Many people with OCD also suffer from depression. Dealing with both can be very challenging. Learning how to manage these conditions is important.
There are a lot of misconceptions about what OCD is. OCD is not simply a term for a preference that things be organized or clean. It is a potentially serious disorder that can become disabling for some people.
[Read more…]“How do I know if I’m in the right relationship?” “What if my partner isn’t the right one for me?”
Many people in romantic relationships consider questions like these from time to time. After all, such questions can be helpful to consider, even if anxiety-provoking. Evaluating a relationship can help us to notice how it is or isn’t meeting our expectations or emotional needs. It can also make it easier to tackle relationship obstacles and to identify ways of keeping relationship satisfaction strong.
[Read more…]Social anxiety typically involves avoidance of things we find uncomfortable. Learn more about why this a problem, and what therapy involves.
“Just imagine them in their underwear!” is a common statement told to those who have a fear of speaking in front of large audiences. Although it can be useful (and entertaining) to use your imagination in this way when giving a presentation, it’s typically not enough to overcome the anxiety that comes up in these situations.
[Read more…]Obsessive compulsive disorder can have widely varying symptoms. If compulsions are absent, the condition is sometimes called “pure O” OCD. For those that suffer from sexual, violent, blasphemous or racist intrusive thoughts, it can feel unimaginable to tell anyone about their obsessions.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects 1 to 2% of the population. That means in the U.S. alone, somewhere between three and seven million people have it. That’s a big group! OCD can look very different from one person in this group to the next.
What all these people have in common is that they experience obsessions and/or compulsions. Most have both. Those that experience only obsessions are sometimes said to have “pure O” OCD. This is not a formal category of OCD, but it’s a useful construct. Why? Because when most people think of OCD, they think of someone washing their hands constantly or fastidiously rearranging their desk. People with “pure O” OCD do not do anything outwardly that gives away their condition. But what are these obsessions, exactly?
Obsessions are thoughts that cause immediate anxiety. They are often described as intrusive and repetitive by those who have them.
We’ve touched upon violent obsessions that might be common for those with OCD in a previous post about fears of stabbing someone. I want to take some time to address other ‘bad’ thoughts that people sometimes have but feel they must keep to themselves.
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OCD comes in many varieties. HOCD is one of them — and it involves obsessive thoughts about one’s sexual orientation. Read on for three stories of HOCD and recovery.
Obsessive thoughts come in several varieties. Among the most popular themes for these thoughts are blasphemy, violence, and sex. Obsessions typically consist of a thought (e.g., “I want to pick up that knife and stab myself”) followed by intense anxiety at having had that thought. “Am I Gay?” is an obsessive thought that can create intense anxiety for some people.
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