Could I possibly have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
Lately I have been pre-occupied with thoughts of abortion, as many of my recent threads reflect…including a rather obscene one in MPSIMS which, in retrospect, was wisely locked by a Moderator (apologies to any who were offended!).
I don’t particularly like dwelling on this subject, but can’t just get it out of my mind.
I surf the web for other message boards, news letters, testimonials, political cartoons, artwork, etc. I also review plot lines dealing with abortion in movies and tv.
I consider myself somewhat Pro-Life, but am not in any way politically active. I know of no one close to me that has had an abortion, so this has not affected me personally. This started when the Abortion Experiences thread went up in IMHO.
Is there anything I can do to shake off these intrusive thoughts short of spending the big bucks with a therapist and/or medicinal intervention?
basically, if you feel it is a problem (as in, do these recurrent thoughts interfere with your quality fo life) then you should see a doctor. and then the doctor, after looking at your symptoms, will diagnose you.
short of that, i have found that keeping thoughts bottled up gives them more power. so don’t try to suppress them. try to think about something else, sure, but don’t say to yourself “Must not think these thoughts! Must compress them into ball in head!”.
and talk to someone about them. a doctor, sure (which i am not) if you feel that you should. but anybody. get them out of your head.
Enola, if it’s bothering you enough to ask about it here, it’s bothering you enough to get some help from people who know what they’re doing. One of the DSM-IV criteria for most anxiety disorders is “marked distress” and it sounds like you’re describing that. You can’t diagnose this yourself, but you already know that something isn’t right, and that’s enough to see a doctor.
If you noticed blood in your urine, would you try to treat yourself, in the interest of saving a couple of dollars? I would suggest that it is unlikely that you’re going to find a long-term solution on your own. If money is an issue and you don’t have insurance that will cover it, many mental health centers use a sliding scale. And Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the treatment of choice nowadays, which can be quite brief. You don’t have to worry about going for years of psychoanalysis.
Talk to your friends if you want, do some research at WebMD, and then go see someone.
Well, it’s possible. OCD is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by two fairly obvious components: an obsession and a compulsion. Based on the definitions given in the first site, your obsession could be with abortion topics, and your compulsion is to look up discussions and articles on the subject.
I think the distinction that needs to be made is that these symptoms are called a disorder because they interfere with the person’s ability to live their normal life. Does this fixation on abortion extend to real-life? Do you go out of your way to pursue an abortion-related piece of information? Has this pursuit affected your work, home life, or your relationships with friends and family?
If yes, then I agree with previous posters’ recommendation that you see a doctor. If not, then maybe this isn’t disorder-caliber, but something you can put on the list of “things that distress you and that you should talk about with someone”, or write out in a journal. Either way, I think you should find someone you trust and talk to them about what you’re feeling.
FWIW, I have a degree in psychology. But I’m far from being a mental health professional.
OCD sufferer here who advises you to get to a doctor. Really, it’s not a good idea to self-diagnose.
However, there are some things that can point to it.
Do you find yourself doing a lot of “checking”? Meaning, double check to see if you locked the door/unplugged the toaster/turned off the water in the bathroom?
Do you find your “obsessions” spiking during times of stress?
{{{{Enola}}}}
Good luck!
(If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me)
Another OCD sufferer chiming in. Go to a doctor and get examined. I
When I was in college I learned about OCD in a psychology course and as soon as it was described I thought “that’s me.” It wasn’t until a couple of years later though that I went to a clinic and was examined and the doctor determined I did have OCD (I had a second opinion done later that was in agreement). I actually only went because things in my personal life were spinning out of control. I’d suffered for years and kept quiet about it because I was worried that people would think I was crazy. After learning about OCD I realized I wasn’t crazy, and that my problem was biological in origin. I’ve been on medication for years now which helps with the panic, and lets me work on dealing with the obsessions.
There’s no shame in finding out about this. It’s not an uncommon disorder and it is treatable.
As I understand it, lots of people exhibit obsessive-compulsive thoughts-behaviors. In and of itself, that shouldn’t be cause for concern or alarm. OCD implies that such thoughts-behaviors begin to intrude on your “normal” life.
So I would agree with the posters that recommend determining if it has affected other areas of your life. If so, seek some professional help. If not, just chalk it up as a personality trait.
I am an obessive-compulsive personality type. And I have had a professional tell me that it isn’t a disorder, and nothing to worry about (and I’ve never felt it impacted the rest of life in any negative manner).
I started going to a pshrink many years ago for hyperactivity. With his help I have made much progress and have found the expeience to be well worth my time and money.