Gary S

Thanks. I just think I'm going mad. Making things up. I'd just rather know it does sound ocd rather than something more sinister

After having a thought about someone i saw whilst out walking I later thought 'did you carry out your thought?' I can't remember thinking anything was wrong at the time other than it was an intrusive thought which I shrugged off. This obviously caused great distress and I came up with a mental movie with tge aim I think, of testing my reaction. This was months ago but I still get the questions in my head, did it happen, you wouldn't just make things up so it must have, something must have triggered the thoughts at a later time... Does this all seem normal to ocd sufferers? To make things up a a later time? To worry about stuff you think you havnt done? Some thoughts would be helpful

When I think about something embarrassing I've done in the past I have a rising sense of anxiety etc. Pretty normal stuff. I'm struggling with a thought that I did something but am pretty sure it didn't happen. When I get this thought I get the same feeling of rising anxiety. This adds to my distress as I think 'this is how I feel when I think of something I know happened.' This leads me to think the the bad thing I think about actually happened. Is it normal for these feelings to cross over ?

Although the theme is different the sequence of events happened to me. I have convinced myself I've done something wrong and it's broken my heart. After getting diagnosed and having therapy I understand the mechanics of what's going on but find it difficult I can make things up. Take a tip from me, just leave it. When the ruminating starts tell yourself it's ocd and you're not going to engage. When the urge to research signs and symptoms hits you don't. Tell your wife not to reassure you. Don't phone the doctor. It's tough, but every time you solve a question in your mind you'll get another one, guaranteed. It just keeps you in a loop. I was dreadful. How can I not remember, why would your mind make things up, fill in the blanks? I was there, how can there be blanks. Why would I make things up later, something must have happened. Honestly, forget it and move on. Enjoy your family.

Thanks. This one got me before I even knew about OCD. Before then I just thought it was the stereotypical hand washing thing. After a couple of years of going haywire I don't let anything bother me anymore but this is in my head. It's getting better slowly and I have stopped a lot of the compulsions but being a fairly simple person it's hard for me to accept OCD can make you think things that aren't real. The mental movies have stopped, and the thought I now use is 'I genuinely can't remember ' which has prevented a lot of ruminating but this one has really got under my skin

Advice needed. Can overly worrying about a real event lead to false memories being created? I have a memory of an event that I'm pretty sure nothing happened. But my thoughts and uncertainty made me question and review, at a later time. It has led me to believe something bad 'must have happened' So I'm not sure if it's real memory or false memory or a false memories about a real event. Thoughts and advice please

The main problem I'm suffering with is getting my head around, having an intrusive thought, at the time putting it down to being an intrusive thought, and then later thinking 'did I do that?' Why would I think 'did I do that?' If I know I didn't, or is this itself an intrusive thought?

Thanks for the reply. Yes I'm on meds and doing ERP. This has really helped, stopped me getting further OCD episodes and explained so much to me. I did how ever have about 6 episodes of OCD in the last few years. They were all about events at work that I catastrophised and before I had my OCD diagnosis. The last one before diagnosis completely changed. It wasn't about work. It has frightened the life out of me. It was a new subject and as I have said given me false memories. This has also never happened before. I am really struggling to accept anxiety and OCD can cause you to make things up. My therapist has explained the process but I am finding it difficult to believe it. If it had happened before I think I could accept it but a new subject and new symptoms have left me terrified.

I had a thought that at the time I put down to being an intrusive thought. A few hours later i revisited the thought and made something of it. I'm now struggling with the thought something must have happened as my mind wouldn't just make things up. Does this sound right? OCD/Anxiety can make people think stuff has happened? I know I make it worse trying to work out what is going on!

I too have mind videos but didn't know they were called that. For my OCD theme I have what I call an A movie and can remember what really happened and a B movie in what is my bad movie. I think the B movie was made up by my mind whilst ruminating and testing whether I got anxious. It's daft really, I can remember my good A movie and know it happened by my mind keeps telling me the B movie might have happened even though it just doesn't make sense. Drives me mad

You ever tried to tell yourself I'd love a cold sore they look mint? Or Cold sores are ace, we could have matching ones. I'm not being flippant or patronising just saying taking the fuel away from your OCD might slow it down

Agree, without knowing you it probably goes against all your values and moral compass causing the anxiety.@Chris1987

The big thing I have to keep reminding myself of, is that if you had done something really bad there wouldn't be uncertainty. Its hard to accept I know but you would know. I got caught in my Web before I knew about OCD and fuelling the thoughts so it's difficult to shake the one thought. I just laugh at them now but am stuck with the one. I read a therapist somewhere say if you have to think about something after you probably haven't done it. Good luck. Get to a therapist if you haven't already

I can only offer you my opinion. OCD can attack anything for no reason. I'm guessing the word made you anxious causing you to think about why it made you anxious rather than just thinking 'that's random' This has led to feelings being attached to the thought causing more mental review and more anxiety. As you've been reviewing your mind is flagging it. In a round about way I'm saying yes I think so

Yes I'm in therapy, thanks for asking. I'm getting there but it just seems so strange that your mind can just make things up!