Ever think ur own ocd is worse than anyone else's ever??!

[Guest lucylia]

I don't mean this to sound selfish ...

It really is a general debate. But do u ever read someone else's onsession and wonder why tnaT would bother them!? Almost as of your own knaession is the worst that there is and only you are suffering immensely? Im honestly just curious about this? Not meaning to be nasty at all. Just read others thoughts myself and sometimes think "why is that a worry at all" and then reflect on my own worries and believe them to be so much more than anyone else's ... God that sounds selfish and I don't mean to be. Im just Curious about this aspect of things x

Lucy xxx

[Guest lucylia]

Sorry for spelling mistakes I wrote this in a hurry x

Lucy xxx

[Guest J-L]

if we are honest, most of us have probably always thought well yours isnt as bad as mine in all sorts of situations, whether it be money issues, family issues, etc etc. That isnt selfish, selfish is acting on them thoughts and making out the world revolves around you. I think we think well mine is worse because we cannot feel the actual anxiety, pain that person is feeling so we automatically assume that person's anxiety/pain cannot be as bad as the one im actually feeling.

[PolarBear]

No, I don't think that. I've been exposed to so many people on the forum who have OCD, and so many different types of OCD, I see it all as coming from the same anxiety disorder. I understand that any theme of OCD can run from mild to extreme and no one's OCD is worse or better than anyone else's.

[Guest yinyang]

I don't mean this to sound selfish ...

It really is a general debate. But do u ever read someone else's onsession and wonder why tnaT would bother them!? Almost as of your own knaession is the worst that there is and only you are suffering immensely? Im honestly just curious about this? Not meaning to be nasty at all. Just read others thoughts myself and sometimes think "why is that a worry at all" and then reflect on my own worries and believe them to be so much more than anyone else's ... God that sounds selfish and I don't mean to be. Im just Curious about this aspect of things x

Lucy xxx

No because I understand the nature of the disorder, nothing is out of bounds and I can empathise with any sufferer with any obsession/s.

It's worth noting also that each of us have a unique perception shaped by a lifetime of experiences. So we each have unique blend of ingredients which can work as a catalyst to form different variations of the disorder (which we see on the forum every day). In other words something what may seem like not a big deal to you, could be a huge deal to the next person..

I don't believe my OCD is any worse than another persons either, but we are experiencing it at the end of the day, so it's naturally going to feel much 'rawer' than somebody else's

[Ashley]

Nope, I have never thought that. In fact, when I see it on the forum I tend to be quick to tell people how inappropriate it is for suggesting their OCD is any worse than anyone else's.

Perhaps for me it is different because I see what OCD can do. I have seen/spoke to a lady with a fear of germs bleach their entire body causing awful health problems. Then there is the man with a fear of something on his eye, he poked it so much he is now blind in one eye. I have lost a friend to OCD because his OCD made him fear being around his own son.

The three types of OCD are worlds apart, but to all three people the intensity of the obsessions was so horrific it caused catastrophic consequences.

I run three OCD Support Groups, and that's the great thing about my support groups that everyone that comes will have different forms of OCD but they all seem to empathise well with each other and how their type of OCD means so much to that person. Even if they don't have the same fears, they recognise the OCD causes their group friends such horrible worries.

I think that last part is important, if a person does not really understand how OCD works and how it impacts on people they will never be able to relate to other people with OCD.

[Caramoole]

I don't....but I think that at some stage of their illness, most people probably have. Over the years I've been with the forum I have seen a range of obsessions that are poles apart, some (on the face of it) so minor that you'd wonder how that could affect someone, some so major or even (on the face of it) bizarre. But that would be to completely misunderstand OCD because in essence it's range of "worries" or obsessions is infinite and the content unimportant, however it manifests, it's impact on the sufferer is just as scary.

But to answer your question Lucy, you're not alone. I think many feel this way whether they should do or not.

[Guest lucylia]

I honestly didn't mean that to sound like a selfish question. Im now at the stage in my life where I can see and understand that nobody's ocd is better or worse than the other no matter what the theme. When mine was at its worst after I had my son, I admit back then I used to feel like it would be easier to have a fear of germs tban to have a fear of having abused or hurt your own child. I now see that someone with a fear of germs suffers just as much as I do x sorry if post came across wrong x

Lucy xxx

[Guest lucylia]

I do believe some have more "severe" cases than others though of that makes sense?

Lucy xxx

[Runner being]

I've only been on the forum a little while, but there are two things I've noticed - one, the myriad of different presentations of the disorder and two, the desperate anguish the intrusive thoughts cause. So in my opinion there are not worse types of off as whatever the presentation they all result in sufferers being taken to the limits of what they can bear.

[Guest lucylia]

Like my son is showing traits of ocd with certain things (the way his socks and shoes have to be put on and of they aren't sitting the right way he gets a bit agitated and starts again) but it's not so severe it affects his life greatly. I hope it stays that way ?

Lucy xxx

[Em24]

Like my son is showing traits of ocd with certain things (the way his socks and shoes have to be put on and of they aren't sitting the right way he gets a bit agitated and starts again) but it's not so severe it affects his life greatly. I hope it stays that way ?

Lucy xxx

How old is your son Lucy? Just keep an eye on him. If u ever want to ask me anything then just PM me. My son is nearly 6 and is showing many OCD traits, we have started home CBT to get his cognitive thinking up and build on it as he grows x

[gingerbreadgirl]

I think most of us, if we're honest, have probably felt that in the grips of a bad obsession - that it is the worst obsession ever, and no one else has ever felt this bad.

That doesn't mean that we can't rationally acknowledge that it isn't the case.

[Guest lucylia]

Hi Emma,

Thanks for your post. My son is 11 now. He shows some obsessive traits but nothing to concerning (for now) however maybe I should nip it in the bud while he is still young?? He actually used to be worse when he was younger. He was Sinilar to me in some ways as a child. Inwas obsessive about the way my sleeves sat and they had to be exact and my socks had to be exactly the same and if they weren't id get very upset. He was quite bad for this also as a child. Ive noticed him lately with is shoes though. Ive seen him tie and untie his laces up to 7/8 times and walk around for a minute or 2 to make sure they are "just right" before he will leave house. I ask him why he does it just to see what he says and he just says they have to be right or they will annoy him.

Lucy xxx

[Em24]

Its totally up to you I've always thought myself, nip it in the bud to try and help so if he ever gets full blown OCD in the future, he is better equipt than having to start from scratch. But I did hold out about a year to see if it would settle. Maybe you could encourage him to tie his laces only once and walk straight out the door with you, then see how he is when you are out? He may just have a thing about his shoes? But if its a bit more in depth than that then you would probably see his discomfort xx

[ecomum]

I do think mine is worse.i think the things i worry i have done are so terrible they can never be resolved. I can always see a way out of everyones worries or that they are ocd. Mine i cant as easily.i just think this wis part of ocds tricks on us.

Thanks for raising this

[Guest Lotty]

I understand where you are coming from. We can be completely rational when it comes to others intrusive thoughts and easily disregard them as ocd. But out own intrusive thoughts are so frightening and against our nature, that we loose all perspective. This is the nature of the beast, our ocd thoughts prey on our individual fears, which is why they are so hard to escape. If only we could see what others see! Xx

[Guest lucylia]

For me it wAs always like " how can your germ

Phobia be worse than me

Believing (and I mean really believing) that id abused my own child. I couldn't imagine anyone else's fear being as bad as that ?

Lucy xxx

[ecomum]

Yes lotty they do prey on individual fears i agree.a lot of what people post wouldnt worry me.ocd seems to know our darkest fears.thats why its so hard to beat.this helps though knowing that.great post.it also makes me worry about things i can never get closure with .so when.people say what is the worst that could happen, well its that i build up a happy life only to find out years later i have caused many children to be ill or die by contamninating them or knocking them.so i go to jail and my children are left motherless and i have to live in fear and heartbreak or kill myself and traumatise my children.dont see how it can get much worse .

[Handy]

I do believe some have more "severe" cases than others though of that makes sense?

Lucy xxx

Its true, that's why tests rate your ocd from mild to severe.

We talked about this before. My analogy was that someone ocd about red ink would have an easier time than someone ocd about black ink cause black ink is more common .

[Phili]

I don't. Like time, suffering is relative. One persons suffering can be totally different but still match that of another. My OCD was ranked in the top 80% in the world apparently, know what that means, that means that 20% more people are suffering worse than me. and 80% just as much. But I think it is human nature to curl up in a cornor now and then a feel sorry for ourselves.