(person A) “I am so mad that you went on that business trip during Valentine’s Day.” (person B) “I didn’t even realize that you didn’t want me to go.” (person A) “I was hoping you would just KNOW how important it was to me and decide on your own not to go.” (person B) “If you would have told me how important it was to you that I be here for Valentine’s Day, I wouldn’t have gone on the business trip.” (lots of outraged people) PERSON B IS GASLIGHTING PERSON A! Are they, though? Sounds more like a pretty typical argument between couples rather than gaslighting.  The ..read more

If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder, you might have certain compulsions that are primarily or entirely mental. This can make your experience feel quite different from individuals who have physical symptoms. There are several ways in which mental compulsions or purely obsessive symptoms manifest. The symptoms include:  mental checking  reviewing “good” vs “bad” thoughts  ruminations or revisiting  mental reassurance  scripting   counting or mentally organizing/compartmentalizing  going through “lucky” phrases  Understanding Pure O  Some ..read more

Tips for Managing OCD During the Uncertainty of COVID-19  The uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic may impact OCD symptoms for some individuals. If you are an individual who had an increase in symptoms during COVID-19 lockdowns, it’s possible you are feeling anxious about changes in restrictions and mask mandates. Here are some tips to help you navigate these uncertain transitions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Combating Perfectionism  The reality is, no one is going to be perfect about following COVID-19 guidelines. We are all humans, and there are a lot of challenges to balance ..read more

When you speak to many individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder, you will hear different perspectives on how the symptoms came to be and how they were diagnosed. Often there is a stereotype that all folks with OCD are extremely neat and orderly. In reality, OCD can affect different aspects of a person’s life, ranging from occurrences of contamination fears to sexual orientation anxiety. Due to the variety of symptoms and their association with other psychiatric disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder is at a higher risk of misidentification.  A survey conducted between 2012 and 201 ..read more

While attending OCDPeers weekly group on intrusive thoughts, I took notes to help myself process and reflect on my OCD recovery journey. While listening to other people’s stories I started writing little affirmations and reminders to keep to myself as I continued down my path to recovery. I find it very helpful to look back to these reminders or challenging days or whenI need an extra boost of support.  Here are some of the reminders I kept:  I am not too sensitive/dramatic/emotional. Sometimes our intrusive thoughts try to convince us of something that isn’t true. So often I try to ..read more

Self-Love a Gateway to Freedom from Shame  What is shame?  Shame is an emotion any human being can experience regardless of their mental health. It is insidious, heavy, and sometimes painful. Shame brings on a slew of other emotions like anger, embarrassment, fear, and sadness. Even though it is part of the human experience, there is still work we can do to help those who experience shame reduce the intensity of that emotion. In the OCD community, many individuals have vocalized their experiences with shame. Although shame might be a side effect of an OCD diagnosis, there is so much ..read more

As you continue down your path of OCD recovery and/or treatment, you will begin to learn that the road is not perfectly linear nor consistent. Everyone’s path and treatment plan is different, and there is no “ideal” timeline. The goal of anyone’s recovery journey is to make OCD symptoms more manageable. Beyond the walls of treatment, there are components like boundaries and interpersonal relationships that can impact experiences around OCD. It’s important to recognize how obsessive-compulsive disorder and personal boundaries can go hand-in-hand to help guide your journey to recovery.  Wha ..read more

Each individual with obsessive-compulsive disorder has a unique and customized treatment plan. In many cases, that includes the use of medication in tandem with ERP (exposure response prevention). An effective and proven medication for OCD treatment is a drug called a SSRI (Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor). Although SSRI’s are commonly used for depression, the use of this treatment helps OCD patients see a reduction of 40% to 60% of frequency in symptoms.  According to the IOCDF (International OCD Foundation), over half of OCD patients will need to be on at least a low grade dose of medicati ..read more

If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder, you might have certain compulsions that are primarily or entirely mental. This can make your experience feel quite different from individuals who have physical symptoms. There are several ways in which mental compulsions or purely obsessive symptoms manifest. The symptoms include:  mental checking  reviewing “good” vs “bad” thoughts  ruminations or revisiting  mental reassurance  scripting   counting or mentally organizing/compartmentalizing  going through “lucky” phrases  Understanding Pure O  Some ..read more

Orthorexia is a type of eating disorder that focuses on the general quality or purity of health/food, but can expand to impact other areas of health related anxiety. In my case, there was a direct link in symptoms between disordered eating and obsessive-compulsive disorder.  I was afraid for my health In my early twenties I was very sick due to a thyroid disorder and became very afraid of losing my health entirely. I was having an array of symptoms that made it challenging to manage my day to day life. With the diagnosis I received I also subconsciously received the green flag to begin ob ..read more