me? I can't afford a psychologist. Thank you so much for reading. We are stronger than what we think!