#ocd questions

[antlord325]

Idk if anyone will even see this but like.

Other people with contamination OCD: what do you describe the physical “unclean” feeling as? I don’t know how to describe it to people and I don’t know what else it feels like so erm… help pls?

[obsessivetrees]

what exactly "counts" as a compulsion?

I'm wondering how compulsions are defined, and how can one identify compulsions?

I'm very new to learning about OCD and only recently started exploring my symptoms with my therapist. I can recognize that some of my behaviors are compulsions, but there are other things that I do that I'm not really sure.

For example, I get intrusive thoughts about touching people, and in response, I'll put my hands in my pockets, sit on my hands, or grip something/clench my fists to prevent that from happening. I know I don't actually *have* to do those things, because I know I wouldn't actually touch people like that, but I still really worry about it. Hiding my hands and gripping something/clenching my fists helps me feel better.

Would this behavior be classified as a compulsion? or would it just be considered a coping skill?

[bitch-spectrum]

Questions for other people with OCD

(The genuine disorder, not the natural human want for things to look neat) 1. Do you like setting times for things. Like, something that doesn't need a set time like doing the dishes but you say to yourself "I'll do it at noon." 2. Is your room "messy" and if so, do people not believe you when you tell them you have OCD? 3. Do you stim because of your OCD? 4. Is your OCD linked with anything like Being a HSP (highly sensitive person), PTSD, Autism, Etc. (you can just say yes, u don't have to specify if you're not comfortable) 5. Do you have impulse disorders that co-exist ith OCD such as intrusive thoughts, excoriation disorder, body dyspmorphia, trichotillomania, etc. (again, no need to specify if you don't want to)

[barkingpanther]

So I have this weird thing were I either need pressure or to rub my left wrist or I get really uncomfortable. If I'm resting my hand on something I need to have all the pressure on my wrist. Sometimes I can get around it by putting something tight around it but this doesn't always help. I have to rub my wrist every couple of minutes or I get really uncomfortable. Is this ocd? I don't want to say it's ocd if it's not but I have no idea what it could be.

[confettiitsaparadexo]

To anyone diagnosed and living with OCD.

First off hello and thank you for taking the time to read this. It's not going to be a very long post as I'm just wanting to ask a question or two. Feel free to answer or not answer me I'm just curious. So... My question is this. Do any of you visualise your OCD as anything? And what I mean by that is do you give it a character? Sorry if I'm confusing any of you I'm totally not very good at words I'll explain what I mean. I've suffered from OCD now for around 14 years and i've often been asked to describe what it's like which as you know yourselves can be a difficult task. So I've sort of adopted a character for it, made it a real thing you can visualise when trying to explain, it also helps me when I'm trying to calm myself down. I think of it as a him, a tiny, dark haired, somewhat angry cave man who I call Sam that lives in my head and comes out of his cave to tell me things I don't want to hear, and get me to give in to my compulsions. I also sometimes refer to it as The Hulk but mostly Sam. I surely can't be the only one that does this? Am I? I'd love to hear from any of you that might do this as well. Please tell me I'm not the only one. Anyone else out there? Feel free to inbox me if you want me to explain myself a bit more.

[tragic-vampire]

Does anyone else with OCD almost tap their leg like a lot?

The councilor I saw for a bit said it was nervous/anxious energy but I don't know, I'm feeling alright right now...

Though I suppose my calm is different to what others may perceive as calm...

And now that feeling in the chest that you associate with stress welled up as I typed that last sentence so that kind of proves my point.

Hmm... I need to move on before I become fixated on this.

[anxietyandhumor]

Hi! I have OCD (I was diagnosed 5 years ago) and I'm struggling with intrusive thoughts about having sex or fancying my dad. It's really getting me down. Any advice?

Hi! Something that really helped me with intrusive thoughts was saying “Stop” in my mind really firmly then closing my eyes and picturing myself driving a car and stopping it quickly. My therapist told me to do this and it helped a ton!