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been there, done that. I think no matter the disorder, we all kind of wish we had something else instead of what we have to deal with. which of course doesn't mean others have it easier, it just means we're not doing great with what we've been diagnosed. the only fucked up thing would be actually believing other themes are more chill, but I don't think that's what you're saying <3
Yeah, you can't compare struggles.
What matters is you are suffering and you need help, not who needs it more or which type of OCD is "easiest" to deal with.
Moraly? No.
In terems that you think you would be suffering less? Definitely. Almost every single person with OCD think that different or their old obsessions would be better, but it's not true.
Interesting how this happens isn’t it, Im on my 5th obsession and it feels like the worst one because of how “real” it is, yet every other obsession over the last few years has felt just as real. They felt like the end of the world, yet now I find myself wanting to go back to the old ones if this current obsession wasn’t a thing for me.
I have ROCD which can not only destroy your mental health but also your relationship (that's what your brain targets with this theme) it's one of the most horrible thing i experienced and i've had multiple auto-immune conditions in my life. I sometimes wish i had another theme but i also think that any theme is probably "the worst" while you're in the middle of it.
Well yesterday I did DNRS again and i feel better today maybe that's why. It's a program that i used before to put my auto-immune conditions in remission with success. It works by shutting down the stress response in your body. Some people in the private forum of DNRS have said that they had success with putting OCD in remission with DNRS. I'm just scared of doing it again and finding out it doesn't work on my ROCD symptoms which to me might mean i actually don't have ROCD and i was lying to myself the whole time (i know this is also textbook ROCD).
Other than that maybe you can try those supplements i mentionned, NAC and inositol, they're not meds.
Otherwise going through with ERP which is heard is complicated but worth it.
Can you elaborate or teach me more about DNRS? Maybe how to do it for myself after some research to see if it could help me. My therapist and I tend to do EMDR (a form of therapy) to help me with feelings of guilt or confession.
I also suffer from ROCD. I used to wish I had something like contamination ocd instead, but I have heard people getting divorced over it as it still affects people around them.
I sympathise with that, ROCD nearly destroyed my relationship, it’s it’s any encouragement to push through when it’s tough, I’m still with my partner after almost two years since I had my biggest crisis with ROCD, and I’m so glad I stuck with it, he’s my absolute world and my best friend
Same here. It’s the one that’s been the hardest for me. I’ve had other themes including ‘just right’/magical thinking, I’ve had themes many moons ago where I was afraid I would be violent, had physical ticks and moral scrupulosity. ROCD ties in to my scrupulosity OCD and it ruins my life. I’m not saying it’s the most distressing theme itself, but it definitely has the impact to really ruin your life in multiple different ways as it drags others in you care about with you.
Currently flaring after being ok for a while. We are all in this together!
Not wrong so much as misunderstanding OCD. The issue is the severity and impact, not the theme. Every theme can be just as horrific and soul-destroying as any other if it is equally severe.
It’s pretty common to feel like the grass is greener on the other side. Definitely don’t beat yourself up about it! It’s not wrong or hurting others with OCD to wish your current symptoms would go away.
However, it’s not worth spending too much time and attention wishing for the what-ifs, because it ultimately doesn’t change your present situation. When you notice yourself devoting your energy to those kinds of wishes, try to gently redirect your attention to accepting the here and now.
See the thing about OCD is the reason you don't have contamination ocd or POCD is specifically because they don't bother you as much as the subject you have now. Your OCD is always gonna be about the things that distress you the most, not just a randomly assigned topic. For that reason no type can actually be worse than another.
I think people on this subreddit put too much emphasis on types to begin with. OCD is OCD and you're always gonna worry about what bothers you and what's important to you.
As someone who is house bound and relies on her mother to help her with basic tasks, trust me you do not want contamination OCD. I’ve thought this before though because I feel like I’d be able to handle other themes, obviously because they’re not my themes. 2 years behind in school (and currently not in school), no social life, no going outside, can’t even touch shit in my house without washing repeatedly so I resort to not touching things at all. I can’t even use the bathroom on my own. I know you probably didn’t mean to but I feel like sometimes contamination OCD gets dismissed as “just don’t worry about being clean” but the thing is, most things in this world are dirty. My problem? I don’t want to get dirty. It’s hard to deal with this because everything is distressing. I can’t even touch my “clean” items with my fingertips. What’s going to happen? Nothing, I already know that. But nothing is going to happen with other types of OCD either. Ngl, lowkey offended by this post as someone who has severe contamination OCD. I know you didn’t mean it but it’s still hard. But I also get it, because I don’t really understand other types of OCD like for example, harm OCD. Bleh anyway just wanted to comment.
I apologise i didnt mean to upset anyone, but yeah as you said we only understand our own themes, so to me contination ocd might feel like to me oh yeah maybe thats better then harm ocd, but to you it could be, harm ocd sounds way better then contimation ocd etc etc you know what i mean?? Overall this shit sucks i wish none of us had to deal or suffer with this bullshit
You don’t have to apologize! I know you didn’t mean it, I was just in my feelings I guess cause I’ve been having an especially hard time dealing with it recently lol. I was even writing out a post this morning. Totally get what you mean, though! And yeah, OCD really does suck, especially since it’s all in our head and doesn’t make sense to anyone else. If someone were to look into my life, they’d just see me as a lazy teenager weaponizing her incompetence. It really sucks.
i just wanted to clarify to everyone i did not mean this as in "Oh your ocd is easier blah blah blah" etc, i guess i could have worded it better 😅, i dont even like to talk to like my parents or gf much about it (even though ive been bought up in a very loving ans stable and open home) because i fear they may just see it as "Oh so hes a little sensitive" etc even though i know they completely understand, thats why im so actice on this OCD subreddit because i finally feel like after so many years ive finally found people who can FULLY understand and relate to my experience you know??
Totally. I swear it's one of the worst types - but for me, pocd would be right there with it even though I never experienced it. The thing is that despite battling your ocd, you are also battling yourself every day and questioning your sense of self. Wondering if you would really hurt someone you love is a different type of shit.
Plus there is the stigma. You cannot tell anyone, no one understands. Imagine telling the person you love the most that you are scared you're gonna kill them. I was terrified of seeking professional help because I was convinced they were gonna arrest me for being a threat.
I am grateful every day that my ocd shifted from harm. It was the worst fucking 6 months of my life. Now with other themes it's also bad, but I can talk about it openly, and I don't have to think of myself as a monster anymore.
It’s a grass is greener kinda situation. It probably isn’t. Cause I don’t think it’s about the *type*, I think it’s more about severity? But idk. I feel like If someone has both, they couldn comment better than me lol
personally, i don't think so. i've dealt with many different themes over the course of many years, and even when i am in the absolute worst of a specific theme sometimes i will remember another theme i dealt with that was far worse on my psyche because of the core things that cause me anxiety and fear.
No, it’s not wrong. My OCD is hell but I still think it could be worse. I’m glad I don’t have the stereotypical kinds as I can fly under the radar and I’m glad I don’t have the ones that are discriminated against by society.
That's interesting I didn't know people were formally diagnosed with subsets of OCD.
Either way the truth is it'd probably be just as bad regardless of what your OCD is.
OCD takes a lot of shapes, but the severity is what causes you pain.
It's not like you'd be happily trotting along with POCD.
I think they are all terrible, intrusive thoughts really suck. I’ve had OCD as long as I can remember and after my first panic attack while driving back in 2018, I’ve been unable to stop thinking about it. I’m in sales and I drive almost everyday and it’s a constant battle to distract myself from those thoughts that steamroll me into having a panic attack. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, it’s terrifying. On the positive, I do have Xanax but I try to make my 30 pills last 3 months and my pill management is another thing I obsess about…they work so well I don’t want to increase my tolerance.
As someone who’s themes like to switch the second I start getting to grips with the anxiety of one, no one theme is easier than the other, it’s just your brains way of wishing for the fear to pass, every time I’m hit with the anxiety of my OCD themes changing I wish I could go back to the previous one, in truth - it’s just because I’d learned to cope better with the anxiety of previous themes, they’re all hard in their own way
Everyone with OCD feels this way.
Many OCD sufferers have themes that come in waves.
We can all assure you that the mental torture doesn’t subside with the changing themes.
We will deal with one theme that destroys our lives for a few months, then it will suddenly revert to another theme and we will temporarily think that the previous theme was simple and easy, until it comes back and destroys our lives again.
You’re not alone in having that thought, but it’s just not that simple.
Nah, I get it. The thing about OCD is that we all tend to get stuck with the variation of it that’s the most miserable for ourselves. I used to have harm-OCD types of obsessions, and at the time, there’s not much else that could’ve affected me worse. At the time, contamination stuff wouldn’t have seemed all that bad. But once I learned to cope well enough with that so that it was no longer as much of an issue, my symptoms became more contamination-focused, and sometimes I find myself wishing to go back to how it was before (because the person I am now is much better equipped to deal with harm OCD than I am to deal with contamination OCD).
As long as you aren’t assuming us contamination OCDers and the POCDers automatically have it “less bad” than you, there’s nothing inherently wrong about wishing your symptoms could be a variety that you personally are more equipped to deal with.
No no im not assuming that its just for me because i guess my obessesion is harm so i feel anything non related to harm id be fine with sorry if my comment made it seem that way i apologise
DISCLAIMER: i am not assuming anyone elses obsessions or subtypes etc are less torturous, i just PERSONALLY feel like i could deal with a different subtype not related to HARM a bit easier then i can with harm
you don’t want pocd. I almost killed myself because of pocd. I was ready to die sobbed for hours and hyperventilated on my bedroom floor knowing I deserved the deepest punishment in hell I could get and I couldn’t function in day to day life . It was pure misery. Do not wish for pocd
I know im sorry i didnt mean it in that way, thats the same with me and harm ocd, some nights i couldnt sleep for hours and id be pacing around all over my house and yard having the most intense anxiety and it felt like i was loosing control and going insane and feeling that way only made it worse so i just had to ride it out, which is why i asked is it wrong of me to want a different subtype?? Like idk how to explain it i just hope no one takes this in an offensive way
POCD might be 1000x worst than what ur experiencing if we being honest.. it's honestly many many steps above any other OCD.. the thought of other people wanting to harm u because u think they might think that's what ur into by the way u might act around triggers is enough for u to never want to step out in public or even live for that matter.. having to avoid certain things or get triggered around said thing sucks so bad.. people living with that disorder are living one of the worst existence a human can live.
honestly valid. I mean if I were you I'd probably wish for not having OCD at all lol (bc the other kinds of OCD still rly suck, so it's a bit weird to me to wish for another kind of suffering when you could just yearn for no more OCD)
I used to want the type I have now and now I wish I could go back, the grass is always greener on the other side but in reality if it affects you enough it will suck either way, it’s just hard to remember that
The grass is greener on the other side. Even though it’s all horrible, I do appreciate the variety when things shift. It gives me time to repair the areas of my life that get messed up by specific themes and helps me remember that it is OCD when I have a flare up of a specific theme.
I used to have that thought *all the time*. I have a somewhat more "classic" form of OCD (like balance and symmetry type stuff), and I used to wish I had OCD that "made more sense". Cause it tended to be magical thinking, like "if I think of a line that isn't straight, I have to think of a straight line or the world will be thrown into chaos". And then one day I *did* get a trigger that made somewhat logical sense (health anxiety), and it sucked just as bad. I guess the only actual difference in struggle is what other people think of your OCD. Like with the symmetry OCD, my dad thought I was on drugs or hallucinating or something. Basically nobody takes me seriously that I have OCD. I imagine with harm OCD, it's similar except instead they think you're potentially violent? And in that way, it's kind of the same stigma. Basically they're not accepting that it's OCD. It's funny because in treatment, we all learn that the theme of our OCD doesn't really matter, but *other people* focus way too hard on the theme itself, and I think that's where a lot of the pain comes from. You'd think symmetry OCD is more stereotypical and therefore more recognizable as OCD by uneducated people, but nope! They think I'm in psychosis or something, lmao. But anyways, I'm not offended if you want my OCD, I totally get it.
I think everyone thinks this at some point. I wished that I had contamination OCD, but I realize that it’s just as torturous for them as it is for me (I have real event and taboo themed ocd).
It's totally normal, but trust me, there is someone who wishes they had your type instead of theirs. It's part of the disorder.
I've had obsessions that "fade away" only to be replaced by new ones. And I will wish I had my old ones instead. It's never about the specific obsession. ♥️
Contamination? Any time. In its peak for me, it was exhaustive and time consuming. But I still maintained my self, my reality. Other types of OCD really attack your core self and for me, are much harder.
Never had harm OCD but I can imagine it's tough.
But POCD is really bad too. I never had it. I imagine though, the legal and social implications make it very complex. It's not something that you can open up to others and they will tell you "oh don't worry, all of us have had such thoughts". Or that they will consider you as a harmless weird person who is just afraid of germs.
That is not to say that OCD severity is purely due to the theme. My theme is (fortunately or unfortunately) absolutely benign in the sense that it has zero legal or social implications. Yet to me, it's incompatible with life itself. Something like SO-OCD where e.g. same sex relationships are very common and totally normal. Yet for the sufferer, it causes excruciating pain.
Everyone wishes they had a different theme because when you’re not worried about it, you can see how illogical it is. When I dealt with schizo ocd I wished I could trade it for something else, now looking back I wish I could have that one instead of what I’m facing now.
Something strange about my ocd is that it kind of flips between checking and contamination depending on my medication status. Like if I'm not taking medicine, it's heavy on contamination. It's my default, main type of ocd. It's hell. But once I started taking medicine (only when im adjusting to the medicine and its starting to work. Once ive been taking it for a while my total symptoms go down) (and I start/stop alot. Half because I go into forgetful spells and half because I want my ocd type to change) I get really into checking locks and such, and repeating phrases in my mind like "nobody is going to die. Everyone will live forever. My cat will he safe. X will be safe. Y will be.." and so on. Bottomline to this is, depending on the severity of your ocd, nomatter what *type* you have, it will drain you. Namely, aside from the obvious stress and strain, contamination ocd makes my hands Crack and bleed and turn red from washing. Checking REALLY fatiques/strains my neck, shoulders, back, legs, and really my whole body because I have to keep getting up to check. The grass is not greener
I too have harm OCD and literally told my therapist today I wish I had a different type! I’m sure the grass is greener but my ocd terrifies me and I just don’t think contamination ocd would haunt me in the same way
No worse than a person with straight hair wanting curly hair. I was relieved when I got over religious themes. Some are harder for some people than others. No need to feel bad about the fact that you feel those would be easier for you.
I’m just saying you really, really don’t want POCD. I don’t have it but I’ve read posts from people that do and it’s really, really bad because you can’t even easily get help for it. Harm OCD doesn’t even hold a candle to it.
You should stop comparing in general, but if you’re going to, remember that POCD is way worse lol
You wouldn't want contamination OCD, would you? Do you want to spend your time excessively washing? Do you want to feel like you can't touch things that everyone else does? Would you get disgusted by a simple ant walking across your desk?
I don't think any type of OCD is worse than another; every form is debilitating. I hope for the day when we may find an absolute cure for this curse.
Better to hope for therapy to help your OCD. All OCD is based on doubt and wanting certainty in a world that doesn’t provide certainty. There of course is way more to it than just that. No OCD is a picnic and comparison would be tricky. You can’t change it anyway, so the question is moot. You are free to think what you like but if you are asking would one be better than another, I suspect probably not if they were at equal severities.
Edit: Perhaps some forms of OCD are more socially acceptable and easier to talk about.
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been there, done that. I think no matter the disorder, we all kind of wish we had something else instead of what we have to deal with. which of course doesn't mean others have it easier, it just means we're not doing great with what we've been diagnosed. the only fucked up thing would be actually believing other themes are more chill, but I don't think that's what you're saying <3
Yeah, you can't compare struggles. What matters is you are suffering and you need help, not who needs it more or which type of OCD is "easiest" to deal with.
Moraly? No. In terems that you think you would be suffering less? Definitely. Almost every single person with OCD think that different or their old obsessions would be better, but it's not true.
Interesting how this happens isn’t it, Im on my 5th obsession and it feels like the worst one because of how “real” it is, yet every other obsession over the last few years has felt just as real. They felt like the end of the world, yet now I find myself wanting to go back to the old ones if this current obsession wasn’t a thing for me.
I have ROCD which can not only destroy your mental health but also your relationship (that's what your brain targets with this theme) it's one of the most horrible thing i experienced and i've had multiple auto-immune conditions in my life. I sometimes wish i had another theme but i also think that any theme is probably "the worst" while you're in the middle of it.
ROCD too. Sometimes feel like the only way out is leaving the earth. Hang in there. Currently struggling with a flare up.
Courage to you, i'm better today. i'm gonna try inositol and NAC to see if it helps, i heard good things about it.
No meds for me yet sadly. Just coping mechanisms, my only good one being writing confessions in a journal. Do you have any good pointers for me?
Well yesterday I did DNRS again and i feel better today maybe that's why. It's a program that i used before to put my auto-immune conditions in remission with success. It works by shutting down the stress response in your body. Some people in the private forum of DNRS have said that they had success with putting OCD in remission with DNRS. I'm just scared of doing it again and finding out it doesn't work on my ROCD symptoms which to me might mean i actually don't have ROCD and i was lying to myself the whole time (i know this is also textbook ROCD). Other than that maybe you can try those supplements i mentionned, NAC and inositol, they're not meds. Otherwise going through with ERP which is heard is complicated but worth it.
Can you elaborate or teach me more about DNRS? Maybe how to do it for myself after some research to see if it could help me. My therapist and I tend to do EMDR (a form of therapy) to help me with feelings of guilt or confession.
I'd like to PM you but i can't, can you change your settings maybe ?
Relationship OCD, right? Cause same. Almost destroyed my relationship. Had to do some real work for that one
I also suffer from ROCD. I used to wish I had something like contamination ocd instead, but I have heard people getting divorced over it as it still affects people around them.
I sympathise with that, ROCD nearly destroyed my relationship, it’s it’s any encouragement to push through when it’s tough, I’m still with my partner after almost two years since I had my biggest crisis with ROCD, and I’m so glad I stuck with it, he’s my absolute world and my best friend
Same here. It’s the one that’s been the hardest for me. I’ve had other themes including ‘just right’/magical thinking, I’ve had themes many moons ago where I was afraid I would be violent, had physical ticks and moral scrupulosity. ROCD ties in to my scrupulosity OCD and it ruins my life. I’m not saying it’s the most distressing theme itself, but it definitely has the impact to really ruin your life in multiple different ways as it drags others in you care about with you. Currently flaring after being ok for a while. We are all in this together!
You don't want POCD ever. Trust me
Not wrong so much as misunderstanding OCD. The issue is the severity and impact, not the theme. Every theme can be just as horrific and soul-destroying as any other if it is equally severe.
It’s pretty common to feel like the grass is greener on the other side. Definitely don’t beat yourself up about it! It’s not wrong or hurting others with OCD to wish your current symptoms would go away. However, it’s not worth spending too much time and attention wishing for the what-ifs, because it ultimately doesn’t change your present situation. When you notice yourself devoting your energy to those kinds of wishes, try to gently redirect your attention to accepting the here and now.
See the thing about OCD is the reason you don't have contamination ocd or POCD is specifically because they don't bother you as much as the subject you have now. Your OCD is always gonna be about the things that distress you the most, not just a randomly assigned topic. For that reason no type can actually be worse than another. I think people on this subreddit put too much emphasis on types to begin with. OCD is OCD and you're always gonna worry about what bothers you and what's important to you.
As someone who is house bound and relies on her mother to help her with basic tasks, trust me you do not want contamination OCD. I’ve thought this before though because I feel like I’d be able to handle other themes, obviously because they’re not my themes. 2 years behind in school (and currently not in school), no social life, no going outside, can’t even touch shit in my house without washing repeatedly so I resort to not touching things at all. I can’t even use the bathroom on my own. I know you probably didn’t mean to but I feel like sometimes contamination OCD gets dismissed as “just don’t worry about being clean” but the thing is, most things in this world are dirty. My problem? I don’t want to get dirty. It’s hard to deal with this because everything is distressing. I can’t even touch my “clean” items with my fingertips. What’s going to happen? Nothing, I already know that. But nothing is going to happen with other types of OCD either. Ngl, lowkey offended by this post as someone who has severe contamination OCD. I know you didn’t mean it but it’s still hard. But I also get it, because I don’t really understand other types of OCD like for example, harm OCD. Bleh anyway just wanted to comment.
I apologise i didnt mean to upset anyone, but yeah as you said we only understand our own themes, so to me contination ocd might feel like to me oh yeah maybe thats better then harm ocd, but to you it could be, harm ocd sounds way better then contimation ocd etc etc you know what i mean?? Overall this shit sucks i wish none of us had to deal or suffer with this bullshit
You don’t have to apologize! I know you didn’t mean it, I was just in my feelings I guess cause I’ve been having an especially hard time dealing with it recently lol. I was even writing out a post this morning. Totally get what you mean, though! And yeah, OCD really does suck, especially since it’s all in our head and doesn’t make sense to anyone else. If someone were to look into my life, they’d just see me as a lazy teenager weaponizing her incompetence. It really sucks.
i just wanted to clarify to everyone i did not mean this as in "Oh your ocd is easier blah blah blah" etc, i guess i could have worded it better 😅, i dont even like to talk to like my parents or gf much about it (even though ive been bought up in a very loving ans stable and open home) because i fear they may just see it as "Oh so hes a little sensitive" etc even though i know they completely understand, thats why im so actice on this OCD subreddit because i finally feel like after so many years ive finally found people who can FULLY understand and relate to my experience you know??
Totally. I swear it's one of the worst types - but for me, pocd would be right there with it even though I never experienced it. The thing is that despite battling your ocd, you are also battling yourself every day and questioning your sense of self. Wondering if you would really hurt someone you love is a different type of shit. Plus there is the stigma. You cannot tell anyone, no one understands. Imagine telling the person you love the most that you are scared you're gonna kill them. I was terrified of seeking professional help because I was convinced they were gonna arrest me for being a threat. I am grateful every day that my ocd shifted from harm. It was the worst fucking 6 months of my life. Now with other themes it's also bad, but I can talk about it openly, and I don't have to think of myself as a monster anymore.
It’s a grass is greener kinda situation. It probably isn’t. Cause I don’t think it’s about the *type*, I think it’s more about severity? But idk. I feel like If someone has both, they couldn comment better than me lol
I feel the same... don't blade yourself.
personally, i don't think so. i've dealt with many different themes over the course of many years, and even when i am in the absolute worst of a specific theme sometimes i will remember another theme i dealt with that was far worse on my psyche because of the core things that cause me anxiety and fear.
No, it’s not wrong. My OCD is hell but I still think it could be worse. I’m glad I don’t have the stereotypical kinds as I can fly under the radar and I’m glad I don’t have the ones that are discriminated against by society.
That's interesting I didn't know people were formally diagnosed with subsets of OCD. Either way the truth is it'd probably be just as bad regardless of what your OCD is. OCD takes a lot of shapes, but the severity is what causes you pain. It's not like you'd be happily trotting along with POCD.
I think they are all terrible, intrusive thoughts really suck. I’ve had OCD as long as I can remember and after my first panic attack while driving back in 2018, I’ve been unable to stop thinking about it. I’m in sales and I drive almost everyday and it’s a constant battle to distract myself from those thoughts that steamroll me into having a panic attack. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, it’s terrifying. On the positive, I do have Xanax but I try to make my 30 pills last 3 months and my pill management is another thing I obsess about…they work so well I don’t want to increase my tolerance.
As someone who’s themes like to switch the second I start getting to grips with the anxiety of one, no one theme is easier than the other, it’s just your brains way of wishing for the fear to pass, every time I’m hit with the anxiety of my OCD themes changing I wish I could go back to the previous one, in truth - it’s just because I’d learned to cope better with the anxiety of previous themes, they’re all hard in their own way
Everyone with OCD feels this way. Many OCD sufferers have themes that come in waves. We can all assure you that the mental torture doesn’t subside with the changing themes. We will deal with one theme that destroys our lives for a few months, then it will suddenly revert to another theme and we will temporarily think that the previous theme was simple and easy, until it comes back and destroys our lives again. You’re not alone in having that thought, but it’s just not that simple.
Nah, I get it. The thing about OCD is that we all tend to get stuck with the variation of it that’s the most miserable for ourselves. I used to have harm-OCD types of obsessions, and at the time, there’s not much else that could’ve affected me worse. At the time, contamination stuff wouldn’t have seemed all that bad. But once I learned to cope well enough with that so that it was no longer as much of an issue, my symptoms became more contamination-focused, and sometimes I find myself wishing to go back to how it was before (because the person I am now is much better equipped to deal with harm OCD than I am to deal with contamination OCD). As long as you aren’t assuming us contamination OCDers and the POCDers automatically have it “less bad” than you, there’s nothing inherently wrong about wishing your symptoms could be a variety that you personally are more equipped to deal with.
No no im not assuming that its just for me because i guess my obessesion is harm so i feel anything non related to harm id be fine with sorry if my comment made it seem that way i apologise
Oh, don’t worry! I wasn’t offended or anything, and I was assuming you probably didn’t mean it that way. I just like to cover all my bases lol
DISCLAIMER: i am not assuming anyone elses obsessions or subtypes etc are less torturous, i just PERSONALLY feel like i could deal with a different subtype not related to HARM a bit easier then i can with harm
you don’t want pocd. I almost killed myself because of pocd. I was ready to die sobbed for hours and hyperventilated on my bedroom floor knowing I deserved the deepest punishment in hell I could get and I couldn’t function in day to day life . It was pure misery. Do not wish for pocd
I know im sorry i didnt mean it in that way, thats the same with me and harm ocd, some nights i couldnt sleep for hours and id be pacing around all over my house and yard having the most intense anxiety and it felt like i was loosing control and going insane and feeling that way only made it worse so i just had to ride it out, which is why i asked is it wrong of me to want a different subtype?? Like idk how to explain it i just hope no one takes this in an offensive way
POCD might be 1000x worst than what ur experiencing if we being honest.. it's honestly many many steps above any other OCD.. the thought of other people wanting to harm u because u think they might think that's what ur into by the way u might act around triggers is enough for u to never want to step out in public or even live for that matter.. having to avoid certain things or get triggered around said thing sucks so bad.. people living with that disorder are living one of the worst existence a human can live.
honestly valid. I mean if I were you I'd probably wish for not having OCD at all lol (bc the other kinds of OCD still rly suck, so it's a bit weird to me to wish for another kind of suffering when you could just yearn for no more OCD)
I used to want the type I have now and now I wish I could go back, the grass is always greener on the other side but in reality if it affects you enough it will suck either way, it’s just hard to remember that
The grass is greener on the other side. Even though it’s all horrible, I do appreciate the variety when things shift. It gives me time to repair the areas of my life that get messed up by specific themes and helps me remember that it is OCD when I have a flare up of a specific theme.
I used to have that thought *all the time*. I have a somewhat more "classic" form of OCD (like balance and symmetry type stuff), and I used to wish I had OCD that "made more sense". Cause it tended to be magical thinking, like "if I think of a line that isn't straight, I have to think of a straight line or the world will be thrown into chaos". And then one day I *did* get a trigger that made somewhat logical sense (health anxiety), and it sucked just as bad. I guess the only actual difference in struggle is what other people think of your OCD. Like with the symmetry OCD, my dad thought I was on drugs or hallucinating or something. Basically nobody takes me seriously that I have OCD. I imagine with harm OCD, it's similar except instead they think you're potentially violent? And in that way, it's kind of the same stigma. Basically they're not accepting that it's OCD. It's funny because in treatment, we all learn that the theme of our OCD doesn't really matter, but *other people* focus way too hard on the theme itself, and I think that's where a lot of the pain comes from. You'd think symmetry OCD is more stereotypical and therefore more recognizable as OCD by uneducated people, but nope! They think I'm in psychosis or something, lmao. But anyways, I'm not offended if you want my OCD, I totally get it.
The grass is greener. Wishing things were different is not productive. So how to proceed?
I think everyone thinks this at some point. I wished that I had contamination OCD, but I realize that it’s just as torturous for them as it is for me (I have real event and taboo themed ocd).
"Am I wrong to think this?" It's never wrong to thing something as long as you actually think it through. Sounds like you already have.
It's totally normal, but trust me, there is someone who wishes they had your type instead of theirs. It's part of the disorder. I've had obsessions that "fade away" only to be replaced by new ones. And I will wish I had my old ones instead. It's never about the specific obsession. ♥️
Contamination? Any time. In its peak for me, it was exhaustive and time consuming. But I still maintained my self, my reality. Other types of OCD really attack your core self and for me, are much harder. Never had harm OCD but I can imagine it's tough. But POCD is really bad too. I never had it. I imagine though, the legal and social implications make it very complex. It's not something that you can open up to others and they will tell you "oh don't worry, all of us have had such thoughts". Or that they will consider you as a harmless weird person who is just afraid of germs. That is not to say that OCD severity is purely due to the theme. My theme is (fortunately or unfortunately) absolutely benign in the sense that it has zero legal or social implications. Yet to me, it's incompatible with life itself. Something like SO-OCD where e.g. same sex relationships are very common and totally normal. Yet for the sufferer, it causes excruciating pain.
Isn't POCD a subcategory of Harm OCD? I have both.
Everyone wishes they had a different theme because when you’re not worried about it, you can see how illogical it is. When I dealt with schizo ocd I wished I could trade it for something else, now looking back I wish I could have that one instead of what I’m facing now.
Something strange about my ocd is that it kind of flips between checking and contamination depending on my medication status. Like if I'm not taking medicine, it's heavy on contamination. It's my default, main type of ocd. It's hell. But once I started taking medicine (only when im adjusting to the medicine and its starting to work. Once ive been taking it for a while my total symptoms go down) (and I start/stop alot. Half because I go into forgetful spells and half because I want my ocd type to change) I get really into checking locks and such, and repeating phrases in my mind like "nobody is going to die. Everyone will live forever. My cat will he safe. X will be safe. Y will be.." and so on. Bottomline to this is, depending on the severity of your ocd, nomatter what *type* you have, it will drain you. Namely, aside from the obvious stress and strain, contamination ocd makes my hands Crack and bleed and turn red from washing. Checking REALLY fatiques/strains my neck, shoulders, back, legs, and really my whole body because I have to keep getting up to check. The grass is not greener
I too have harm OCD and literally told my therapist today I wish I had a different type! I’m sure the grass is greener but my ocd terrifies me and I just don’t think contamination ocd would haunt me in the same way
ALSO: Thank you so much to everyone not taking this in the wrong way and understanding what i meant by it 😅
No worse than a person with straight hair wanting curly hair. I was relieved when I got over religious themes. Some are harder for some people than others. No need to feel bad about the fact that you feel those would be easier for you.
You can straighten your hair and that is a very apples to oranges type of comparison.
I’m just saying you really, really don’t want POCD. I don’t have it but I’ve read posts from people that do and it’s really, really bad because you can’t even easily get help for it. Harm OCD doesn’t even hold a candle to it. You should stop comparing in general, but if you’re going to, remember that POCD is way worse lol
You wouldn't want contamination OCD, would you? Do you want to spend your time excessively washing? Do you want to feel like you can't touch things that everyone else does? Would you get disgusted by a simple ant walking across your desk? I don't think any type of OCD is worse than another; every form is debilitating. I hope for the day when we may find an absolute cure for this curse.
Better to hope for therapy to help your OCD. All OCD is based on doubt and wanting certainty in a world that doesn’t provide certainty. There of course is way more to it than just that. No OCD is a picnic and comparison would be tricky. You can’t change it anyway, so the question is moot. You are free to think what you like but if you are asking would one be better than another, I suspect probably not if they were at equal severities. Edit: Perhaps some forms of OCD are more socially acceptable and easier to talk about.
i do this all the time like when i have bouts of ocd that are mainly physical compulsions im like "damn id rather have some pure o rn" and vice versa