Open Question: HOCD, POCD, TOCD - demographics

I am curious to get the opinion of others on this subject. No answer is too short, or too long and if you think of something new, make more than one post. It's a conversation.

I am going to temporarily sticky this thread.

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I have been a moderator here for nearly two years. The overwhelming amount of threads are about HOCD, and then TOCD and POCD close behind.

Of these threads, I would say about 90% or more are made by people between the ages of 15 and 25.

Why is that?

Why do you think that HOCD/POCD/TOCD affects mostly young people?

Otter.

Otter,

Great question!! I wondered the same thing especially because I went through that garbage when I was 34! Here's my 2 cents and it's a very esoteric opinion bordering on crazy. take it for what you will. here goes. I believe people with OCD are at the higher end of the intelligence scale and also the more open minded and thus more likely candidates for the evolution I will outline. I believe that OCD is the ego trying to keep itself alive. I believe that the next step of human evolution has to do with developing a higher level of consciousness and that cannot happen with a great big ego. I believe as we as human beings feel increasingly betrayed by society and the media we tend to questions things a lot more than we may have in the past. This questioning leads to getting closer to attaining this higher level of consciousness and seeing things for what they really are. When the ego senses that this is happening and we are not taking everything at "face value", it's natural instinct is to feel threatened and act out by essentially getting you "hooked" on thoughts. We OCD sufferers also tend to be a creative group as a whole so that leaves a lot of stories to be made up about what these thoughts mean in turn creating a seemingly infinite feedback loop of the ego fighting to stay viable. the age ranges you point out are, I believe, when one begins to question the norm and look for meaning in one's own way. we are at a pivotal point in our existence and I think it's time for us all to wake up a bit. LESS THINKING, MORE BEING!! I hope everyone is working though their problems and is trying to stay positive!

All the best,

R

That's a really interesting perspective rickyschroeder. Especially about how you talked about that OCD sufferers are the "next step" in human evolution. I think of historical figures in the past with OCD and they were extremely progressive in their thinking. From Protestant Reformer Martin Luther severing the church from state thus allowing for technology and society to advance to Nikola Tesla pretty much being the greatest inventor of all time. Come to think of it there's a lot more OCD sufferers now than there was back in those times, so yeah you could be on to something that as the ego expands there will be more of us.

But on a less theoretical level and on a more analytical level, the ages 15-25 put an EXTENSIVE amount of attention to sex (whether its gender, orientation, or the verb) probably also because the media talks WAY TOO MUCH about sex as well in music, television, video games, ect. Me being only 18, my generation is definitely over-exposed to this kind of stuff that of course we would get obsessed over not meeting the media's standards and or becoming overwhelmed of all this to the point of distress.

Meant to post this here: obsessive-compulsive/topic172424-10.html#p1792862

UPDATE - I have moved the text here (otter)

Started early this year but turned 26 in middle of the year for me. HOCD allegedly anyway. I can remember being obsessed somewhat over if I was having heart attacks but I never find any heart problems at the Dr. Also, when grandma was dealing with her pancreatic cancer, I too thought I had cancer or some kind of pancreas issue like diabetes as well which turned out to be false for the time being when I went in for tests on that. But I'm also not 100% certain the hocd doubts started when I thought they did. They might have they might not have. Mine seems fairly bad but at the same time I never got to full blown agoraphobia or not eating. Though I did fall back into crappy eating habits and sleep has been like a rollercoaster for me.

The only obsession I can remember clearly from when I was younger was like a harm OCD in the form of my mother dying it being hurt. But that one didn't stick with me forever to where it bothers me since I can watch gore-y TV and movies and video games without being affected.

There's also a possibility that I just never explored it either. And just never knew I wanted it deep down. Seeing as I never dated through middle and high school. Though I thought I had crushes on some girls at least but they are not even visible to me in memory anymore.

Interesting.

I mentally refer to these as The Big Three of PF. The Ford, Chrysler, & GM of the OCD forum.

Well I'll take a whack from an old fart perspective.

My brain is not working well, and my thoughts may be a bit disorganized. And I'm doing this on a little phone...

I've always been OCD, but it never occurred to me I might have any of those, not really. POCD hovered about a time or two but I instinctively squashed that. And I've been gender strange for time out of mind and also had my own struggle with same-sex issues that had nothing to do with sudden OCD intrusive thoughts.

I'm going to blame the prevalence of HOCD, and to an extent, TOCD, to the internet. Internet sex. Something easily accessible and did not exist when I was the ages Otter mentions. And the ages you people start looking at it! Preteen! Seeing every imaginable sex act. When I was a preteen, I had pilfered girlie and biker magazines. That's IT.

I think the more you see, at an earlier age, the more ideas you get, and the easier for OCD to start. It's hard to have OCD over something you've never been exposed to.

In conjunction with the evil internet, the news and popular media. Gay, lesbian, transsexuals are so much more visible, now. Than say, 1977 when I was 13. I had the Village People, that was about it. Oh, and Elton John came out as Bi (sure, whatever, Elton). And where I'm going with that is....

.... that you have all this increased visibility of gay, lesbian, and transgendered people, yet those things are not completely normalized yet. Sitcoms still have plenty of gay jokes, for example. Caitlyn Jenner is either brave, or an abomination, depending on who you ask. Etc etc etc. So it's, like, it's commonplace but not.... common, if you get me. Plenty of opportunity for OCD. You hear about the things, and yet there are still stigmas, so there's a good breeding ground for OCD. If and when those things are not thought of at all as different, I expect OCD for those things will shift to something else.
OCD has to find something you think is an awful fate, to work. I don't have lottery OCD, for example.

POCD..... I don't know. I think children are overprotected these days. Maybe parents have over emphasized Stranger Danger, or something. Not that predators didn't exist back in the day - I blame my bisexuality on a pederast's grooming. But I do think... that society is more fearful than it used to be. This is not the America I grew up in, with naked scanners at the airport and a whole city being on some kind of prison lockdown (Boston) on account of two punks with guns. Seriously? That's not how this country, or any nation, was built. Not fear. But yeah anyway I think y'all got too many ideas put into your heads by modern society at too young an age.

Oh and with 24 hour cable news and the internet you hear about child molesters in places you never heard of, that you wouldn't have before, so it seems like there is so much more of it. Again, exposure to things that OCD can make use of

Hi Otter, great question. I think sexuality is one of most complicated, and maybe scary, subjects. Especially to young people, sexuality can be confusing - and it's no surprise, because you have so much to choose from. Sexual individuality is bigger nowadays than ever before. 60 years ago, there were women and men, homosexuality was not even a thing, not in public, neither were transsexuals. The internet also contributes to this and of course our understanding of sexuality and the openness that comes with it.
Especially for young people to whom their sexuality might not be entirely clear and who are prone to anxiety, like myself, not knowing my sexual orientation causes so much distress. Because it's all about sex. It's everywhere. And it's so important in our sexualizes world. Yes, with sexual openness comes so much distress too. My grandparents don't know any homosexuals. Or rather: any out of the closet ones. They don't know what cross dressers or transpeople are. Yes, ignorance is bliss. My TOCD is killing me.

Thanks for all the insight. All of you touched upon my own feelings, more or less. I will try and post in them in next few days (final exams coming up!)

otter.

p.s anyone else? always up for observations and opinions!

I think Internet pornography has completely changed human sexuality. Never in the history of mankind has a group of young human beings grown up with access to an infinite amount of sexual nudity that we experience today. And the problem with society is that WE SAY IT IS NORMAL. DOCTORS SAY ITS NORMAL. SOCIETY JOKES AROUND AND SAYS ITS NORMAL. Our brains were not meant to sit around and watch another dudes penis pound out another women every single day. Overtime, i believe for males that are innately straight, start to question their sexuality after seeing so many dicks over and over again. Our brains job is to wire all sexual cues, especially during teenage years. If it sees a dudes penis every single day, it will wire arousal to seeing a penis. Thus a straight male freaks out one day because overtime his brain becomes desensitized to normal women turning him on after watching so much porn day in and day out, and questions, could i be gay? Well overtime, pornography causes a reduction in dopamine and dopamine receptors. It also reduces serotonin, which causes anxiety disorders such as OCD.

Now i am writing this as it applies to me because this is what i think happened to me. All my life i was attracted to women, had sex with 15 women, had a beautiful girlfriend, was girl crazy, jerked off to straight porn and to thoughts of girls. I started watching porn at age 12. I went to an all guys high school from age 14-18 and never once looked at a dude in that way. Never found another guy attractive. Never jerked off to a guy. Never thought about the male body or thought another dude was "hot". Of course i could tell if a guy was good looking, but i wasnt sexually attracted to him. The moment i questioned my sexual orientation was at 19 because i noticed i was having weaker erections to my regular porn. This thought freaked me out and ever since that day i have not stopped questioning my sexual orientation. Night and day for the past 3 years i have woken up to the thought of "you are gay". That is all my mind obsesses about. I watch the way i talk, how i dress, how my face looks, if i act masculine enough, if people think i am gay, etc. Whats crazy is that I NEVER EVER ACTED LIKE THIS BEFORE THAT FIRST THOUGHT AT AGE 19. Thats what doesnt make sense to me and makes me believe it has to be OCD. Because most gays know they are gay from a very young age and dont have any attraction to women. But now everyday is a living hell. I dont know what to do anymore. When i think that it will go away, it doesnt. When i start to think things are gettting better, the thoughts come right back. I dont know if i even like the thoughts at this point. It feels like i am holding back from liking the thought of being penetrated or liking to suck a dick but i know deep down inside i would never do it in real life. Its just gross to me but i dont know why it feels so real that i would like it. I cant look at myself in the mirror. I have anxiety everywhere i go. Its like i am living a nightmare. Literally a nightmare. The worst thing a person can go through is not know who they are. Everyday is a struggle. It feels like i am posessed by a demon, trying to turn me into something i dont want to be. I dont know how to let the thoughts just "pass". I dont know what to do. I dont want to go on medication because then i have to become dependent on it. I am still trying to quit my pornography addiction. I am hoping 3 or 4 months away from porn and any sexual stimulation will heal me. I have been having sex with this girl for the last month and i love it, but the thoughts dont stop. None of it makes sense anymore. Life doesnt make sense. I just wish it would all go away, go back to the way things use to be.

But at what level does porn really affect it beyond giving you false sexual cues?

And I remember you from a while back but I don't recall what your story was with porn exactly? How bad did you get in terms of escalation? I never got off to gay porn but I did to other things that had more male subjects after a while.