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I need to find a solution fast to stop this way I’m living but I don’t think it’s possible, I’m in a constant state of pain from being tormented with guilt and warped memories. I know some of the memories to be true and some are all jumbled together so they get warped. It kills me to not know if I’m evil or not , I’m always thinking of the bad things I did when I was like 13 and didn’t know much about what’s truly right and wrong. I just feel like such a bad bad person , I don’t want any form of relationships at all because then I’ll have to confess everything bad I believe I’ve done or else I’m lying to them about who I am. I don’t really want therapy because I’m not confessing these memories or thoughts to a stranger especially because I’m only 16 and very socially awkward so I won’t be able to open up about this at all. I keep most of all of this in secrecy because I know nothing truly gets rid of the guilt. I also don’t allow myself any sympathy anymore because I just think I don’t deserve that either because evil people don’t deserve any empathy , it’s so hard to live with this. I just needed to get this off my chest since I’ve got no one to talk too

I’m scared people are using me for their personal gain and that no one on this earth will ever view me as an actual person. I don’t want to be someone’s friend/girlfriend/wife because they’re lonely, I want to be in their life because they actually like me and VALUE me. I don’t know the difference between my instinct and my ocd sometimes. I think I tend to make sound judgements and usually perceive others accurately to the truth of who they really are; but now im scared to do this because what if im proved wrong once again, wasted my time, and ignored signs I should’ve noticed all along? I cannot make this mistake again. I can’t trust another person again to the point where I think if they compliment me, talk to me, or make an effort to know me, they’re only doing it for a transactional, convenient purpose. They must want something from me that is something superficial/benefits only them, not a real or authentic connection. My brain is telling me they must all be lying to me because they pity me, and think im dumb or naive. This is not how I feel about my relationships with people, this is how my ocd thinks others perceive me. I feel like im getting punished over and over again for making past mistakes and God is sending me people who don’t actually like/love me to teach me a lesson. I can’t fucking stand it anymore. I wish I could trade lives with someone who doesn’t think this way. I don’t understand what I did to deserve the weirdest/meanest people come into my life and fuck my perception of humanity even more than how I viewed it before. Can someone tell me why I even care this much about it? What do I do? Why does this happen?? I’m crying and im so embarassed im even posting this. We have such small amounts of time on earth and my head sabotages me to hate every minute of it. I want it to stop

Hey all, as an OCD newbie, i have some questions. These might be obvious or stupid, but idk, i just need some answers. 1. Is it hard for anyone else to watch movies and not get triggered? 2. Does anyone else get OCD about their OCD? 3. Is it possible/normal to have a lot of subtypes? And i mean like 6 or 7. 4. Do people usually misunderstand us and assume that our intrusive thoughts are actually what we want to do?

I really want to die The only thing that keeps me here are my children I can't do that to them... But the torture is unreal... My quality of life is destroyed ritual after ritual after ritual. It's like I have two minds. I want to be normal but the other side of my mind says no! I will not let you be freaking normal You will obey my command and do your rituals everyday out of fear! I can't take it anymore I really just want to die! I pray to God everyday but there hasn't been any answers from him. I'm a devout Christian and a Jesus follower. Where is my Savior? Why does God and Jesus keep on letting us live this way through torture? I feel like I'm a blasphemer for saying that, I'm done I need help! Like we all do!

I think I’ve learned with having OCD for almost 10 years being diagnosed for 5 Is that you have to fight every day and use your ERP and tools. I’ve gone through multiple relapses. I’ve had bad days bad weeks bad months, but I always remind myself to keep going to keep fighting. It’s OK to be discouraged every now and then what we have to deal with every day is tough and most people won’t ever understand. But I think that we are the real warrior la that are fighting a battle. No one can see. And I’m proud of everyone. I am a religious man. I used to see this as a curse and something I didn’t want in my life at all. But now I’m starting to see as a blessing which may sound odd. But I feel like I was given this so I could help others Reach peace and freedom. Hope everyone’s having a good day today, keep fighting. Don’t give up. We got this.

If you are anything like me (and most of you are, because let’s face it, we are all on this chat), you have OCD. Real OCD, not the organisation, matching colours everyone thinks it is. Real OCD. I’ve always known I was different, known that my brain does some waking things and deep down, I’ve always known I’ve had OCD. But there is just something that changes when you finally get the diagnosis. It makes more sense, you have an explanation for your behaviours. So naturally I told my friends. When they ask why I had to stop and step four times on a tile I said ‘oh, I have OCD’. I finally had a word, a tangible concept that I could explain to people. But nobody warned me about the massive misconceptions about OCD. Instead of support or acceptance, my friends seemed to question the diagnosis saying ‘that’s not ocd, don’t you just like things organised?’. And no matter how much I explain it they don’t seem to get it. And that’s the part that feels so cruel. I go through hell in my head and it can all be reduced to a phrase of ‘oh, aren’t you organised’. So please be careful out there you guys, and if someone try’s to downplay your experience, know that you are valid and that what you are going through is probably something that they could never handle. It’s a lesson that took me time to learn, but it’s important because our experience matters. Our real experience.

my mom has been on this adhd kick where she thinks everyone has adhd instead of what they actually have because apparently it can present itself as anxiety. well i told her i was taking prozac because that’s something she needs to know since i still live at home. and she’s fine with it because it’s my choice. however, she comes into my room because she sent me a video about adhd. in the video, at the end, it says “girls with adhd may develop perfectionist or obsessive compulsive tendencies.” THEN, she has the audacity to tell me my compulsions didn’t start to show until after high school when that isn’t true at all. i just never talked about it, but of course she doesn’t believe me. i just feel so invalidated because after all of the hell i’ve been through, to be told i don’t have what i most certainly am positive i do have is atrocious. i would lose my mind if i was told i didn’t have ocd because of the intrusive thoughts i get that make me feel like a terrible person. i feel like being told that sets me back so far and makes me want to thought spiral a bit. i’m so upset.

I just had a thought there. Will I have to do ERP forever ?

Resisting compulsions feels so wrong and dangerous, I’m trying my best but the anxiety of doing so is immense. Especially because my brain is still not allowing myself to believe that my obsession is OCD, it wants me to believe it is a threat, so even calling my compulsions “compulsions” is making me anxious because that is me calling this whole thing OCD and not real if that makes sense?

I’m trying to do ERP therapy, but I keep thinking my subtype of ocd is the worst there ever is. I tried going on a walk tonight and the adrenaline in my body along with the shakes and the burning in my chest got so overwhelming. I felt like I was just about to lay down in the gutter along the sidewalk. I’m not trying to be super negative. I just don’t know what to do anymore. If it’s not one thing it’s another and I just wanna cry so bad and I want it to go away but it won’t I almost feel like I have to call a crisis line or something even right now while I’m writing this I’m crying so bad. I can’t enjoy a single thing. I joined a support group tonight, but I just feel like I feel so bad for everyone because of how awful it is. I know what I’m writing right now doesn’t make a lot of sense but I just don’t know what to do anymore. Part of me wants to quit ERP therapy so bad cause I don’t think it’s gonna ever help. if anyone has any advice or suggestions, that would be greatly appreciated.

for me, it's like there's two folders of my thoughts, 'main thoughts' and 'sub thoughts' and it's like a background voice of my background voice, you know? like so quiet and irrelevant but it's still here and i can try to ignore it but not fully and it feels like it's just really nasty, like it's warring with me, never shuts up and just keeps nagging me with those thoughts

I'm just laying here avoiding being an adult and wondering if during ERP the therapists are mean. Like, is it a "tough love" type of situation? That makes me anxious

Last night, I was scrolling on TikTok and saw a video in photo mode. It was about a girl who was raised by her single mom. Her mom was always there for her, loving and supportive. As I swiped through the pictures, a horrible thought suddenly appeared — a wish of death on the mom. I don’t even know why it happened. I can’t remember clearly if I shook my head or reacted in some way. My memory feels blurry, and now my mind keeps going back to it. At the end of the photo slideshow, it said her mom had passed away. The moment I saw that, my heart sank. I felt this terrible, overwhelming guilt, as if I had somehow caused it just by having that thought. I can’t forgive myself for it, especially because the mom was so kind and loving. The pain hit me so hard. I felt like a monster. I couldn’t tell anymore if it was just an intrusive thought or if it actually came from me. I kept thinking, “What if I meant it? What if I really wished it?” The guilt started to eat me alive. I felt disgusting, unforgivable, and full of shame. It feels like I commit an unforgivable crime. That night before bed, I cried and prayed to God. I asked Him to please forgive me, even though I felt too horrible to be forgiven. I tried explaining to Him how confused I was, how I didn’t understand my own thoughts. I prayed and begged Him to take my life already. I wished for it because I was just so exhausted from the pain, the guilt, the fear, and everything my mind was putting me through. I feel so awful, and since I don't have the courage to end my life, I keep wishing God to take my life, hoping He hears me. I'm honestly rooting not to wake up on the next morning. This morning, I woke up and didn’t feel relieved. I hate that I woke up because I knew the guilt would still be there. It felt like I had done something terrible, and I couldn’t escape from it. I kept questioning, “What if it wasn’t OCD? What if I really meant it?” I felt trapped in my mind, unable to breathe, unable to feel peace. I feel so lost, like I don’t know who I am anymore. I’m not suicidal. I just want this suffering to end. I feel like I don’t deserve to go to heaven because I’m a horrible person. It breaks me to think that God might not forgive me anymore and that He’s already done with me.

I feel afraid that if my friends knew the type of ocd I have they would not understand and I’m scared if they knew the compulsions I did and the results they would not love me anymore. Scared that anyone I meet might not really love me because they don’t know this about me. Scared of getting in a relationship because of this. I hope I can find therapy soon to relieve the guilt but I just wish I could have the confirmation that my loved ones would love me anyways. I feel like I have a big dark shameful secret. I care so much about what ppl think, letting that define what’s true or not about me but I care much more about the opinions of those I love and that love me, which is why it’s scary.

Hi everyone, I'm in a bit of a difficult situation and I wanted to ask for some advice. I recently finished my studies and I am living from my savings while I look for a job. However this process has turned out to be a lot more difficult and tedious than I expected. I suspect I have OCD as I relate to a lot of the experiences described here, in particular those corresponding to pure OCD. I have continuous intrusive thoughts about how what I'm currently doing is not enough, I constantly need to reassured that what I'm doing is right, with some magical thinking and concerns about my relationship sprinkled in. These intrusive thoughts have made it very difficult to make any significant progress in looking for something. Added to this I'm not even sure I have OCD as I don't have the money to afford therapy right now (my mind keeps telling me that it's silly to write this message because there's no way I have OCD). I live in Switzerland so as far as I understand my insurance won't cover sessions with NOCD. In conclusion I'm a bit stuck, therapy would help with finding a job but I need a job to get therapy. If any of you have had any similar experience and have some piece of advice it would be very welcome.

Just thinking about how ocd attacks and latches onto all the things that mean the most to me. And makes me petrified about them. Ocd has got to be one of the cruelest mental health issues going. And it takes my biggest fears and makes me believe them. What is the point of ocd ? Why does it exist? It's like my own brain is trying to destroy my life...it makes no sense.

Hi, I’m Camila I am 17 yo (I don’t speak English well, sorry) and like 3 months ago I experimented a severe pure ocd, I always think that I am a good person but now I don’t even think I deserve be alive, I keep remembering things from the past and they don’t let me keep going, I already go to a therapist and maybe I am going to a psychiatrist but I don’t think I can be able to handle this, I don’t want live with this and the thought of km is making me considering it :(

i don’t feel like i’m allowed to make decisions because what if i’m doing a compulsion. am i genuinely uncomfortable or just looking to do compulsions yk?

I can't stop confessing! I have this urge to dump on him every thought and wrong doing I've ever had and its destroying me! Im worried it'll destroy us too. When we started dating I stole a story from a friend to make myself look cool which was pathetic. But its the only time I remember doing anything like this.

I read about ERP and have seen information about it on here. One of the goals is to say, "maybe I am this or that...ect." That terrified me. The thoughts and images that go in my head are disturbing and upsetting. I don't want to even think about saying, "maybe this or that." It's devasting to have these thoughts and question why you're having these thoughts. Doesn't the "maybe" make it worse? The one thing that helps me is that is to remind myself that these are just thoughts and I know I'm not a monster, even if I feel like one. Is ERP not for everyone? Has anyone else had a problem with the techniques used in this kind of therapy? I had cognitive therapy for years with an OCD specialist and that seemed to help a lot. Writing out the worst case scenarios would make me suicidal. Im having a difficult time not obsessing over the "maybe" after intrusive thoughts now. It doesn't make it better.