Severe Intrusive Thoughts and OCD

This is for those like me who have extreme intrusive thoughts, and have no idea what it is, or are just greatly distressed by them. I have them, too! I have had them my entire life, now nearing 30, and I have just finally found my answer. I knew OCD was involved, but I discovered Purely Obsessional OCD today, and wanted to share with you what is on Wiki:

The nature and type of Purely Obsessional OCD varies greatly, but the central theme for all sufferers is the emergence of a disturbing intrusive thought or question, an unwanted/inappropriate mental image, or a frightening impulse that causes the person extreme anxiety because it is antithetical to closely held religious beliefs, morals, or societal mores. The fears associated with purely obsessional OCD tend to be far more personal and terrifying for the sufferer than what the fears of someone with traditional OCD may be. Pure O fears usually focus on self-devastating scenarios that the sufferer feels would ruin their life or the lives of those around them. An example of this difference could be that someone with traditional OCD is overly concerned or worried about security or cleanliness. While this is still distressing, it is not to the same level as someone with purely obsessional OCD who may be terrified that they have undergone a radical change in their sexuality (i.e.: might be or might have changed into a pedophile or become homosexual), that they might be a murderer or that they might cause any form of harm to a loved one or an innocent person, or that they will go insane. They will understand that these fears are unlikely or even impossible but the anxiety felt will make the obsession seem real and meaningful. While those without Purely Obsessional OCD might instinctively respond to bizarre intrusive thoughts or impulses as insignificant and part of a normal variance in the human mind, someone with Purely Obsessional OCD will respond with profound alarm followed by an intense attempt to neutralize the thought or avoid having the thought again. The person begins to ask themselves constantly "Am I really capable of something like that?" or "Could that really happen?" or "Is that really me?" (even though they usually realize that their fear is irrational, which causes them further distress) and puts tremendous effort into escaping or resolving the unwanted thought. They then end up in a vicious cycle of mentally searching for reassurance and trying to get a definitive answer.

When I first read that, in brought tears to my eyes and gave me a sense of security.

Be safe, y'all.

Thanks for sharing this and happy this gives you some reassurance....that thoughts like these aren't accurate to who you really are. When I was answering questions in the former Q&A section, we would get several questions involving intrusive thoughts.

A person can be assured they're not what they fear because there's no real intentions to do the act. For example, they might get a violent thought but if this scares them...they're really not violent. I used to use the example - if thoughts said to eat garbage....does this mean the person really wants to eat garbage? I hope now, you can get specific treatment for this problem.

Akuma, I hope that you are getting treatment for your OCD. I'm taking fluoxetine and risperidone and hopefully that will help. I will read you Ocd journey.

Akuma, I was advised to read a book by my therapist "Imp of the perverse", it basically says what you have written but in much more detail. When I started to read it I was in tears, I'm not really sure why. It didn't talk about the exact thoughts that I have (my thoughts and images are of my family coming to harm/dying being murdered in awful ways, not by myself) but it helped me understand my OCD a little better. I would highly recommend the book. I bought my copy from Amazon (incase you fancy having a wee look)

Wow... Those are the kinds of thoughts I have. Thoughts of bad things happening to loved ones (being badly hurt or dying). It's like I have to play out every scenario of what could or might would happen if something happened to a loved one. I can't stop until I have gone through every imaginable scenario in my head. I haven't had these thoughts too much for a while (I guess meds are really helping).
I am terribly afraid of snakes, and I have thought abut snakes getting into my house sometimes. And like the other thoughts, I have to play out the scenarios in my head. It gets old, but we'll make it.

Thank you, this certainly gave me comfort, only recently have I been able to see the OCD in me. I never saw it because rituals weren't really my thing, not all of them at least. I do the stove thing. I have to check it three times before leaving or ill be anxious the whole time I've gone. I once had an appointment that was 45 minutes away from my home, I was going to a weekly t session. I pulled into their parking lot but started having a panic attack about the stove, I was running late so I didn't have a chance to check when I left. While in the parking lot I turned around and drove 45 minutes back home to check the stove. I was nearly 2 hours late for my appointment because of that. I also have a thing about locked doors, apart from that no rituals just the perfection thing. My issue is the intrusive thoughts. At one point I was so terrified of sleep walking and hurting my child (I do sleep walk but it's not that bad) the thought just kept nagging me so I hid all of my kitchen knives and slept in the floor in her bedroom blocking her shut bedroom door, hoping somehow that would stop me. I have intrusive thoughts like this ALL the time and they really effect me. I've been told it was OCD but didn't understand how until now, thank you for this

My stumbling upon this has been by complete accident, as this issue is something I've faced for seven years but with no "name to the face" as it were. I found another similar post and replied to that one and that led me here. Although I've never been officially diagnosed with anything, these traits or symptoms describe what I go through regularly.

My question is has anyone moved past it? I've fought it for a long time hoping it would simply go away, and on this particularly rough night, I decided to go to the internet and search for the issue hoping I could find solace in finding out that I'm not some kind of freak.

As I said on the other post I am open to correspondence for any purpose, even if its talking out the issue with someone to a common goal. I've become a complete introvert at this point, a fact that I've only come to accept after months of my old friends insisting that I'm just not the same fun-loving person I used to be. This issue gets so bad some nights I can only stare at a wall until I become distracted by something, keeping in mind this sometimes takes hours.

Hey I'm new here.
Thank you for finding this!!! Like you I felt a tear... This is the way I am too. I've only just started with medication and therapy, so hopefully ill be feeling better soon.

I have purely obsessional OCD. I can see so much of my experiences in the original post. What is helpful in relieving the obsessive fears or at least coping with them?

Hey! I think each individual is different. The thing I have noticed is that when a bad thought comes into my mind. The anxiety and fear hits really hard! That's what causes the problem you see. It's not the thought itself, you have free will and can think what you want. Your not going to carry out the thought. It just scares you (I assume it does because i feel that way) so what I do when it gets really bad is test myself.... I tell myself to shout foul language in public places.... I know I won't. Do you get my drift? It's hard to explain lol. Half the trouble comes from guilt and feeling like a terrible person in the first place. Trust yourself, the thoughts won't go away all together but they are only THOUGHTS! I know it's hard I really know how you feel.

: )) you'll get there.

Wow, I had no idea this was noticed by you guys. Thanks for the replies. I dare not read it now, because anything OCD gets me thinking about it and thus paranoid. Head burried firmly in the sand. I've been avoiding anything related to OCD, and stopped going to that OCD support group I started going to a few months back, but IDK... I kinda miss it. >.< IDK why.

*hugs you all*

ditto on that!!!