Explaining OCD

krfoss

krfoss

Active member
Hey there.

Im trying to explain the feeling one gets when anxiety rushes through when their OCD hits them to someone who does not have OCD. I have been told this person does not have anxiety AT ALL, so it is difficult to make an analogy. I typically relate it to the feeling one gets when afraid of heights and looking over the side of a 40 story building.

Anyone have any suggestions?
 
G

guessed

1
I find that dealing with obsessive thoughts, is like having a swarm of gnats around your head. The buzzing is so loud and the nipping is so irritating, that you are unable to enjoy the beautiful summer day. Therapy or medication is like using bug spray, it may minimize the intensity of the gnats, but it doesn't eliminate them entirely, so you are always just dealing with trying to keep the gnats under control. There is no time or energy left to do anything else.

Also, it is sometimes as if I'm trying to watch a movie and someone keeps changing the channel back to a program I don't want to watch. I grab the remote to change it back to the movie, but the remote has become jammed and I can no longer change the channel.

The feeling is different when dealing with compulsions. It's as if you start to feel an itch in an embarrassing location. You can't scratch it because you're in public. First you try to ignore it.. but the itch lingers.. you wriggle around and try to discretely take care of it.. nope, no luck.. the more you ignore it the more intense the feeling becomes. You get more agitated as time goes by. Finally you're able to slip off into a restroom and take care of it. The sense of relief is amazing, but before long, the same old itch is back, and now it's in more than one location, not to mention, your underwear is riding up. So the attempt to relieve the itch doesn't eliminate it and it seems to grow stronger each time.
 
getbornagain

getbornagain

Well-known member
You can never explain this shit to someone without an anxiety disorder. They are synthetic thoughts/feelings.
 
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krfoss

krfoss

Active member
Thanks for the responses. They seem pretty helpful.

I am trying to explain it to the family member of someone with OCD. The family member is having trouble getting their head around the disorder and doesnt really get why "just stop and get over it" doesnt quite work.
 
IDK94657

IDK94657

Well-known member
The anxiety of whats to come to me is like playing Russian Roulette. Your sitting there thinking, "Am I going to die or will I live another round?"

But then again, I dread what I have to do sooner or later, so that's why I go through that. ;)
 
LadyWench

LadyWench

Well-known member
krfoss said:
Thanks for the responses. They seem pretty helpful.

I am trying to explain it to the family member of someone with OCD. The family member is having trouble getting their head around the disorder and doesnt really get why "just stop and get over it" doesnt quite work.
Click to expand...

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that with mental disorders, you can't "just stop and get over it". Only an ignorant person would have that mentality. Gotta love the human race!
 
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