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I have ADHD and I’m struggling with impulsivity related to intrusive thoughts. Sometimes, I get these strong urges to act on a thought, and I start taking action. But then, right as I’m about to make contact or do it, I freeze in confusion and terror, realizing what I’m about to do. It’s like I’m caught between the urge and the awareness that I don’t want to follow through. Has anyone experienced something similar, where the impulsivity leads you to take action before you realize what’s happening? How do you manage that confusion and prevent following through with the urge?

Does anyone else experience this lingering fear and anxiety because they think they’re capable of hurting someone? It’s killing me. I feel like I’m such a danger. I feel like I’m a predator. I feel like this awful person and I can’t shake it. I want to carry on with my day but I can’t. I don’t feel like I deserve it. I feel like I’ve done awful things. I can’t stop crying.

Hey, i would appreciate any small little advice on this post… so idk if this is rocd or not but i feel like i am not showing interest in my boyfriends things and life anymore its like i dont care only and i am okay if he cuts the call soon or actually am even like okay if i dont call him? And will pickup if he calls cause thats like habit or whatever and i feel like i am feeling that so strongly and it cant be ocd cause on video call i feel it like i am not interested in his stuff but i want him to be in mine like just some selfish person and feel like not even want to talk or make excuses to stop talking or whatever and feel relieved when we do and like dont know what to talk about and thats all i can think and it actually true cause i feel it and sometimes my actions of cutting the call are proof of it and i am not anxious but i feel it and do it normally so it cant be ocd right has to be real and that means i am delaying something or not accepting the truth regarding it? He talks about the future sometimes and idk if i even feel like that and yes i dont means its not so, i avoid sometimes even lovey dovey talks and specifically if i am okay with not talking and he is not my priority and i am feeling it and cant deny that and feeling doesn’t budge and am okay with watching my show rather than talking and actually doing it means its true and its coming cause not enough feeling for him or priorities means thats not ocd and this is my habit of writing so i write it or express cause thats my first reaction feel normal and not anxious without doing it as well meaning even writing this is not imp and thinking that and that i am lying to him so its not ocd right? Pls help me…

I’m really struggling with a bad flare up these last couple of weeks. My ocd tends to latch onto my kids. Last night my ocd turned an intrusive thought that I know isn’t true, that i’d normally just shrug off, into me being so depressed not able to beat it because the ocd keeps trying to convince me it’s true and won’t let me believe anything different. I was taking a picture of my kids setting up the tree. What should have been a happy family moment but the ocd said I had a wrong motive. I truly didn’t and I feel like I can’t do anything with my kids anymore without ocd destroying it. It has me so down. I just want to be a normal mom with a normal brain😪

There’s a famous album cover that features a nude baby, and even though it’s not meant to be inappropriate, my OCD keeps fixating on it in a way that makes me feel guilty and anxious. I know that ERP might involve looking at it neutrally, but I feel really conflicted because it feels wrong to even look for it. My brain has been obsessing over it ever since I saw it in Target yesterday. The compulsion I’m dealing with is the urge to look it up to see how I feel about it, but I really don’t want to give in. I already know I feel uncomfortable looking at it. My goal is to get to a place where I can see it without any strong reaction, but I’m not sure how to reach that point. I don’t want to let this interfere with my life. What do I do?

I’m feeling like I can’t get out of my head that I’m not a good person. Everything I am checking to “make sure” idk what I’m trying to make sure of but I’m very insecure about this and it causes me a lot of distress. Every word that sounds like it could be something else, sounding very inappropriate and thinking people can hear it too makes me feel very embarrassed. I feel very alone in this and I’m unsure of what to do.

Is this even rocd or me scared to accept and having a history of ocd just putting it on that…Recently what i have been struggling with is like while talking to him i feel like i am losing interest or getting irritated or think like i have better things to do and like not be interested enough and he says with so much warmth like tell me about his life and i couldn’t be less interested or feel so and yes i dont say it to him but i feel it like i am done and idk if we have anything to talk about as well and i just feel like these feelings are actually true like backed up with what i am feeling and not ocd or intrusive thought but when it comes to me i feel bad and sad and scared not anxious and cant be ocd and this is me stating facts not asking for reassurance want to tell him i am not interested or getting irritated and feel also no connection i really dont know and i am writing this with so much calmness like no fear no anxiousness like stating a truth which is true and i am delaying acceptance or saying it but sooner or later will happen? Lying to him of how i am interested and the guilt is killing me and making anxious not ocd and i know i am not accepting cause otherwise why would i feel so strongly feel this at all and also back up with actions like above and cant deny that i felt it means it is.. Pls help me.. my psychiatrist told me today might not be ocd give it some time and decide and mine has been here intense for 3 days now and so its very possible and maybe i also feel and don’t accept but doesn’t change that i feel that it will not change and is not ocd but just scared to accept and with all the above it is true and no feelings and stuff if not even scared? Pls help… this is not ocd na?

Can I please get someone’s opinion on this. I am scared of having my own baby. I’m terrified of the diaper changes. I have the same intrusive thought that I would kiss my child’s genitalia during this. I feel like I could possibly justify it by saying it’s out of love. I’m sure there are parents who have done it in a non sexual way which scares me too. I don’t know if that’s a real possibility but my brain tells me it is. I’m scared that I don’t know if this is right or wrong. And I’m just scared I’ll love my baby so much I won’t see anything wrong with it. I know we’re supposed to sit with uncertainty but this one is killing me and I don’t know how to deal with this.

Have any of you been through this? My harm OCD has continued to be off the charts and while I’m trying to get through therapy and meds, it’s slow going. But now, my thoughts feel like they’ve turned into genuine ideation. Like I actually *want* to do them. And that I’m fascinated by it or something. The feelings are so intense I feel like I can’t stop myself. And it’s like my brain gets stuck. Anything I say to myself like “if you really wanted to do this, you’d feel X” then I suddenly feel it. Most of the time I feel like I’m going to and I’m just stopping myself. Or if I feel love for my loved ones, it’s a feeling or thought like “it’s not enough you could force yourself to do it anyway”. Please help me.

I cant deny further that i feel nothing…Dont even feel like i am in a relationship and also like spoke to my bf in the morning and he said these thoughts are normal and mine isnt and maybe others they dont care so they go away with me its true and i am scared to accept so they dont go away and no reassurance helps and i constantly think about how no reassurance helps or makes sense cause the thoughts are true and if i breakup wouldnt feel anything and doesn’t feel anything now also so i dont love him and sooner or later it would come out and i dint even have a problem with breaking up ir feel bad cause i already dont feel like a relationship and if its so and the feeling and thoughts are so strong and its not making me anxious and i feel so with truth that they are true so it is and also distance is happening with the relationship then it is so and how my bf if it is then we will see then breakup and maybe realise a truth i wasnt scared of that and i thought to my head it is true and i wasnt anxious and was gonna say and felt it is already true i am just delaying it and i felt it and couldnt deny it and when he said is the truth felt like is the truth which means it is and i am denying and its true and not ocd truth and okay breaking up so what? I feel like i am just not accepting the truth and as a writing habit and being scared i write this its just not accepting and with all the above i feel so strongly that means is so and dont even feel like talking and just not accepting right? Not ocd right? Pls help

Anyone with rocd here? Pls help me pls… so i have just gotten into a relationship(my first) and i have struggled with different themes of ocd over the last 5 years or more now and i am now maybe struggling with this and i need help so… all i can think about is how even people telling me its rocd if i give them my concern and also like i am not even searching for rocd videos to give reassurance like it doesnt even cross my mind cause if it was true ocd i would be but now i am not so and this me writing here is just being scared and a coping mechanism and habit of 5 years and i know so cause i feel so while writing so if nothing gives reassurance its not rocd and actually i dont love him and just dont feel same and just am numb and dissociated with him? Nothing of rocd gives reassurance cause actually not love wver and not even seeing or agreeing to rocd doesn’t reassure and even while writing rn so no love and is true cause it feels so strongly that there is no love and like people say the KNOW they love their partner its just doubts mine its not even that i know i dont? And if not anxious and it is not ocd i am just not accepting right? Pls help me i would be grateful…

Does anyone else experience this? MORNING • Whenever I wake up I feel okay-ish. I usually wake up 6 hours in and decide to sleep some more because I’ve noticed that helps me sometimes. • I wake up around two hours after that and feel immediately anxious and start to ruminate about whatever my brain can find. DAY • Anxiety has just increased and I’m an absolute mess. Most likely had a panic attack or two. NIGHT • Anxiety is calming down, I feel better. • As the night progresses, I feel almost back to normal ALMOST. I actually have an appetite. I feel happy, I can be with my family. I feel like I deserve love. • If I overdo it, tire myself out, I start getting anxious again. It loops like this every single day. Does anyone else experience this???

I was reading posts that might relate to what I’m going through. I encountered a few people with POCD who have physically checked (full self intimacy thing) their attraction as a compulsion. I am petrified of doing this and because I read about it I’m so scared my brain will make this a new thing. And ofc it’s something that pops up when I’m trying to do something intimate. How would I know that I’m checking vs having intrusive thoughts/intrusive thoughts about checking?

I finally got my OCD confirmed a few minutes ago. I have severe OCD. I feel relief but at the same time I feel so scared because all of this feels much more real. My mom isn’t the most open minded so I could only tell her very little about my ocd, just scared of people dying is what I said. I can’t tell her about the harm ocd, the pocd, or anything else. I feel like I’m lying to my family by keeping all that from them. I haven’t been able to stop crying. I finally have a diagnosis :)

I’ve been struggling with breaking the cycle of hyper-awareness around my actions. I’m afraid that if I let go and stop overthinking, I’ll somehow slip and do something really bad, and that fear is hard to shake. For example, I’ve been trying to engage in behaviors that felt natural before this flare-up like playing with my dog. But I’m really focused on not touching her inappropriately while still trying not to avoid the areas near her tail. While part of me feels a bit more comfortable now, I’m not sure if I’m truly moving forward or if I’m just giving into another compulsion. I feel like I’m constantly second-guessing whether I’m being cautious and mindful or if I’m stuck in hyper-focus and questioning every move. Has anyone else dealt with similar experiences? How do you tell when you’re making progress versus just feeding into the OCD cycle? And how on earth do you handle the guilt and shame that linger?

The other day I made a post about being kind and supportive and not being judgmental when commenting on other people’s posts because someone made a comment on my post insinuating that I don’t have ocd and i’m actually just a bad person. At first it didn’t really bother me because I know i’m not a bad person but now my ocd is latching onto their comment and it’s making me feel horrible. My post that they commented on was about how whenever I think things to myself like how my pre teen daughter is blessed to have slim legs and not chubby thighs like mine and she’s growing up into a nice shape or my teen son has a nice shape jawline and neck and it’s good that he’s slim but he’s too slim or how all of my adult kids are so handsome/beautiful my ocd turns my random normal mom thoughts into something inappropriate. I know I don’t think of or look at my kids or any kids or young person in an inappropriate way. My ocd says I do and I was seeking support. That persons comment was so damaging for me. I tried to think maybe they have never had dark disturbing intrusive thoughts with their ocd themes and maybe they just don’t understand or maybe they have never had pocd theme or maybe they are not a parent but even if all of that were true, their comment was still so judgmental and damaging. I am struggling even more now because my ocd is latching onto that persons comment and making me feel like a horrible person. Has anyone else had this happen? How did you get through it?

I, like so many others, have had ocd for most of my life. I have had many themes throughout my life. I am a mom and have had harm and pocd as well. For me those have been the most difficult and most painful themes. I have seen many people post on this app and they have had some pretty horrible and disturbing intrusive thoughts or false memories and real events ect. much worse than mine and I have never judged anyone because I know how bad ocd and intrusive thoughts can get. I had someone comment on a post I made recently asking me if I even have ocd insinuating it’s not ocd and i’m a actually just a pedo. That upset me so much because anyone who has experienced pocd knows how horrific and disturbing the intrusive thoughts can get and how opposite of who we really are ocd is. Our ocd already makes us doubt ourselves so to have a fellow sufferer of ocd say something like that can be so damaging. So many people are afraid to seek help or post on apps like this out of fear of being judged so we have to be mindful of what we comment. This person, after reading their bio has never experienced that theme and so they have no idea what it’s like or how bad it can get. I am writing this post because I think we need to be more understanding of those who suffer with themes we haven’t and not be judgmental especially if we don’t know them or their ocd story and what they have been through. I beat my ocd and for years I was ocd free until a recent stressful situation in my life and it came back and has been relentless and worse than ever before. I have had so many kind people give me great support on this app and I give support as much as I can when I see posts of others going through similar things as me. Be kind and think before you comment.

When I was in college I would exchange inappropriate pictures with dating app matches online. In the year or two since I’ve matured a lot and am ashamed of that behavior. I’ve also developed stronger OCD which causes me to ruminate and make more of past actions than what they might have been. I recently got my dream job, and one of my fears is being cancelled. Another thing that scares me are those past pictures coming back to bite me or make me look bad. I also have started having false memories associated with my ruminations. In this case I’m worried that another person might not have wanted said pictures although I can’t really remember that ever happening. Am I putting too much thought into this? Do other people struggle with these same thoughts? Any advice would be helpful.

i am really struggling with cheating ocd atm. i have struggled with it for a very long time. my relationship with my boyfriend isn’t the most stable. he’s done some things in the past that have really hurt me and i’ve not seen much of a effort to make me feel better tbh. i think that’s why my ocd is so high sometimes because of the stress of that. so over the weekend my friend and her family came over for the day and on the day my anxiety was sky high to the point i had knots in my belly and heart racing because her older brother was coming too. i avoid men because of my cheating ocd i don’t like talking to them or even looking their way. so you can imagine how anxious i felt lol. when they walked in, he didn’t walk in straight away and i felt so relieved that he wasn’t there but it was short lived as he walked in after. and when we hugged to say hello (which everyone did) i was focused on not making inappropriate contact and the whole time after i was ruminating on whether i hugged him inappropriately or not. then i had to give him a glass of water and i put it on the table because i didn’t want my hand to touch his and my hand was shaking so much when i did this. and to add, i wore no makeup on the day as i didn’t wanna come across as making an effort and i overthought so much about my outfit too as i didn’t want to seem like i was making an effort to impress. this is what’s bothering me. my mum needed help handing the food out and i didn’t want to hand the plates as i knew there was a chance our hands would touch. but what’s confusing me is that when i handed it to my friends bother, i got these overwhelming thoughts and feelings that i want our hands to touch, and i even feel like i let my hand stay on the plate for longer. in fact im certain i did because of those thoughts and feelings and after i said “you got it” about the plate and idk why it felt like at the time it was flirting maybe because in my mind the thoughts were “this is flirting” and straight away i felt SO much guilt like i had cheated and did something disloyal and i didn’t even eat. i was so anxious prior, why did this happen i feel so sad and i feel so much guilt it’s unreal. i literally don’t ever want to be disloyal, im so careful about what i do because of this. my friend said that it felt real because of my ocd but nothing i did was wrong but it feels so hard to believe that. i haven’t confessed as i don’t feel emotionally safe to at all tbh which i think is bothering me a lot too. my boyfriend has made comments in the past about retaliation and some of the stuff he’s done has really broken my trust even though it hasn’t been direct “cheating”. any advice will be appreciated, please be kind, im not doing well at all. thank you

Hello- so my intrusive thoughts came back and i upped my lexapro from 5mg to 20mg. Now for 2 weeks. Still don’t feel great. Anyone know if it takes longer to get back in your system? Or what? Frustrated . Txs