Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum - Tumblr Posts

I want to tell all my pals with OCD out there that I love you 💛 your progress might not be perfect, and maybe you’ve just been focusing on getting to the next day, but I’m still very, very proud of you for being in this world and doing your best. You will go further and get stronger every day. I love you and I’m so lucky to share this world with you.

Here’s a picture that I took a little ways from my house. If you’d like, reblog this post with or comment something that makes you feel happy, or just talk about something if you need to. I’m here and I’m by your side.

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.

I remember seeing Encanto for the first time when I was going through a rough patch with my OCD. Even if he wasn’t written with the disorder in mind, I think Tío Bruno is a wonderful character that can help other people understand how it feels to have OCD, or any other mental illness. Though I do think his “superstitions” were more portrayed as “kookiness” rather than an actual coping mechanism. I appreciate how tired he seems, because being on constant high-alert against something you can’t explain, losing yourself in terrifying thoughts at seemingly every turn, and fighting against yourself and your fear hour by hour is a deeply tiring life to live. I remember watching that movie and thinking about it for weeks and even months afterward. It felt very calming and reassuring to see another person going through these cycles while also trying to be part of his family.

Random psychology disorder (somewhat) explained #3 (Factitious Disorder)

Diagnostic Criteria

Factitious Disorder Imposed on Self

A. Falsification of physical or psychological signs or symptoms, or induction of injury or disease, associated with identified deception.

B. The individual presents himself or herself to others as ill, impaired, or injured.

C. The deceptive behavior is evident even in the absence of obvious external rewards.

D. The behavior is not better explained by another mental disorder, such as delusional disorder or another psychotic disorder.

Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (Previously Factitious Disorder by Proxy)

A. Falsification of physical or psychological signs or symptoms, or induction of injury or disease, in another, associated with identified deception.

B. The individual presents another individual (victim) to other as ill, impaired, or injured.

C. The deceptive behavior is evident even in the absence of external rewards.

D. The behavior is not better explained by another mental disorder, such as delusional disorder or another psychotic disorder.

Note: The perpetrator, not the victim, receives the diagnosis.

Diagnostic Features

The essential feature of factitious disorder is the falsification of medical or psychological signs and symptoms in the individual or others that are associated with the identified deception.

Individuals with factitious disorder can also seek treatment for themselves or another following induction of injury or disease.

The diagnosis requires demonstrating that the individual is taking surreptitious actions to misrepresent, simulate, or cause signs or symptoms of illness or injury even in the absence of obvious external rewards.

The diagnosis of factitious disorder emphasizes the objective identification of falsification of signs and symptoms of illness and not the individual motivations of the falsifier.

Methods of illness falsification can include exaggeration, fabrication, simulation, and induction.

While a preexisting medical condition may be present, the deceptive behavior or induction of injury associated with deception causes others to view such individuals (or, in the case of factitious disorder imposed on another, the victim) as more ill or impaired, and this can lead to excessive clinical intervention.

Individuals with factitious disorder might, for example, report feelings of depression and suicidal thoughts or behavior following the death of a spouse despite the death not being true or the individual's not having a spouse; deceptively report episodes of neurological symptoms (e.g., seizures, dizziness, or blacking out); manipulate a laboratory test (e.g., by adding blood to urine) to falsely indicate an abnormality; falsify medical records to indicate an illness; ingest a substance (e.g., insulin or warfarin) to induce an abnormal laboratory result or illness; or physically injure themselves or induce illness in themselves or another (e.g., by injecting fecal material to produce an abscess or to induce sepsis).

Although individuals with factitious disorder most often present to health care professionals for treatment of their factitious symptoms, some individuals with factitious disorder choose to mislead community members in person or online about illness or injury without necessarily engaging health care professionals.

Associated Features

Individuals with factitious disorder imposed on self or factitious disorder imposed on another are at risk for experiencing great psychological distress or functional impairment by causing harm to themselves and others.

Family, friends, faith leaders, and health care professionals are also often adversely affected by their behavior (e.g., devoted time, attention, and resources to provide medical care and emotional support to the falsifier).

Individuals with factitious disorder imposed on another sometimes falsely allege the presence of educational deficits or disabilities in their children for which they demand special attention, often at considerable inconvenience to education professionals.

Whereas some aspects of factitious disorders might represent criminal behavior (e.g., factitious disorder imposed on another, in which the parent's actions represent abuse and maltreatment of a child), such criminal behavior and mental illness are not mutually exclusive.

Moreover, such behaviors, including the induction of injury or disease, are associated with deception.

Differential Diagnosis

Deception to avoid legal liability. Caregivers who lie about abuse injuries in dependents solely to protect themselves from liability are not diagnosed with factitious disorder imposed on another because protection from liability is an external reward (Criterion C, the deceptive behavior is evident even in the absence of obvious external rewards).

Such caregivers who, upon observation, analysis of medical records, and/or interviews with others, are found to lie more extensively than needed for immediate self-protection are diagnosed with factitious disorder imposed on another.

Somatic symptom and related disorders. In somatic symptom disorder and the care-seeking type of illness anxiety disorder, there may be excessive attention and treatment seeking for perceived medical concerns, but there is no evidence that the individual is providing false information or behaving deceptively.

Malingering. Malingering is differentiated from factitious disorder by the intentional reporting of symptoms for personal gain (e.g., money, time off work).

In contrast, the diagnosis of factitious disorder requires that the illness falsification is not fully accounted for by external rewards.

Factitious disorder and malingering are not mutually exclusive, however.

The motives in any single case might be multiple and shifting depending on the circumstances and reactions of others.

Functional neurological symptom disorder (conversion disorder). Functional neurological symptom disorder is characterized by neurological symptoms that are inconsistent with neurological pathophysiology.

Factitious disorder with neurological symptoms is distinguished from functional neurological symptom disorder by evidence of deceptive falsification of symptoms.

Borderline personality disorder. Deliberate physical self-harm in the absence of suicidal intent can also occur in association with other mental disorders such as borderline personality disorder.

Factitious disorder requires that the induction of injury occur in association with deception.

Medical condition or mental disorder not associated with intentional symptom falsifitcation. Presentation of signs and symptoms of illness that do not conform to an identifiable medical condition or mental disorder increases the likelihood of the presence of a factitious disorder.

However, the diagnosis of factitious disorder does not exclude the presence of a true medical condition or mental disorder, as comorbid illness often occurs in the individual along with factitious disorder.

For example, individuals who might manipulate blood sugar levels to produce symptoms may also have diabetes.

More people need to know that:

You can have mood swings and abandonment issues without having BPD.

You can have problems with change and social issues without having autism.

You can have intrusive thoughts and compulsions without having OCD.

Yes, those traits are the criteria for those disorders but you can have the traits without having the actual disorder.

If it doesn’t cause distress to you or the people around you, it’s a personality trait not a disorder.

Unpopular Opinion

Self-diagnosing is invalid.

It can spend false information and harm the people who actually have said disorder.

(Just look at the "endogenic systems".)

how bitches who say “i let the intrusive thoughts win!!! 😜” look at me after i give them actual examples of my intrusive thoughts

“oh my god…you should get that checked out D:”

actually i have it’s called ocd and i have it idk if you noticed

how bitches who say “i let the intrusive thoughts win!!! 😜” look at me after i give them actual examples of my intrusive thoughts