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OCD and Coronavirus


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23 hours ago, PolarBear said:

Punk, the best thing you can do is STOP reading/watching Covid-19 material. Put your foot down. You don't need to know anymore than you already do.

Do you think it’s all being blown out of proportion or are we looking at a plague end of world virus? With ocd it’s easy to get “hooked” on reading up. The figures mentioned are worst case..it’s always the worst ones they tell you 

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45 minutes ago, PolarBear said:

Phil, 96.6% of the people who get Covid-19 recover and go on with their lives.

Yes but the misinformation and facts spreading round forums is the cause of people’s ocd. I think the media, hype is more dangerous than the virus. As with all these things half the stuff you read may never happen?

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10 minutes ago, Phil19 said:

Yes but the misinformation and facts spreading round forums is the cause of people’s ocd. I think the media, hype is more dangerous than the virus. As with all these things half the stuff you read may never happen?

So stop reading it. It's real simple.

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53 minutes ago, Phil19 said:

Yes but the misinformation and facts spreading round forums is the cause of people’s ocd. I think the media, hype is more dangerous than the virus. As with all these things half the stuff you read may never happen?

Misinformation and facts, erroneous or otherwise have nothing to do with the cause of one's OCD. 

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1 hour ago, PolarBear said:

Phil, 96.6% of the people who get Covid-19 recover and go on with their lives.

And in fact, it may be higher, because that 3.4% CFR (case fatality rate) is based on deaths vs KNOWN cases, and all evidence points to the virus being more widespread than is currently known.
 

3 hours ago, Phil19 said:

Do you think it’s all being blown out of proportion or are we looking at a plague end of world virus?

Yes there is a lot that is unknown and yes that makes things scary for many people, especially some OCD sufferers, but its not logical to only offer the two options you do, both of them extreme ends of a very broad spectrum, and very black and white.  Most of the media coverage so far is accurate based on what we know, that this is a concerning situation because it can affect many people and there is a lot we don't know about it yet, but also its not a situation for panicking, most people will not be significantly adversely affected by it.  Depending on risk factors like age, underlying conditions, location, etc. you might need to take more precautions than the general population, but the situation does not remotely approach "end of the world" situation.  Not by a long shot. To jump to that conclusion is very OCD type thinking (catastrophizing) and is a bad idea.  If reading/following the coverage is leading you down that road, you should probably stop and focus your attention elsewhere, otherwise you are feeding the compulsion.  Follow the recommended guidelines (wash hands, reduce interpersonal contact, especially with large groups, stay home if you are feeling unwell, etc.) You almost certainly don't need to be monitoring the situation deeply at this point.

Edited by dksea
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17 hours ago, dksea said:

And in fact, it may be higher, because that 3.4% CFR (case fatality rate) is based on deaths vs KNOWN cases, and all evidence points to the virus being more widespread than is currently known.
 

Yes there is a lot that is unknown and yes that makes things scary for many people, especially some OCD sufferers, but its not logical to only offer the two options you do, both of them extreme ends of a very broad spectrum, and very black and white.  Most of the media coverage so far is accurate based on what we know, that this is a concerning situation because it can affect many people and there is a lot we don't know about it yet, but also its not a situation for panicking, most people will not be significantly adversely affected by it.  Depending on risk factors like age, underlying conditions, location, etc. you might need to take more precautions than the general population, but the situation does not remotely approach "end of the world" situation.  Not by a long shot. To jump to that conclusion is very OCD type thinking (catastrophizing) and is a bad idea.  If reading/following the coverage is leading you down that road, you should probably stop and focus your attention elsewhere, otherwise you are feeding the compulsion.  Follow the recommended guidelines (wash hands, reduce interpersonal contact, especially with large groups, stay home if you are feeling unwell, etc.) You almost certainly don't need to be monitoring the situation deeply at this point.

Yes the figure is 3.5 per cent based on John Hopkins University. But the actual figure might be lower or higher.  The US has private medicine and there is a charge for testing which news reports suggest underestimates the extent of the virus. One case of a man being charged 3200 dollars after returning from North Italy. Most parts of the world do not have good testing facilities. Good advice from dksea. It is becoming clear that the greatest risk at a multiple factor is the older age bracket with preexisting health conditions. This for personal reasons those not make me feel great!

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Angst, there's nothing wrong with being aware or informed, but try to keep in mind, that life is a dangerous affair anyway, no one gets out alive, none of us. If it's not coranavirus, it'll only be something else ... take your pick, coronaries, cancer, crashes ... and that's just a few of the c's. 

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Is it bad I'm not massively worried about this? I guess I've been through years of contamination worries. That said, we are taking it seriously at work; they've been handing out personal sanitiser and the like. 

I'm ashamed to admit though that I'm more preoccupied with other areas of my OCD; I'm very aware that I'm in my head a lot and perhaps I'm more concerned with the theoretical than that which is in front of me. It's a bit of an old issue; so concerned with my mental strain that I forget everything else. 

Hope you're all doing okay. 

C x

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1 hour ago, Handy said:

The topic is misleading because it says Coronavirus. There is no specific virus called that, Coronavirus is huge group of viruses, like the common cold.

Its perfectly fine because currently there is one specific Coronavirus in the news.  There is no need to be pedantic about the title, it is not helpful.

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1 hour ago, Cub said:

Is it bad I'm not massively worried about this?

No, why should you be?  What benefit would being massively worried provide to yourself or anyone else?  An appropriate level of concern to behave properly (wash your hands, avoid unnecessary social contact for now, etc.) is fine, but beyond that massive worry is massive overkill.
 

1 hour ago, Cub said:

I'm ashamed to admit though that I'm more preoccupied with other areas of my OCD; I'm very aware that I'm in my head a lot and perhaps I'm more concerned with the theoretical than that which is in front of me. It's a bit of an old issue; so concerned with my mental strain that I forget everything else. 

There is no shame in being concerned about something that is currently a bigger problem for you. That is normal.  OCD is your current biggest concern because its what is affecting you the most.  

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Moneysavingexpert in its latest edition has good advice on the insurance, travel, financial and work rights in respect of the virus. Dealing with the effect on the housing market, savings and pensions, sick pay if in isolation, the possible closure of schools and parents needing time off for child care, travel plans and how to get good insurance etc. We still live in a financial world and need the money coming in. This stuff will help us manage our anxiety and help us make good decisions.

Edited by Angst
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8 hours ago, Cub said:

Is it bad I'm not massively worried about this? I guess I've been through years of contamination worries. That said, we are taking it seriously at work; they've been handing out personal sanitiser and the like. 

I'm ashamed to admit though that I'm more preoccupied with other areas of my OCD; I'm very aware that I'm in my head a lot and perhaps I'm more concerned with the theoretical than that which is in front of me. It's a bit of an old issue; so concerned with my mental strain that I forget everything else. 

Hope you're all doing okay. 

C x

I’m not worried either! You’re not the only one. I’ve been feeling a bit guilty that I’m really not worried.

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Interesting comments, and some good advice on here.   

I think it's important we acknowledge others fears and worries around Coronavirus, and the underlying anxiety that will cause. So whilst for many of us we can be philosophical about this global anxiety, for others it's hard to do that and it will be inevitable they will seek reassurance (from news outlets) which ultimately reinforces the obsessive fears and worries.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend everybody worrying should avoid the news, because that in itself is an avoidance/compulsion but also globally it can be a practical thing to stay informed on the latest developments and advice, on what will be fast moving developments and probably rapidly changing advice. But.....   and for those likely to ruminate and panic, the advice I would offer is focus on the reliable sources of information and don't keep checking them.  Sources such as NHS 111 website, BBC News and other non-sensationalist sources of news.

Importantly this means ignoring the front pages of the Sun, Daily Mail, Mirror, Telegraph and other awful sensationalist headline rags. Avoid click bait attention seeking douches like Piers Morgan and GMB (when the **** is on). It can perhaps be helpful to be selective in what you read on social media, i.e. avoid panic buying hashtags, avoid the 90% of virus rubbish that seems to be prevalent on social media and only follow news accounts you believe to be reliable for trustworthy medical information, i.e. NHS and BBC are generally ok.

In summary, I personally don't it's helpful to suggest we avoid the news, but to be responsible about which news you focus on and which you must actively avoid. With your reliable news outlet try and not let the OCD take over,  review the news sparingly, for example I check when I wake up in case of overnight developments and I check again late evening.

 

11 hours ago, Cub said:

Is it bad I'm not massively worried about this? I guess I've been through years of contamination worries. That said, we are taking it seriously at work; they've been handing out personal sanitiser and the like. 

I'm ashamed to admit though that I'm more preoccupied with other areas of my OCD; I'm very aware that I'm in my head a lot and perhaps I'm more concerned with the theoretical than that which is in front of me. It's a bit of an old issue; so concerned with my mental strain that I forget everything else. 

Interestingly I am finding two groups with the people with OCD fears around contamination.  Those already on the recovery journey are quite philosophical and not doing anything more, in fact they are arguably 'normal' for once compared to the rest of the population.  Then those still waiting to tackle their OCD are, understandably, panicking and allowing the OCD to get the better of them, but I do understand that anxiety, that's what OCD will do to us.

I am pretty relaxed, following basic government advice, but not to the extreme. For example I had two meetings in Chester on Friday and I shook hands at both meetings. I didn't allow my OCD to force me to make a beeline for the bathroom, but before the second meeting I noticed hand gel on the reception of the building so I did give my hands a little quirt. I felt this was proportional to the times we live in.

 

Moving on..... I am going to try and help you Handy.

12 hours ago, Handy said:

The topic is misleading because it says Coronavirus. There is no specific virus called that, Coronavirus is huge group of viruses, like the common cold.

I do state OCD and coronavirus (or to give it the official name, COVID-19) within the article. 

But something for you to ponder on Handy, sometimes we have an urge to correct something and I know some people's personalities and even conditions mean they feel it's important to correct everything, but other people don't always welcome that.  So it can be helpful to think will this correction change anything significant. If the correction doesn't really change anything, then doing some becomes irritating for others and it's better to leave it uncorrected.

 

 

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The general advice does seem to recommend that avoiding greeting people with hand shakes, hugs etc may be sensible as part of the package of infection control.  Whilst not being hysterical or fearful excessively, it does seem to be just one simple action that may be useful in helping to contain the virus.  A hand shake may be good-mannered but is unnecessary, particularly at the present time when the recipient understands why.

I have no contamination issues, I'm a dreadful hand-washer normally and I'm not worrying about Coronavirus but I think it is helpful to follow the simple guidelines that are being recommended.

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I thought I would share this from one of our followers on social media replying to one of our posts on the subject. I thought she made a fascinating point that the population are acting because of a global crisis, and how that's how she's behaved, like she was in a serious crisis, for years, but for her the imagined crisis.  Such a lightbulb moment can really be a catalyst sometimes for making changes (arguably this is the perfect time to engage with a therapist or implement previously learned therapy). Never ignore the lightbulb!  

Screenshot_20200310-184645_Instagram.jpg

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Guest OCDhavenobrain

And don't be complacent. It is a real threat. I will keep doing my things, because of some funny reason do the authorities say the exact things today that I told myself for weeks ago. 

 

But I am not feeling good about my parents who still cant see the importance of staying home. It's just stupid. I will feel such rage towards the aurhorites when things hit the fan.

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17 minutes ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

And don't be complacent. It is a real threat. I will keep doing my things, because of some funny reason do the authorities say the exact things today that I told myself for weeks ago. 

Yes it's a threat, and we all have to choose our own path. However, if we're fighting our OCD we should not use the virus as the justification to complete excessive or unnecessary compulsive behaviours. 

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Guest OCDhavenobrain
On 05/03/2020 at 22:19, Angst said:

Hi Belanna. I have shopped in two mega large supermarkets in the last two days. Today there were virtually no toilet rolls,  bleach and cleaning products, nuts, the tinned food section was seriously depleted as was the pasta and rice sections and no antiseptic hand gel. The frozen food sections were seriously depleted. I talked to a man in the queue why he was buying so much tinned food  and bottled water. He said he was concerned about his family and remembered chronic shortages in Cuba when a strong embargo was being imposed. The hoarding and anxiety is not a OCD problem it is a societal panic. Though people with OCD might find it difficult.  I believe that a belief in shortages will produce shortages. A societal self fulfilling prophecy.

True, people should have bought a long time ago. Here in Sweden it is advocated that you have food at home for a week or more and it have been for years. Now, I do know that most people advice sufferers to just go with what authorities say I see it as a compulsion. Reelyingon authorities and feeling safe when you have done what the say.

Life is uncertainty, make your own choices, prepping is one choice and it is not wrong. What society advices are not a golden rule. Just another false safety.

Doing things and not be driven of anxiety is the key and how you overcome OCD not by replacing one authority (your OCD) with another. 

One here on the forum said that he/she felt strange because corona scared much less than their obsessions and that is because OCD IS IRRATIONAL. I have said it so many times: life is FULL OF PROBLEMS, but the ones which OCD throws at you are not the real ones, it only make you more stress with life's real problems.

Overcome OCD and take on life as you want it, it is hard enough without OCD. You are only wasting your time.

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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5 hours ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

And don't be complacent. It is a real threat.

This is very black and white thinking, very typical of OCD.  SARS-COV-2 is indeed a real threat, but that doesn't mean one needs to panic.  There is plenty of ground in between panic and complacency.  For the general public the goal is to promote beneficial and responsible behaviors.  Here on an OCD forum there is the added goal of helping people manage their situations in an unusually challenging time.  
 

2 hours ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

Now, I do know that most people advice sufferers to just go with what authorities say I see it as a compulsion.  Reelyingon authorities and feeling safe when you have done what the say.

No, it is not a compulsion.  It is a recommendation to follow the advice of experts rather than allow ones own anxieties and irrationally driven fears to drive the behavior.  It is not about relying on authorities just to feel safe, its about understanding what is reasonable and what isn't, which is harder for OCD sufferers in general, and in a situation like this, even more so.
 

2 hours ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

prepping is one choice and it is not wrong.

Responsible and rational preparation is not wrong.  Panicked "prepping" that fuels the fears of oneself and others IS wrong.  Again, this is why relying on expert advice is generally a good idea, because it can be hard for people to understand what is reasonable and what is not in a rapidly changing situation like this.

 

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Just wanted to say thank you for this thread, Ashley. It helped me gain a little perspective. I'd thought I was being quite calm and sensible about all this but had the growing realisation that I've been spending a lot of time googling and checking. Being in retail environments has been stressful with the growing pressure that I should be stocking up. Today I did our family grocery shop and bought an extra box of cereal and a few more tins than normal but otherwise tried to carry on as normal. 

 Going to work on cutting the googling down and rely mainly on the information emailed to me from my university. 

Trying to remember the advice I got as a kid when I was anxious. 'Worrying is like a rocking horse. You can put in a lot of work, but you don't get anywhere.' 

I think it's important to get back to basics and do some of the CBT work I did in therapy again to remind myself of a few things! :) 

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Guest OCDhavenobrain
11 hours ago, dksea said:

This is very black and white thinking, very typical of OCD.  SARS-COV-2 is indeed a real threat, but that doesn't mean one needs to panic.  There is plenty of ground in between panic and complacency.  For the general public the goal is to promote beneficial and responsible behaviors.  Here on an OCD forum there is the added goal of helping people manage their situations in an unusually challenging time.  
 

No, it is not a compulsion.  It is a recommendation to follow the advice of experts rather than allow ones own anxieties and irrationally driven fears to drive the behavior.  It is not about relying on authorities just to feel safe, its about understanding what is reasonable and what isn't, which is harder for OCD sufferers in general, and in a situation like this, even more so.
 

Responsible and rational preparation is not wrong.  Panicked "prepping" that fuels the fears of oneself and others IS wrong.  Again, this is why relying on expert advice is generally a good idea, because it can be hard for people to understand what is reasonable and what is not in a rapidly changing situation like this.

 

If other people are feeling uneasy about their inactions because one individual takes actions that is their problem.

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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