OCD themes

[Dragonfly]

Does anyone else have a few themes of OCD? I have quite a few; driving, checking doors etc, worrying if I’ve behaved inappropriately, catastrophizing and I worry incessantly.

Usually as one theme eases, another begins. Today, after feeling quite good all week, and knowing I haven’t behaved inappropriately, and the checking being ok, I feel I have a few themes coming on again? My checking with driving has been particularly awful! I had got quite far with that ?

I am just over two weeks in to new medication (I did halve the dose each day for one week of it) which hasn’t been too bad at all so far, just a few headaches and feeling a bit sick sometimes. It is near my monthly cycle too (sorry about too much info, but I know from experience that usually adds to it) 

Really thought I was making progress ? 

 

 

[PhilM]

I do. Some more distressing than others.

[Skullpops]

Same here, and as Phil said, some more distressing than others. I've had different themes over the years, some I look back on now and think "what on earth? I can't believe I was so distressed about that!" but at the time took over my life. 

[PhilM]

28 minutes ago, Skullpops said:

I've had different themes over the years, some I look back on now and think "what on earth? I can't believe I was so distressed about that!" but at the time took over my life. 

Totally agree SP!

[Skullpops]

9 minutes ago, PhilM said:

Totally agree SP!

Bizarre, isn't it Phil? 

My first memories of ocd are obsessively fearing that I'd wet myself and compulsively using the bathroom "just incase", even if I'd literally just been. My whole life revolved around monitoring my bladder for signs that I may need to go, going anyway just to be on the safe side and always scoping out where the toilets were wherever I went. This affected me during childhood and ruled my whole life. I look back now and can't quite believe the level of distress it caused me, this theme doesn't bother me at all now, not even a little bit. 

[Dragonfly]

Same with me too, some are far more distressing than others. To the point where at times I welcome back my driving OCD or checking doors, and think I’d rather have those any day! 

My husband says my OCD shifts, depends what my focus is at the time. A few years back after a very stressful couple of months I developed health anxiety. My therapist at the time said there’s a very fine line between health anxiety and OCD. That was truly awful too. I couldn’t think of anything else. While that was going on I had no probs with driving. Really hate OCD! 

 

[Skullpops]

1 minute ago, Dragonfly said:

Same with me too, some are far more distressing than others. To the point where at times I welcome back my driving OCD or checking doors, and think I’d rather have those any day! 

My husband says my OCD shifts, depends what my focus is at the time. A few years back after a very stressful couple of months I developed health anxiety. My therapist at the time said there’s a very fine line between health anxiety and OCD. That was truly awful too. I couldn’t think of anything else. While that was going on I had no probs with driving. Really hate OCD! 

 

It's a cruel disorder Dragonfly. 

My Father developed health anxiety a few years back and it was literally all he could think about, he's still on meds now and received counselling. Occasionally he still desperately seeks reassurance from me (I have a nursing background) 

Sometimes I wish I had 'old' themes back instead of what I have now, then when I really think about it, I was still very distressed so would it really make a difference? 

[Dragonfly]

2 minutes ago, Skullpops said:

It's a cruel disorder Dragonfly. 

My Father developed health anxiety a few years back and it was literally all he could think about, he's still on meds now and received counselling. Occasionally he still desperately seeks reassurance from me (I have a nursing background) 

Sometimes I wish I had 'old' themes back instead of what I have now, then when I really think about it, I was still very distressed so would it really make a difference? 

Your poor dad ? It is so cruel! It was one of the worst episodes of my life, and ruled me for over a year. I was convinced I was going to die, and that no one was listening to me. I didn’t want to plan anything, ‘just in case’. Luckily that theme seems behind me now,  but I’m still left with all the other themes, at different times. That and false memory OCD I think are my worst themes. I truly hate them! 

[Skullpops]

2 minutes ago, Dragonfly said:

Your poor dad ? It is so cruel! It was one of the worst episodes of my life, and ruled me for over a year. I was convinced I was going to die, and that no one was listening to me. I didn’t want to plan anything, ‘just in case’. Luckily that theme seems behind me now,  but I’m still left with all the other themes, at different times. That and false memory OCD I think are my worst themes. I truly hate them! 

I am so sorry for your suffering. I was in hospital at the beginning of this relapse and can relate to the "nobody is listening to me" feeling, that's exactly how I felt. Definitely agree that false memory OCD is up there with the worst, that's the one that lands me in hospital and makes me so very depressed. "What if it's not OCD?" is also torturous! 

[Dragonfly]

12 minutes ago, Skullpops said:

I am so sorry for your suffering. I was in hospital at the beginning of this relapse and can relate to the "nobody is listening to me" feeling, that's exactly how I felt. Definitely agree that false memory OCD is up there with the worst, that's the one that lands me in hospital and makes me so very depressed. "What if it's not OCD?" is also torturous! 

Really sorry to hear you were in hospital with this, really feel for you. It is torturous! ?

 

[Skullpops]

Just now, Dragonfly said:

Really sorry to hear you were in hospital with this, really feel for you. It is torturous! ?

 

Awk bless, thank you. In a way it was a good thing, well the first time at least because that's when I finally found out what was going on with me. I've been in and out over the years, aside from getting my diagnosis it wasn't a nice experience. 

[Wonderer]

Yep. Mine has changed over the years, some reoccur and others don’t, I can also have multiple ones at the same time sometimes ?

my sons rapidly change, I can have a week about one and then it moves on to something else for a week etc.xx

[GreyCat]

Yes, the same here. A few themes currently. Checking work and electrical devices, driving (often have to go back if really nothing happened). New now the thought that I forgot to put my jeans on. Constantly checking even though I can feel them. New now also that I cannot answer the phone correctly. I'm sometimes even too afraid to answer it even though of course I have to at work. And having to re-do things in case of a catastrophic thought.  Others are gone completely. My first OCD theme - religious fears - disappeared completely and never came back.

[mw321]

5 hours ago, Skullpops said:

I've had different themes over the years, some I look back on now and think "what on earth? I can't believe I was so distressed about that!" but at the time took over my life. 

Same here. When I think about some of my bizarre obsessions over the years, I wonder how my brain could ever get stuck on those fears.

[Skullpops]

6 minutes ago, mw321 said:

Same here. When I think about some of my bizarre obsessions over the years, I wonder how my brain could ever get stuck on those fears.

Strange isn't it? One such fear/obsession I had was vomit, I ended up going in nursing as a career, doesn't bother me in the slightest now! 

[Emsie]

Me too, I've had quite a few themes over the years. Some go and then come back. Got a few themes running concurrently at the moment.  

[BelAnna]

Definitely. I wonder if many sufferers really just have the one theme. I hate how you tackle one type of OCD and another pops up!