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Time to ditch the term 'Pure O'?


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If we lead on this topic, and indeed maybe look to make a statement on it, it will serve a number of purposes. 

Start a process which others may follow - we can lead on this issue 

Maybe get some media attention on it? Could we do a press release? 

Give help and enlightenment to sufferers, maybe encourage others to seek help 

Get the message out that this charity is innovative and maybe encourage new members through the website. 

 

 

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I have to confess it was a print out of that Wikipedia entry that I used to show my therapist and it stopped me from being endlessly told I had GAD. Now that I know better, it is certainly a confusing and misleading description, although it does contain a few gems of info. 

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20 hours ago, mdlbrightchild said:

I think there does need to be some sort of classification between OCD with covert compulsions, and OCD with overt compulsions. I've had both types, and i can guarantee that it's harder to accept that you have OCD when everything is in your mind

I agree it's harder to realise it's OCD when what you're experiencing is only in your mind, but I believe that is because we've been divided into these subgroups. Which is why there's a need to unify all the various symptoms and 'types' under a single title of OCD. 

I've always had both overt and covert compulsions, but because all people saw was the hand-washing side they assumed I just had 'contamination OCD'. 

I went along with this for 40 years, believing the violent intrusive images and thoughts were just me - a nasty person who had contamination OCD as well. A doubly 'bad' person then. :( (In the ancient days of my childhood mental issues were considered 'bad behaviour', more akin to criminality than illness.)

I first came across the term 'pure O' here on the forum years ago, but even then I didn't realise it was describing me because the intrusions I suffered weren't 'obsessions'. I simply experienced them and did mental rituals to get rid of them, but never 'obsessed' over them. So the description didn't fit me.

I carried on telling people 'I have contamination OCD' because that's the only recognised label that fits with what they can see. Except I have zero fear of germs or dirt...so that term is equally misleading. I've learned to let people assume it's a fear of germs, unless they ask in which case I'll happily explain further. 

'OCD with a theme of contamination' or 'OCD with multiple themes' is starting to get towards where I'd like to see the 'labelling' go. (I think there's work to be done in the area of 'contamination OCD' just the same as with 'pure O', but more of that another day!) 

This is why I think divisions of 'overt and covert', or 'physical and mental', or dividing ourselves up according to symptoms or themes (H,R,P ocd) in any way is detrimental rather than helpful. It puts an unnecessary barrier between sufferers and the treatment available by keeping the information out there segregated and incomplete. 

Once we call it all simply 'OCD' - intrusive thoughts with compulsive responses - then more people will recognise when the hat fits and seek information on OCD and help for their symptoms, whatever form those take. 

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24 minutes ago, snowbear said:

Once we call it all simply 'OCD' - intrusive thoughts with compulsive responses - then more people will recognise when the hat fits and seek information on OCD and help for their symptoms, whatever form those take. 

Nice way of putting it :)

I would like people with unliked thoughts to realise it's not their fault and seek help. 

As a young man I was affected then with short period looping images and weird self-harm issues, and whilst I knew they were false urges and irrational, had I had the courage to go to a GP then I might have got diagnosed earlier. When the harm changes more towards others I was too scared to anyway. 

A diagnosis and some initial reassurance then a structured treatment plan might have stopped it getting worse. 

Anything we can do that encourages youngsters and their parents to seek proper diagnosis and help will be good.

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Said for many years as a previous forum user, it isnt a thing re "pure o ". ..... "OCD is OCD , same meat just different gravy" per-se

Importance is , that when seeing therapist, they can help untangle what you are doing in a compulsive way, to the obsessions. Also you can look at what you do yourself

when being hit by the ocd , what you do as a compulsion to irradicate the anxiety/uncertainty etc

 

 Rose Bretcher wrote a book called "pure" , it gave an insight into the thoughts, etc " it also covers the compulsions ... so in theory its OCD

and people with OCD contamination , do get other type of thoughts that have different types of compulsions , outside of that "flavour"

 

Legend

Edited by Legend
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