OCD Attacks

OCD attacks

In the past few years, I’ve seen a wide spread of information about panic attacks and how to handle them and help someone who is suffering from one. I am incredibly happy and grateful for this, yet I also want more people to know about a similar kind of situation that I have gone through countless times.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical expert by any means, I am just a person who has struggled with OCD throughout their life. These are things that would be helpful for more people to know about OCD attacks and that hopefully help them understand it a bit better.

What is an OCD attack?

An OCD attack is similar to a panic attack, except it is brought on due to the obsessive fears of obsessive-compulsive disorder. It can often seem confusing or irrational to a bystander, but you always have to understand that you are not in the afflicted person’s mind, and you don’t know the thoughts that led up to the attack.

An OCD attack may be a combination of knee-jerk reflexes, built-up stress, and genuine fear about a situation. The person might be truly mentally distressed, or it could be mostly a bodily reaction that they can’t control. It is always a terrifying, even debilitating thing to go through.

An example of an OCD attack:

Amy suffers from OCD. For months, she has had an obsessive fear of causing a car accident, and it has been getting worse and worse. She started driving longer routes to avoid passing by other cars in order to avoid an accident, and eventually she stopped driving altogether. But even that didn’t end her obsession. Amy is now afraid of anything related to cars, even anything that reminds her of cars.

One day, Amy is talking to her friend Matt, and the two of them overhear a conversation about a car. Even though it is irrational, Amy’s obsession is so strong that she becomes afraid that just hearing that conversation will cause Matt to crash his car. Terrified, she asks Matt not to drive home, imagining that he’ll get into a car accident if he does. She knows that this doesn’t make sense, which distresses her even more. Matt knows that Amy has OCD, but he doesn’t understand why she’s so afraid of him crashing his car just because she heard a conversation about a car.

Things to remember if you witness someone having an OCD attack:

Their incoming thoughts are not rational, and may even be very illogical, but they probably already know this. Telling them that they aren’t thinking clearly or aren’t making sense is not a surprise to them, and can make them feel like you don’t understand what’s happening or make them feel even more afraid.

Engaging in someone’s compulsions for them might temporarily lessen their panic, but it will cause them more anxiety and panic later. OCD is a vicious cycle. It’s best to just assist the person by being there for them while they calm their body down, instead of trying to perform their compulsions to satisfy their OCD. In order to make progress to recover from OCD, that person has to choose not to engage in their compulsions.

The human body has a very powerful response system to both real and imagined threats. Once it has been triggered, it usually takes five to twenty minutes to calm down, and it can have lasting effects afterward. When someone is in a fight-or-flight (or freeze) response like this, their body will prioritize their strength, speed, and reflexes over their clear thinking. Even if the person is trying their best to calm down and think clearly, it will probably take time.

The slow, deep intake of oxygen has been proven time and time again to encourage the body to go back into its usual calm state. Oxygen flow to the brain also allows for clearer thinking, and slow, deep breathing is an instinct that is easy for a distressed person to focus on.

If you do accidentally something that freaks them out, know that it is not your fault. You probably couldn’t have known that what you did would trigger that person’s OCD, and it is a mistake that could happen to anyone.

Whatever inconvenience the OCD attack is causing YOU as a bystander is probably a lot less inconvenience than it is causing the person. No one in the world would want or choose for this to happen to themselves. Not only is an OCD attack interruptive, it is stressful, exhausting, and can feel embarrassing. Furthermore, their whole day can be thrown off because of the attack, which makes all kinds of inconveniences for them. This should be an unspoken rule, but unfortunately some people don’t forget it: do not make someone feel like they are burdening you because they are suffering, because that is unnecessary and can even make it worse for them.

Things that can help someone who is having an OCD attack:

Telling them that you’re there for them and offering to stay with them for as long as they need.

Telling them that you have faith in them, you know that they will feel better soon,

Asking if there are any therapy strategies that they are supposed to use for an OCD attack, and offering to help them with it.

Telling them that there’s no rush, that they can have all the time they need to feel better. Sometimes, in a state of panic, it can be extremely overwhelming to think that you are stealing someone’s time or ruining your own schedule. Hearing that there isn’t a rush can be a huge relief in and of itself.

Offering to listen if they want to talk about what’s happening to them.

If the person is afraid to do something (eat, touch an object, leave the house…), you can offer to do it together.

Offering to hold their hand, give them a hug, or whatever their preference is.

Offering to help with anything they need after the attack, such as taking them home or handling responsibilities for them. Sometimes a person can feel extremely overwhelmed not just because of the trigger, but because they don’t know how they will keep going after they’ve calmed down. Offering to take some things off their shoulders and help them can also be a huge relief in and of itself.

Providing a distraction like an interesting conversation, a simple task, or a change of scenery. Even if the person doesn’t directly engage in it, it can still be helpful for them to just watch or listen to you.

Taking deep breaths, even if they don’t do it themselves.

Getting them a glass of water.

Getting them a sensory object like an ice cube or ice pack, a fidget toy, a mint or piece of gum, or any other safe substance that can help to reconnect them with the outside world via their senses.

Getting them a grounding tool that they already use for OCD attacks, like a fidget toy or noise blockers. Some people keep items like this in a backpack or purse. There are even apps you can get on your phone that they might already have.

Giving them privacy or helping them go somewhere with more privacy. It can be even more overwhelming to feel embarrassed or stared at when you’re already distressed.

Thank you immensely for reading this post. I hope it is helpful. If you want to suggest any changes or additions, please comment or reblog! Like I said, I am not an expert, but this has information has come from many, many days going through this stuff. And if you need someone to talk to about it, or you have questions, I’ll do my very best to help you.

get hydraulic pressed idiot

My OCD is doing much better lately! That was an annoying rough patch, but hopefully, I’m out of the woods again. I want to celebrate by sharing a blurry picture of Zeke!

this fur texture is incredible!!!

Helga loves to sleep 💤

i genuinely hate how people have to sit and write a post that stands out while boosting a fundraiser because most people won't bat an eye at the misery and inhumane conditions Palestinians are living in.

i see people making art and telling others to use it because fundraisers with art are generally reblogged more often. i see people using colored text in order to make the post more eye catching.

palestinians on instagram are using popular audios and stitch trending reels at the beginning to make the world pay attention to them. imagine having to make something look entertaining in order to survive.

they are living under constant threat of israeli airstrikes, bombing, scarcity of food and disease. many have lost a lot in the past few months.

palestinians on tumblr are posting their pictures and the horrible conditions in which they are living. they travel long distances for internet connection only to be called a scammer by some privileged ass who cannot locate gaza on a map.

here are some verified gfms. please share the linked posts. it's the bare minimum we can do from the comforts of our home.

@amjadshiltawu: link to the post

vetted

@dima96yousef: link to the post

vetted

@tamer200333: link to the post

vetted

@ahmed8311: link to the post

vetted (#161)

@saratahrawi: link to the post

vetted

This is ridiculous now. We have so many people posting about Siraj. We have so many artists holding commissions or raffles for Siraj, and yet for hours on end Siraj's campaign stagnates.

In 6 hours today Siraj raised only $25 CAD in donation!

A man spends hours on this godforsaken website to network with people, he spends hours away from his family- risking his life just so he may get an Internet connection to reach out to you all, and then for all of his trouble, he gets to raise only $25 CAD in 6 hours???? Fuck you all !!

Siraj does not even have the liberty to talk in his mother tongue! This man has to patiently use machine translator to speak to you in the language you understand, instead of it being the other way round. He has to make sure to cross that bridge of communication and yet you all are so shitty, that the moment he is out of your sight, he is out of your mind...like fuck you even my mother tongue is not English. I am so angry right now that I want to scream at you in my own tongue, but instead I have to attempt to construct a proper sentence in English for you all to read.

Every single day I am out here, writing to boost Siraj's fundraiser- begging people to edit my writing so that it can be considered good enough to go out into tumblr. So that it may hold your attention. Everyday I have to experiment with font sizes and colours- hoping that you all read! But nothing. Nothing at all. You all do not listen that he has to reach 30k CAD by tomorrow.

So ultimately the fact is that nothing matters on tumblr. Not the fact that Siraj is running himself ragged between caring for his son who has fallen sick and messaging you on tumblr. Not the fact that so many of us are boosting his posts, or holding art commissions for him. No tumblr is of course tumblr, and a post needs to hit just right to even consider a donation, because yeah Free Palestine and all that in rhetoric but fuck the actual Palestinian man in Gaza who is trying to rebuild his home.

Like to think there are so many leftist political discussions on this site reaching hundreds of thousands notes. Like lol you all just love to put that shit on your blog and bask in it 😂😂 you all don't want to click on links. You all don't want to donate. You all don't want to adopt fundraisers. You all don't want to boost. What the fuck do you want to do then???

I don't know if you all will even bother to take your time to read this. But right now Siraj is at $27,720 CAD. Find it in yourself to donate. Please get him to 30k by tomorrow. If you cannot find it in yourself to boost the post. Take it out if tumblr if you have to!

gofundme.com

Donate to Support Siraj's Family in Rebuilding Their Home, organized by Ahmad Abudayeh

hi, my name is ahmad and I'm raising a fund for my cousin Siraj and thi… Ahmad Abudayeh needs your support for Support Siraj's Family in Reb

( vetting at number 219 on Hussein's list)