Does anyone else have obsessive compulsive thoughts?

I am in recovery and doing well I think. The worst symptoms are gone, but now I’m getting these obsessive thoughts, and I feel like it’s not comming from me. It’s like someone’s sending me these demanding thoughts (not really like a voice) like “wash your hands 7 times or something will happen to your brother!” or “if you don’t do this, someone you love will die!” I can’t dismiss them, because of my anxiety of something really happening if I do. Has anyone else experienced this?

1 Like

I’m sorry this is hitting you.

I needed help with those for a while… it’s hard to break out of.

a command from the “out there” making me do stuff…

I went to therapy and that helped…

It’s not easy… but there were times I had to just not do it… not give in.

Thinking my family will die… my siblings will get kidnapped if I don’t do something a certain way… was always panic/ anxiety driven and stress triggered.

hope you feel better soon.

I count to threes and twelves obsessively. I’ve done it since I was maybe 8 years old. When I’m driving I count lightpoles. I’ll count 3 or 12 or 15. It’s annoying but the meds don’t help it.

1 Like

How did the therapy help? Not doing it seems impossible right now, so I’m curious how you did it.

Besides being diagnosed with bipolar/SZA - I am also diagnosed with OCD.

I suffer from a lot of contamination fears - fear of Germs, Viruses, Toxins, Drugs etc…

I am very cautious/paranoid with others tampering with my food for example.

when i play roulette i am obsessed in trying to win

I have done biofeedback for my OCD and that helped make it manageable for me. You can get the actual medical machine for thousands of dollars, or you can just buy the game MindFlex and play for like ten minutes once a week. It has the same technology. It teaches the reasoning portion of your brain to stay active in times of stress, and that reduces the compulsions.

1 Like

more like obsessive compulsive memory relapses in my head.

[quote=“RitaH, post:1, topic:35205”]
It’s like someone’s sending me these demanding thoughts
[/quote]I felt OCD when detoxing from Haldol. I had to constantly re-align & re-arrange items in my home to fit a perfect style of geometry - angles & edges had to look completely squared off & fit the context of all other items, even cupboard & cabinet items. It felt like someone had a crowbar in my skull & was constantly wedging my brain to make a new move - I just had to keep “moving” and “working”, regardless of how pointless it was.

It was definitely a weird phase, but as Autumn struck, nearly all of those OCD-like symptoms went away.

I get that to. I sometimes have to rearange the milk at the supermarket because it’s not in a perfekt line. It must look really strange.

yes.
take care :alien:

Yes. Often my OCD saves me, keeps me grounded

That’s some serious OCD.

I would know because when I was 15 I had OCD like that, actually it was worse.

Ironically I thought I would lose my mind and go crazy if I didn’t do my compulsive behaviors in response to the intrusive thoughts. Well I sure as hell lost my mind! What a waste of time and energy!

But yeah I have milder OCD these days, locking my car twice, making sure I have my fancy pen twice between classes, thinking I just ran over someone or something while driving, it’s nothing compared to when I was a teen.

Go look up Howard Hughes OCD scene on YouTube. Mine was pretty much a hair away from that bad. I mean it was severe and greatly impaired my functioning and causes great distress in me and my family. I lived around the clock like rain man. Also wouldn’t shave or cut my hair or nails.

I’ll take making sure I have my damn pen.