Anxiety question

If you get a wave of anxiety after a thought you can label it as ocd correct? I know you can get anxious and its not a bad anxious. I am talking about if you are anxious like the bad anxious and obsessive. That means you dont desire it/want it correct?

Since anxiety is never a good feeling we should all just quickly label it as such and know that that's not how we think.

no, bc other anxiety disorders can have bad anxiousness, not just ocd. ocd has some specific thing to make the diagnosis.

ok but the anxiety that comes with the obsession is not a good feeling so I can't see anxiety having nothing to do with the OCD thought

im just saying that bc you experience anxiety after a thought, it doesnt mean you can say i have the diagnosis of ocd. thats not enough to get the diagnosis. if you already have the diagnosis, then generally speaking, if you feel the anxiety, it can be the ocd thought, but not always bc people with ocd can feel anxious about other things that have nothing to do with ocd (money, family, friends, work).

The defining aspect of OCD I think, is compulsive behavior. So it's not so much the presence of unwanted thoughts or uncomfortable emotions, but the irrational attempt to end such "obsessions" through compulsive behavior. The behavior can be physical or mental activity, so maybe you could try to think about any that you might do.

thinking13 wrote:The defining aspect of OCD I think, is compulsive behavior.

Compulsive behavior can be a part of OCD but i don't think it is the defining aspect. If you believe in Pure-O (which I'm not sure I do) that changes things somewhat. There are plenty of people who obsess but don't have compulsive behavior unless you count "checking".

At any rate, I have never known anyone to cure "themselves" by trying to understand the definition of OCD. Knowledge helps, but I have never seen someone learn about OCD (after having symptoms) and then having it go away simply because they know it is there.

Thoughts and anxiety can be a myriad of things, some rational, based the situation, some irrational but not OCD, and some irrational, repetitive, and other things which would define obsession in the way that it is part of OCD.

By and large, if you have spend a lot of time trying to identify your rational from irrational thoughts then some support/help is needed.

My OCD is at a point now where I recognize the irrational. I cannot not just dismiss outright and it still affects me, but it is like getting a cold now; it stay for a few days maybe a week or two, at best, and then it's done.

Otter

point taken otter, I definitely respect your opinion after following this forum for many months.
I am in no ways "cured" of OCD, but my symptoms are down ~ 90% w/out meds and just by researching and doing my own exposure therapies.

I do think it is critical for everyone w/ OCD to understand the problem as best they can, and have a thorough knowledge of the treatment options and why they work.

That being said, I encourage all arguing on what is effective and what isn't, b/c I am very interested in how best to minimize my own OCD.

thanks everyone for your replies. I know you can't think your way out of OCD per say. I just think that the fact that you are biologically anxious is a good indicator because anxiety is never really good. if you didn't have it than you'd be ok with all your thoughts and wouldn't have OCD I feel.

@thinking13

Thanks for the kind comment. Wow, I'm glad to hear your OCD has been reduced by 90% without meds. I agree with you, the more we know about OCD, the better. The only caveat I would throw in there would be if learning turns into "checking" by getting caught in a loop of trying to figure out if certain things apply to oneself or not.

The onset of any mental issue can be relieved somewhat by knowing that it exists and you are not alone, and then knowing why it is there and what can be done.

@BM

Yes, if someone is predisposed to anxiety and then have unwanted repetitive thoughts, and compulsive behavior there is a good chance that it is OCD. The way I see it is, the anxiety is the problem, whether it is OCD or any other issue that is an extension of anxiety.

This is why I am not convinced that Pure-O should be categorized outside of OCD. I have read articles that take either side. I suppose if there were clear differences in how they were treated (and there may be) then I would see a need to categorize them differently.

If anyone knows a good deal about it or can point to articles, that would be great. Our understanding of OCD is not set in stone. I did a paper on the comorbidity of Psychosis and OCD, and when I was done I realized that things were more complicated than I thought.

Otter.

thanks otter. I agree with you about pure o. I think it's basically the same as OCD, the compulsions being the checking. I have never heard of anyone just having the obsessions without silly ways to get rid of them. they are still compulsions, just mental ones. that's what I think