[hannahrachel202]

Could this be triggered from my OCD? Or something more serious?

[MissCharlotte]

Hannah, do you have a T to work with?

I have intrusive thoughts. I think that they are part of my ptsd and ocd but originate in my abusive childhood. So, if you have a T to talk to they might be able to help you figure it out. There are so many different kinds of bothersome thoughts so I think it's worth talking to someone because it's hard to sort out by ourselves.They are very distressing though.

Take care.

[Locust]

I had the same issue and always assumed it was due to my OCD issues. Found others with OCD online that had the same problems. Asked my T about it recently and he said yes, it was the cause. Of course, my guess is that different disorders can be the cause for this symptom, so yours may or may not be OCD. Talk to your T to determine which is the source of this symptom for you. Good luck.

[Berries]

I think it depends on what the distrubing thoughs and images are. Disturbing thoughts and images could mean different things to different people.
And there are degrees to them too I suppose.
And then there is the question of, do they pop in and pop out, or do the pop in and stay there for a long time?
Also, how distresing are they?
And do you feel any compulsions along with the thoughts. Do you feel pressured to act on them? Do you act on them.
Or do you have to do certain actions or say certain words to get the thoughts to go away.
I think all of that would help determine if it is OCD or another disorder.

[Locust]

Berries, those are really good points, but I wanted to comment on one thing. You said, "And do you feel any compulsions along with the thoughts. Do you feel pressured to act on them? Do you act on them." Actually, while OCD does have compulsive right in the name, I have had intrusive obsessions without compulsions and my T said they were also part of my OCD. Also, I finally found an article online describing that very thing and those people also said it was a form of OCD, but they weren't professionals. Yet, they said many OCD sufferers online were complaining of this. I also had OCD with compulsions and the two got worse in unison and got better in unison.

[Berries]

Originally Posted by Locust

Berries, those are really good points, but I wanted to comment on one thing. You said, "And do you feel any compulsions along with the thoughts. Do you feel pressured to act on them? Do you act on them." Actually, while OCD does have compulsive right in the name, I have had intrusive obsessions without compulsions and my T said they were also part of my OCD. Also, I finally found an article online describing that very thing and those people also said it was a form of OCD, but they weren't professionals. Yet, they said many OCD sufferers online were complaining of this. I also had OCD with compulsions and the two got worse in unison and got better in unison.

Oh YES, you can definitely have OCD and JUST have obsessions and obsessive thoughts and NOT have compulsions at all. Thank you for pointing that out.
What I said was misleading. I did not mean to imply that you had to have both.
I personally have both. But you can still have the DX and just have the thought part. Or you can have a combo, like me--some of my OCD is germ phobia which is both obsessing and compulsive stuff.---some of my OCD is just intrusive thoughts, but I have do not feel compelled to act on them. They are just distressing and I can't get them out of my head.

So, thank you for pointing that out.

[Locust]

Berries,

You're welcome, and thank you for sharing the insightful things you did. You made some wonderful points in your earlier response. Sorry if I sounded nit picky. I just wasn't sure if you knew you could have either because a lot of people don't realize some OCD is just obsessive, but I see now I was preaching to the choir, so to speak.

I have dealt with both, also. The obsessions that have compulsions and the intrusive thought obsessions that didn't have compulsions. The intrusive thoughts were the ones that bothered me the most because, as you said, I couldn't get them out of my head. I didn't invite them in, and I could get them to leave. Since there were no compulsion going along with them, I didn't know how to get them to go away, and they were disturbing and annoying. It is upsetting to realize you can't control your own thoughts. And it doesn't make sense to me, but that was what I was dealing with. Which bothers you worse?

[seeker1950]

Hi, Hannah, and all who've responded here to this thread...
I went off Paxil, after taking one form or another (first Prozac then Paxil) for 17 years just this past December. When I announced to my physician that I had weaned (very slowly) off the medication, his only comment was, "I don't want you to be on any medicine if you don't need it, but I was concerned about your obsessive thinking." In truth, since going off this SSRI, I've been dealing with intrusive thoughts. I know that both my parents were prone to this kind of thinking, of the negative sort. As a result, I think much of this is a genetic predisposition in my case.

I realized just last night, as I was awakened by intrusive thoughts several times during the night of fitful sleep, that I must overcome this or go back on some sort of antidepressant which helps with this tendency. May I ask, are you on any sort of medication right now?
Patty

[Berries]

Originally Posted by Locust

Berries,

You're welcome, and thank you for sharing the insightful things you did. You made some wonderful points in your earlier response. Sorry if I sounded nit picky. I just wasn't sure if you knew you could have either because a lot of people don't realize some OCD is just obsessive, but I see now I was preaching to the choir, so to speak.

I have dealt with both, also. The obsessions that have compulsions and the intrusive thought obsessions that didn't have compulsions. The intrusive thoughts were the ones that bothered me the most because, as you said, I couldn't get them out of my head. I didn't invite them in, and I could get them to leave. Since there were no compulsion going along with them, I didn't know how to get them to go away, and they were disturbing and annoying. It is upsetting to realize you can't control your own thoughts. And it doesn't make sense to me, but that was what I was dealing with. Which bothers you worse?

That is a difficult question. The germ phobia has made my life so small it has almost no meaning. But the compulsions make the thougts immediately go away.
The obsessions drive me nuts.
Both make me suicidal.
So, not sure.

[TheHistorian]

I have an Obsessive Compulsive Personality, which has more recently developed into OCD.
I too experience unwanted 'visions', usually involving family/pets being thrown against glass, drowned, blended etc. (Of-course I find these very disturbing and upsetting).
I also sometimes see maggots and germs all over my food, and as a result have lost weight.

I consider the 'food visions' to be more OCD related (as I'm an obsessive cleaner, and am very afraid of dirt on food), and the others Psychotic (I experience other 'symptoms' and have been referred to Early Intervention).

So I guess it really depends on what these 'thoughts and images' involve.

Sorry if this isn't really helpful, but reading your message is somehow comforting as I experience the same stuff and you've made me feel a little less crazy about it(if that makes any sense).
Sorry if this sounds stupid.

P.S.It would be a good idea to talk to your CPN/GP/whoever helps you with your OCD. Maybe they could help answer this.

GoodLuck

[VanillaBean]

I have disturbing thoughts and images going through my head frequently.

I imagine people I love being killed in car accidents, getting stabbed while sleeping in bed, falling down a flight of stairs and breaking their neck.

I picture my dog being hacked to pieces with an ax, or my boyfriend's cat being wrung out like a towel and crushed by a pair of huge, bloodstained hands.

When I'm in a restaurant sometimes I look around at the other people dining and picture them suffering a heart attack and falling into their plate of food, or choking to death.

Sometimes when I'm eating I imagine my next bite of food to be filled with worms and beetles. I don't actually see it on the fork, but I picture in my head eating a mouthful of... just disgusting things. At times those thoughts have caused me to completely lose my appetite and on one occasion I actually gagged and thought I would become physically ill.

I get these terrible thoughts stuck in my head and CAN'T get rid of them. It's almost like I'm determined to think of these things.

I feel like a freak

[Berries]

Originally Posted by VanillaBean

I have disturbing thoughts and images going through my head frequently.

I imagine people I love being killed in car accidents, getting stabbed while sleeping in bed, falling down a flight of stairs and breaking their neck.

I picture my dog being hacked to pieces with an ax, or my boyfriend's cat being wrung out like a towel and crushed by a pair of huge, bloodstained hands.

When I'm in a restaurant sometimes I look around at the other people dining and picture them suffering a heart attack and falling into their plate of food, or choking to death.

Sometimes when I'm eating I imagine my next bite of food to be filled with worms and beetles. I don't actually see it on the fork, but I picture in my head eating a mouthful of... just disgusting things. At times those thoughts have caused me to completely lose my appetite and on one occasion I actually gagged and thought I would become physically ill.

I get these terrible thoughts stuck in my head and CAN'T get rid of them. It's almost like I'm determined to think of these things.

I feel like a freak

(((((((vanilabean))))))) I am sorry you feel like a freak. Lousy feeling!

I have disturbing, violent thoughts too. I have had them for over 20 years. I feel less of a freak now, though. I remind myself of all the horror and action movies and how violent and disturbing they are and I think--obviously there are many people out there with disturbing thoughts--and it makes me feel less of a freak.

[VanillaBean]

Thanks, Berries

I've never told anyone about my thoughts, but this morning I mentioned it to my boyfriend, and his eyes got kind of big while I was describing the things I picture. When I was finished talking, he told me HE has those thoughts a lot too. Boy, did that surprise me.

[Wut2Do?]

i made a thread on this, these thoughts are intrusive thoughts, they sometimes appear in people with OCD, i got 'em!

[desperateforhelpnow]

Has anything helped you guys with the disturbing thoughts. I am still having them and do not know what to do to make them go away.

[Miswimmy1]

It could be OCD. I think the best thing to do is to talk with a therapist. There is very effective behavior treatment and medication to combat OCD. And as u all were talking about earlier, u can have obsessions without the compulsions... Sometimes u have the obsessions and just very bad anxiety as a result.