I told my OCD group about NOCD and one of the members brought up that this app, despite its intent to create a safe community for sharing OCD experiences could potentially be used for reassurance seeking, thus contributing to compulsions. I’ve noticed some posts about people venting and asking for reassurance and I wonder the same thing.
Yep, basically a big thing on here. Some people like myself who are recovered have stuck around to help for free but we can only do so much. The past couple of weeks, therapists have jumped in and that’s happened in the past, but it doesn’t last very long… maybe this time will be different based on feedback, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they disappear and the regular ‘ol folk that do it for free because that’s what’s morally right step back up to help whenever we can 🤷🏻♀️
We are making a valiant attempt to be on here more and more!!!
@NOCD Therapist - Patrick M. - Thank you so much for that! Honestly <3 It really makes us feel seen to have responses from professionals whenever you guys have free time :)
I’ve noticed that too.
It also helps me in my recovery to encourage others and reinforce what I have learned :)
its sad but true, this app CAN be helpful but i think its often primarily used for covert compulsions. Even people who say " I'm not seeking reassurance, i just want to know I'm not alone is this feeling" is still seeking reassurance because they are seeking the comfort of shared experience. It falls to the responders to push the ERP tools and NOT feed into reassurance.
SO TRUE I noticed myself doing it 😫
I have also noticed this about the app- but there is a function to flag certain posts as reassurance seeking, which I think can be a useful tool. A lot of people also don't realize that seeking reassurance can contribute to the compulsion (speaking from experience)
Yup! And sometimes it triggers me in to a new spiral. I agree. I have said the same thing to my therapist.
Yes I mentioned it to my therapist and she said she talked to some people and they are going to monitor it more! Thanks for noticing as well
Hello Sistersofmercy333 and to all who have commented thus far on this thread :) Thank you, sincerely, for your community. This app is designed with a team behind it aiming to improve the experience for us all. Of course, we hope this space is used for support and connection, learning and awareness so people can find comfort in relatability and continue forward toward on their journey toward healing. While this app is designed to function as a support space for mental health recovery, please consider that just as with any social media platform, it is helpful to monitor your own boundaries when interacting with public content online. Perhaps consider filtering your feed, as needed, to support yourself when the content isn't quite a good fit for you on some days. We certainly hope people experience true benefits from this community. Keep coming back and sharing your feedback, insights and experience. We are all here together. With love.
Yep! For sure people do that here...but we are all on our recovery journey!
Some people do ask for reassurance, unfortunately. But, many use it for support and encouragement. We ask people to not use this for reassurance, but, as you know, OCD does not always follow the rules. So, there is a way to mark a post as reassurance seeking so that it gets flagged and we can review. I hope that helps.
Ok so I just downloaded this app like two days ago because I was looking for a OCD specialist. Maybe this is just my opinion but the posting’s on this app can be super triggering. If feels like even sharing your experience on an app like this can contribute to fueling OCD. So many people I see reassurance seeking, confessing and posting the same things multiple times to gain certainty. Makes me wonder if this app is counterproductive to the point of OCD treatment. I’m guilty of spending hours scrolling through the post trying to find people who relate to me, but in the end it makes me more anxious and fuels my OCD. Idk what do you guys think.
Hi there, I’m new to NOCD and just want to say that I’ve been depressed and feel as though this opportunity could potentially connect me to people who struggle with similar issues. We’re not certain I have ocd, but I do exhibit symptoms that do seem to fall under ocd’s general category. So I’d like to ask whoever reads this: what are some good ways to engage with this community that might benefit me the most? I’ve been seeing that people struggle with many different intrusive thoughts and some of them (for example dating related or jealousy) I’ve definitely experienced. Is there a way for me to possibly filter based on subtype, and for that matter also how can I best stay safe on this platform? I see there are trigger warnings but do people sometimes post triggering content without them? How about if I receive rude or abusive comments, things like that. I do struggle with many different intrusive thoughts and so may run into darker threads if I filter for those subtypes. Also, I tagged the subtypes that seem to apply to me the most here. Thank you!
I’ve heard it’s not good to seek reassurance or give it because it lowers your tolerance to uncertainty. But how do I avoid seeking reassurance when my thoughts and doubts are so bad, I genuinely just don’t know anymore if I’m a bad person or if it’s just OCD? I know I’m supposed to sit with the uncertainty, but how can I do that when the uncertainty has me unable to trust my own brain? Especially when the OCD is real event and POCD? How can I not seek reassurance when I feel so alone and so abnormal and just don’t wanna feel that way anymore? In turn, I see so many people on here struggling so bad and my heart breaks for them. How can I give advice to towers without giving them reassurance and hurting them in the long run?
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