New user, and suffering badly

[olliewilliams]

Hey guys, I just joined this site, but i have had OCD for about 2 years now. It has gradually gotten worse and affected more and more areas of my life. Sometimes, it is so bad that I will even stay home from school to try to "get clean" and make it completely better. I have tried this many times, but eventually will fail and have to do it again. I am currently on Zoloft, and it seems to help just a little bit. I also see a therapist who prescribes my medications, but honestly does not really give me techniques to help with my OCD. My main obssesions are germs/contamination, and intrusive Sexual thoughts. I may wash my hands on average about 50 times a day, and take maybe 2 20 minute showers a day. I have recently had more intrusive sexual thoughts. For example, I was flipping through the world record book the other day, and I came across an article about the largest gay parade. For some reason this triggered something that made me think I am gay. I know for a fact that I am not, I am even a homophobe, but for some reason these thoughts kept on coming back. Anyways, thats basically me, I have tried cognitive behavioral therapy, but I usually give up because its so hard. Does anyone feel the same way, and do you have any recomendations about how I can fix these thoughts? thanks!

 

[Katherine]

good news!

keep in mind that thoughts dont equal actions? So, if youre not arroused by guys and havent been since your sexual awakening, then youre proably not gay! . hurrah!

 

[obsessive]

Hi , i too suffer from unwanted sexual intrusive thoughts. If i see an attractive girl i think that she's a babe even though i'm not gay or i have a dirty thought about their private parts. I've been told its normal to fantasise about the same sex or have same sex attraction and that its quite common but the anxiety makes it worse from the ocd. I'm seeing a therapist and they have got me to do exposure exercises. So when i have a distressing thought i say it over and over out aloud or in my mind if in a public place. You keep doing this until your anxiety keeps going up and up and then you should feel it eventually drop this is suppposed to desentize you to the distressing thought.Hope this helps. I also have been told by other members of this forum if you try to suppress the thought more and more it will just keep coming back at you. (this is for the obsessional part only not the actual compulsions i suffer from pure O)