Welcome to
the NOCD Community

I feel like i want to scream and run with im on the phone with someone. I even got scared of the jake from statefarm commercial, like every thing has made me paranoid and scared. Making me feel like im schizophrenic or something.

Hello all! I have harm ocd, anxiety, and depression. I feel I know exactly how to get through most thoughts because I’ve probably had exactly what you are thinking myself. So, if you have any questions or any problems that needs solved please comment and if I don’t have an answer maybe someone else who is reading this does!

My drinking is out of control and I’m not sure what to do about it. I’m going to try to stop. It seems simple but it isn’t. The day after I feel so depressed and anxious. Any advice would be much appreciated

I’ve been struggling with mental health for a while. I’ve seen a few therapists and psychiatrists over the last three years hoping for some diagnosis to give me direction on how to improve my mental state. I’ve also tried several medications, most just making my anxiety worse. At this point I don’t even know what I’ve been diagnosed with, if anything. My last talk therapist blamed all my symptoms on PMDD and dismissed me every time I would bring up another perspective of my symptoms and thoughts that I may have something other than childhood trauma and PMDD. I continued to see her questioning myself and slowly realizing that I was becoming so focused on finding a diagnosis that I needed to just focus on feeling better and being able to function day to day. Then I realized that some of the advice she gave me was not helpful and it actually made my family situation worse. Then there were scheduling conflicts repeatedly and when I needed therapy the most I couldn’t go for one reason or another. So I got burnt out on therapy too and I’m not currently seeing anyone. During a session with my last psychiatrist a few months ago she casually asked me how my OCD was, even though we had never discussed OCD before and it had never even been mentioned. This was the first time I had ever heard anyone bring this up to me. After I did some research I do feel as if I can fit in an OCD box but when I start breaking down all of my symptoms and behaviors I fell like I can fit into a lot of different boxes. Man is it exhausting.

Hi, does anyone have any tips or advice over how to not allow the intrusive images or themes consume to the point of freezing up in petrified fear. I feel that I ruminate over my OCD theme to the point where I’m super anxious or I’m depressed and find no point in my day to day activities because I feel that I need to think over my theme. But I go no where with it than into a freak out mode. Any help or advice is welcomed. Thank you.

I gotta share this because I think we can all get through this OCD! But you gotta put the work in! The homework therapist gives is to help us, and for me, i think i had a breakthrough. So I am a month into my ERP therapy through here and let me tell you… it sucks most days. What i like about my therapist I got on here is she told me she’s been working in hospital and prison wards, so she’s probably heard and seen some stuff and what I got probably ain’t that bad. I started with CBT but my OCD was getting rough after about a year so now I’m giving ERP a try. I was asked to write a letter to someone that I believed was triggering my OCD and so I did. I went through a whole spiral with my POCD, honestly I feel like a monster. But! I’m also recalling some stuff I have kept suppressed and never wanted to mention in therapy, and I think it’s probably time I process that stuff, no matter how ashamed or guilty I feel. Ultimately, it’s probably what is causing the doubt disorder to overtake me. So for those of you struggling, keep going! And be completely open! I promise you your therapist has heard some stuff and you are probably far from what they have heard.

does anyone remember what their first experience with OCD felt like? im pretty sure i know the exact minute it happened. I was nine and my cousin was over for a sleep over, i remember she was on my bed watching a youtube video, and i was on the floor watching a youtube video. Then all of a sudden i got this horrible feeling it felt almost like deja vu? but i was terrified and i was so anxious i went and threw up. After that my mind was never the same, at the time i was so scared that i had been possessed because thats what i imagined it would feel/ look like, i became obsessed with the thought that i had become possessed. i kept asking my mom for reassurance that I hadn’t gotten possessed or had “made god angry.” im just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience or if maybe that wasn’t OCD? Part of me still wonders if maybe i actually am possessed and i don’t have OCD even after 10 years. I obviously know thats not true but it’s always the “what if” ya know?

I recently found out that I have OCD and it’s becoming harder and harder to enjoy every day that passes. I spend hours a day, reflecting on all of the bad decisions I made out of ignorance or out of intention. I don’t know if I can ever forgive myself for what I did but I also don’t know if it’s the OCD making it worse. I was wondering if you guys have any tips on how to distinguish between guilt over what you’ve done in the past versus the OCD. I just want to be able to enjoy every day, but I’m plagued with guilt!

Hi Peeps, I am doing ERP right now but I struggle with triggering myself. I try to trigger my ROCD and collect situations and texts that could trigger me, but when I read them or engage in the trigger I feel nothing, I can't focus so good and please give me an advice I really want to make this work!!!

I’ve been dealing a lot with harm OCD that I’ll want to harm myself or someone else (even though I don’t want that), I’ve also been experiencing fear that I’ll lose control of my mind or something. It’s so hard. When I don’t feel like this I just kind of feel empty or just dissociative/derealized.

Hi! I’m new here. I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD and Generalized + Social anxiety disorder. I’ve had sensory issues for my whole life, but I can generally control and overcome them. The one that is the most bothersome is being aware of my toenails. I’ve dealt with this since I was a child. It doesn’t have anything to do with the length or condition of my toenails at the time, but it’s just my brain becoming aware of the feeling of my toe nails. I also become aware of the feeling of my toes touching. When this happens I can usually move my brain past it. Until this week. 3 weeks ago I fell and broke my leg. I’ve been doing a lot of lying around and wiggling my toes. Well this past week, I’ve become aware of my toes touching (because of my cast- no worries- I stuffed tissue between them and moved on.) last night, my big toe nail stared rubbing my next toe, which triggered the awareness of my toenails. I trimmed my toes nails with no relief. This caused me to not sleep last night. This has become distressing to the point where I’m sobbing because of this. I’ve been googling this and how to get “over it” which just lead my toes sensory overload resources and solutions weren’t very applicable to what I was feeling. I finally came across Somatic OCD. AND BOY WAS I VALIDATED. I also realized it’s probably what’s causing me to be struggling with the feeling of my bladder. It constant feels full, I try to pee, and very little comes out. I’m pretty sure this is linked with my broken leg because of my in ability to get to the bathroom quickly without assistive devices. And, of course, since my fall I’ve been obsessively googling broken legs, recovery time, complications, personal experiences etc. I’ve always been anxious, so I just thought this was anxiety and overthinking. Anyway, this is long and rambling thank you for reading. I feel validated by finding this app and the article that helped me understand somatic OCD.

On December 31st, 2023, my brain decided to create the most disturbing image possible of a person and I from my school supposedly doing the deed/me getting violated. It bothered me so much, until I started to imagine it as a poster shredded up in a machine. It rarely comes to my mind now. However, since then, it seems like any guy remotely close to my age I pass by, my brain will remember their face and begin creating disturbing inappropriate thoughts and images. It has happened twice now since that day. There were no events leading up to the first thought and since my brain gets foggy fast, it won't allow me to remember much (I guess this could be one of those instances where your brain blocks out traumatic memories). Having a partner makes it worse. I'm deeply upset at myself knowing he'll be scared I'll see another man who I have no attraction or affinity towards and have these intrusive thoughts. He has however been as supportive as he can. I've cried about it a few times now, but compared to my normal crying, this feels way less intense and only lasts a few minutes which I don't understand why and feel bad about not being able to "react enough." It could be my brain telling me "this isn't a big deal" when I've cried over many other things that are unlikely to happen and or things that won't happen anytime soon. I've been told its normal, I'm a hypochondriac, but if the definition of normal hasn't been changed to "feeling like an insane asylum patient" then I won't be calling it normal, but more like "common." Moreover, my intrusive thoughts have felt even slightly conscious. As in my brain is trying to make me believe I like them when I don't. My brain might still be developing, but I am terrified for how long these thoughts might persist. I could probably call the thoughts episodes since they stick around for 10 minutes and then come back later. Now everytime I see another man or these thoughts come back, my stomach gets a mix of stomach knot and stomach drop feeling. If I'm not currently in an episode, I can easily distract myself, but the thoughts still linger and now make everyday life more bothersome. I don't know why or how these thoughts started, but they've been terrible and made me feel both disgusting and disgusted. I'm however glad I don't get groinal responses to these thoughts. To summarize all of this, I'm just asking for reassurance from others with similar experiences and possible solutions to these dehabilitating thoughts.

So basically, I'm afraid of having schizophrenia or becoming possessed (I'm religious). And I have been noticing I'm really paranoid lately and almost believing delusions or what ifs in my mind. Obviously I know they are crazy, but my mind keeps doubting it. That's what scares me the most if I listen to it one day and go crazy.

Finally OCD free after struggling with HOCD for a little while. Just posting this to show that freedom is possible if you keep doing ERP.

Writing this bc idk if anyone else experiences this? I have been having OCD intrusive thoughts related to my 2 cats. They are 7 and 11 years old and I am terrified of them passing away one day. I grew up with them but now that I’m 25 and have my own apartment, I took them with me so I’ve been spending a lot more time with them recently and I’ve grown attached to them. I have intrusive thoughts that tell me “what if you didn’t completely lock your door and you get home from work and they’re not in your apartment anymore”. My therapist told me to record myself locking the door as a way to prove to myself that I did it but this doesn’t help me. I also bought an automatic cat feeder with a camera on it so I can check in on them at any time but I try to limit myself because I don’t want to obsess over checking it. I also had to use Drano on my shower drain last night and felt so paranoid that it was going to make my cat sick bc he likes to lay in the shower sometimes. Meanwhile, I ran water like the directions said to so that it would all be washed away. Just curious if anyone else experiences these intrusive thoughts related to their animals. Living alone, just me and my 2 cats, has caused these thoughts to increase. And I really worry for myself for the day that they pass away.

I'm from Spain, struggling speaking a language that is not my native language about things I never talk about. I worked on this with Woebot before, an AI app that is like a therapist, but it stopped working in my region. Lately I have had problems again because of some changes in my life and now I don't know how to recover this time.

Hi guys :) I am new to NOCD after seeing an ad for it on tik tok and am really hoping this app helps me find ways to help my OCD thoughts. Growing up, I always thought OCD was limited to being overly neat and tidy but it turns out, after going undiagnosed for 25 years, I have been diagnosed with OCD based on my obsessive thoughts. It feels as though I am unable to turn my brain off when I’m obsessing about something - tonight I was that I realized I forgot my pair of my favorite leggings at my parents house and wanted to wear them to work tomorrow. My obsessive thoughts took me down the rabbit hole “what if the dog eats them” and other ridiculous thoughts. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I also exhibit relationship OCD, constantly thinking “am I with the right person”. This usually happens after me and my partner hang out. During the hangout, I feel fine but afterwards, I begin obsessing over every little detail from the hangout and it feels like I have no control over my thoughts. If you have any similar OCD qualities to the ones I described, feel free to comment and we can be in touch. I don’t know anyone who has OCD and am looking to find people who experience similar things to me and get through these thoughts together.

Am I the only one that feels immense guilt about my past? It makes me feel so alone and so lost. It always leads to me trying to com-pulse it which results in temporary relief, but it always comes back and is always in the back of my mind. It leads to me having suicidal thoughts because I can’t take the pain anymore. It feels like I’m trapped in my mind and in my thoughts and the only way to escape is through suicide. I really hate myself. I also cut myself because it relives the mental pain. I lift weights and put my body through hell running which ik isn’t healthy but it makes me feel better for some time. The thoughts tend to go away. Something about it is comforting? Idk how to explain it. I feel so messed up and alone. Just gotta keep trying and keep pushing.

Hi, I need an advice, I can't trigger myself! I want to do ERP but Everytime I try to trigger myself I feel nothing so it won't work. On the other side OCD triggers me outside of my ERP and I react wrong to it. Has anyone an Idea how to trigger myself properly, or should I wait for OCD to come? But how can I be prepared for it?

I’m so confused and it’s infuriating. My head and my heart are constantly at war with each other. One minute I could be so sure of my feelings, and the next I’m second guessing everything. I don’t want to mess it up this time. He’s been my biggest supporter the past couple months, I’ve grown a lot with him. So why do these thoughts keep coming back. Im undiagnosed and my biggest fear is that I don’t have OCD and these thoughts are true. I can’t do that to him. I feel so lost.