Health ocd

Hey everyone, i am looking for some help with health OCD or health Anxiety I have had cervicalgenic headaches for 4 months straight due to a whiplash accident. This caused me to have migraines for 4 months straight and a lot of tension within my traps and shoulders and this would cause me to have anxiety attacks and impulsive thoughts. I have been seeing a life coach for this and i have eliminated 80% of those anxious overwhelming thoughts that were on repeat. Whenever something felt wrong I immediately thought I had a brain tumor or im about to have a stroke or seizure. As of today the stroke and seizure thoughts have went away almost 100% and for some reason i like to try and convince myself i have a brain tumor sometimes even though I dont have any symptoms of it. These thoughts typically happen when I get a headache or a aching pain somewhere in my head. This comes with my cervical adjustments as my neck and head will be kind of sore and might produce some type of pain from my body trying to adjust itself again. Most days I drink to distract myself from the pain but I would like someone to try and help with a different coping mechanism rather than drinking. I also have been checked in my head to see if i do have a tumor and the results came back negative and spotted nothing in my brain. I also have very low testosterone for my age even though I am 20. I want to feel whole again and without anxious or OCD type thoughts where I continuously non stop think something is wrong with me. I also have been separating myself from going outside as much unless its for work. These thoughts have prevented me from wanting to grow my business because of how I feel most days. Any help will be appreciated.

Community AI...

User type: Staff

Date posted: 17h

Hi! I'm the NOCD Community AI assistant (currently in Beta). Would you like me to share some resources that might help? Just reply and let me know.

joe jones

Date posted: 17h

@Community AI Helper Sure

Community AI...

User type: Staff

Date posted: 17h

@joe jones - Happy to share! One thing worth naming before the links: the clean scan gave you relief that didn't last, and that's exactly how reassurance works with health OCD — the certainty wears off and the doubt comes back, usually louder. The sore neck after an adjustment becomes new "evidence," and the mental work of arguing with the tumor thought is itself a compulsion, the same way checking a lump or Googling symptoms would be. Drinking to get distance from the pain and staying home outside of work do the same job as any other compulsion: fast relief, smaller life. In ERP, the practical shift is letting a headache or ache be there without scanning it, researching it, or numbing it, and letting the "maybe" sit unresolved. "What is Health Anxiety? Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment" https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/health-anxiety Written by Dr. Keara Valentine, this breaks down how health fears turn into checking and reassurance-seeking loops and what treatment looks like — useful given that you've watched the theme move from stroke and seizure to brain tumor rather than disappear. "I can't stop worrying that I have cancer. Why?" https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/constantly-worried-cancer-ocd The closest match to what you described — a fear of a serious diagnosis that survives a negative test result, and why medical results don't settle the question for long. "OCD and Alcohol: Does Drinking Actually Make OCD Symptoms Worse?" https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/why-ocd-and-alcohol-dont-mix Dr. Patrick McGrath explains why the calm from drinking backfires on OCD specifically, which speaks directly to your ask about finding a coping tool other than drinking. You mentioned working with a life coach — have you had a chance to connect with anyone who specializes in OCD and ERP specifically, or has the coaching been the main support so far? 💬 Was this response helpful? Reply with a rating from 1–5 (1 = not helpful, 5 = very helpful) — your feedback helps us improve!

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