OCD or Psychosis?

[BelAnna]

I have a recurring thought that I might have given my dog human medication (e.g. paracetamols). Just now I was sitting down on the sofa, next to my Mum's handbag (which has some tablets in it) and had an intrusive thought in which I pictured giving my dog tablets to eat and now a small part of me is unsure whether it's true or not. 

As this is so silly but I still partly believe it then surely although this is OCD, it is also psychosis?!

 

[Skullpops]

BelAnna, 

It's textbook OCD love. 

Intrusive thoughts, fear of causing harm, doubting it's OCD...classic OCD. 

[Binxy]

I've had issues with coming away from situations thinking I have done something when I haven't. All part of the disorder

[HDC]

1 hour ago, Skullpops said:

BelAnna, 

It's textbook OCD love. 

Intrusive thoughts, fear of causing harm, doubting it's OCD...classic OCD. 

Agreed. Almost like false memory OCD, you think you've done something... when you haven't etc. 

[lostinme]

9 hours ago, BelAnna said:

I have a recurring thought that I might have given my dog human medication (e.g. paracetamols). Just now I was sitting down on the sofa, next to my Mum's handbag (which has some tablets in it) and had an intrusive thought in which I pictured giving my dog tablets to eat and now a small part of me is unsure whether it's true or not. 

As this is so silly but I still partly believe it then surely although this is OCD, it is also psychosis?!

 

Hi BelAnna, so sorry to hear you are struggling at the moment 

This is typical OCD and nothing more, you have an (intrusive thought) regarding your dog and medication, you then see a mental picture of you feeding them to your dog and then you start to ruminate ( compulsion) regarding it. You then start to doubt yourself whether you did or didn’t?  Isnt this just typical OCD? If we didn’t believe our fears to be true we wouldn’t have a disorder.

See it for what it is and treat it in the same way as any other OCD issues. You need to work on stopping the compulsions that follow the intrusive thought, it’s difficult at first but it’s achievable. 

Lost 

[Emsie]

1 hour ago, lostinme said:

Hi BelAnna, so sorry to hear you are struggling at the moment 

This is typical OCD and nothing more, you have an (intrusive thought) regarding your dog and medication, you then see a mental picture of you feeding them to your dog and then you start to ruminate ( compulsion) regarding it. You then start to doubt yourself whether you did or didn’t?  Isnt this just typical OCD? If we didn’t believe our fears to be true we wouldn’t have a disorder.

See it for what it is and treat it in the same way as any other OCD issues. You need to work on stopping the compulsions that follow the intrusive thought, it’s difficult at first but it’s achievable. 

Lost 

I completely agree with Lost and everyone else, BelAnna. 

Be kind to yourself. X

Edited September 12, 2018 by Emsie

[cookiemonster]

It’s ocd. It’s a thought it’s not reality. 

[Caramoole]

So......lot's and lot's of reassurance going on there Anna has been given that comforting "fix" that the doubt of OCD craves.  Will it help?  Does it help? Has it helped?

It seems the most natural and kindest thing to do to explain and reassure.  Sometimes, to a new sufferer, it may be.......to Anna it isn't, these are long-standing compulsions that are maintaining the problem, ensuring that OCD remains a problem.

We should be looking at ways of helping to deal with things differently, of trying to offer support and suggestions of how to resist compulsions and get through the anxiety and doubt it provokes whilst doing so.

I know that best intent is always at the forefront of everyone's support but sometimes we have to think really carefully whether we are helping or colluding with OCD's craving for answers and to be reassured

[Skullpops]

Caramoole, 

Agreed that the most natural response is to offer comfort and reassurance but I don't think there's been any over the top reassurance offered. 

You state that this is a long standing issue for OP, if that's the case then presumably she's been offered advice you'd seem more appropriate...given her distress is it fair to say this has been of any help either? What do you suggest we do instead to help OP? 

[Dragonfly]

Definitely OCD! It’s found something you truly love and the thought of any harm coming your dogs way fills you with anxiety and OCD thoughts! x

 

[Caramoole]

Hi Skullpops

I'd have to disagree, almost all is well-intentioned reassurance.....reassuring Anna that this is OCD.

The distress will only decrease if we try and utilise the advice and this is where Anna struggles, to get beyond the anxiety caused by the doubt/intrusive thought and using compulsions instead to bring the anxiety down.  Ultimately, advice will only work if we gradually try and make changes to our current ways of dealing with things.  We have to take responsibility to try and make those changes and sadly, there isn't a pain-free way, it  is difficult.

We can help by encouraging someone in ways to resist compulsions,  to offer examples of ways we've found helpful, of how to get through the difficult moments.

I know everyone wants only to help, that are being completely well-intentioned but sometimes it is easy to not recognise that we are actually colluding with OCD's thirst for certainty.

[Angst]

Hi. I think that you know the answer because you label the image as a ‘instrusive thought’ and you say that ‘a small part of me is unsure’. This type of internal debate is common in OCD. You need to strengthen the rational part of your mind by not doing compulsions and let the thoughts/images fade away. Probably, you, like me, find images more powerful than verbal thoughts. But the same principle applies. Don’t feed the obsession.

Edited September 12, 2018 by Angst

[Dragonfly]

30 minutes ago, Skullpops said:

Agreed that the most natural response is to offer comfort and reassurance but I don't think there's been any over the top reassurance offered. 

I must admit I agree with Skullpops. 

Sometimes someone else’s experience or knowledge on that particular theme, or whatever, helps you understand your own OCD that bit more. I don’t think its always the case that it equates to reassurance, in my opinion. 

 

Edited September 12, 2018 by Dragonfly

[Skullpops]

1 minute ago, Caramoole said:

Hi Skullpops

I'd have to disagree, almost all is well-intentioned reassurance.....reassuring Anna that this is OCD.

The distress will only decrease if we try and utilise the advice and this is where Anna struggles, to get beyond the anxiety caused by the doubt/intrusive thought and using compulsions instead to bring the anxiety down.  Ultimately, advice will only work if we gradually try and make changes to our current ways of dealing with things.  We have to take responsibility to try and make those changes and sadly, there isn't a pain-free way, it  is difficult.

We can help by encouraging someone in ways to resist compulsions,  to offer examples of ways we've found helpful, of how to get through the difficult moments.

I know everyone wants only to help, that are being completely well-intentioned but sometimes it is easy to not recognise that we are actually colluding with OCD's thirst for certainty.

Caramoole, 

Thanks for the feedback. 

I completely understand the importance of breaking the cycle by resisting compulsions, I've been speaking with HDC about it on another thread. 

Perhaps it might help BelAnna too? It's HDC's most recent thread. 

[Skullpops]

1 minute ago, Dragonfly said:

I must admit I agree Skullpops. 

Sometimes someone else’s experience or knowledge on that particular theme, or whatever, helps you understand your own OCD that bit more. I don’t think its always the case that it equates to reassurance, in my opinion. 

 

Hey! 

It wasn't my intention to inadvertently set BelAnna back...I did a thread not so long ago about reassurance v general sharing of experiences ect and where do we draw the line. 

I'm relieved you understand what I was getting at. I completely understand the point Caramoole is making, but so's to completely avoid offering OP any sort of reassurance, I'd either need to ignore the thread or post something along the lines of "You think you harmed your dog, so what?"....neither of which I'm comfortable doing. 

[Dragonfly]

7 minutes ago, Skullpops said:

reassurance v general sharing of experiences ect and where do we draw the line. 

Did you? I’d be interested in reading that. I’ll have a look for it later! 

I wouldn’t take anything you said setting Belanna back. 

It’s so hard as in the past I’ve thought when reading some threads, is that really reassurance when someone said it is. A lot of the time I’ve felt it was someone getting something straight in their head about their OCD or whatever.

I’ve asked my therapist similar questions on the past too, she certainly wouldn’t give reassurance. Maybe there’s a fine line sometimes?  X

[Skullpops]

I surely did. 

It's murky water this OCD business. 

The disorder thrives on reassurance as we know. Does sharing experiences with each other equate to reassurance? I personally don't think so but others could interpret it that way. 

Xx

[Caramoole]

2 hours ago, Skullpops said:

What do you suggest we do instead to help

The type of support you've given on HDC's thread is a good example of positive support

[BelAnna]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for the help and support.

I genuinely was not looking for reassurance at all. I just think that sometimes obsessions are so convincing that they probably should be classed as psychosis. I have had family label my OCD as psychotic at times but sort of think it's true of anyone with OCD. 

If I had been looking for reassurance I would have said "Oh God, this must have happened- or is it OCD?" but I didn't! 

[BelAnna]

Oh just to add I have no fears regarding psychosis/schizophrenia I was just really writing down what I was thinking! 

[Skullpops]

19 minutes ago, Caramoole said:

The type of support you've given on HDC's thread is a good example of positive support

Thanks, Caramoole. 

[Skullpops]

12 minutes ago, BelAnna said:

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for the help and support.

I genuinely was not looking for reassurance at all. I just think that sometimes obsessions are so convincing that they probably should be classed as psychosis. I have had family label my OCD as psychotic at times but sort of think it's true of anyone with OCD. 

If I had been looking for reassurance I would have said "Oh God, this must have happened- or is it OCD?" but I didn't! 

Hi again, 

How you doing? The obsessions being so convincing is a large part of what makes OCD so distressing. I've experience of this myself. I can't get over some of the things I believed about myself when I was at my most poorly. 

[BelAnna]

Hi Skullpops, I'm ok thanks! I can now recognize the thought as ridiculous but sometimes late at night (I think it was 2am) the OCD seems more convincing! 

How are you? Sorry to hear you've had a really hard time too. 

[PolarBear]

Why do so many think there must be something worse than OCD going on? Why must it be psychosis or schizophrenia or something else? Is OCD not bad enough a diagnosis?

Look, OCD is bad. It's as bad as it gets. It's a serious mental disorder... as serious as any other. 

[Skullpops]

1 hour ago, BelAnna said:

Hi Skullpops, I'm ok thanks! I can now recognize the thought as ridiculous but sometimes late at night (I think it was 2am) the OCD seems more convincing! 

How are you? Sorry to hear you've had a really hard time too. 

Glad you're alright. Ah, bless, thanks. Good days and bad days love. I totally get what you mean...sometimes you can be all "wtf that's ridiculous I even worried about that!" to being completely consumed by it.