compulsive thoughts, but no real obsessions? confused

stormygrey

I'm not sure whether this is the beginning/symptoms of OCD but I've been feeling the following lately. I didn't used to feel them before, at least not 3 yrs back:

Whenever I think about certain things, I think in a very circular, complicated way, unable to let these thoughts go. sometimes these thoughts involve sex. Sometimes, they are ruined relationships or mistakes I thought I reasoned to myself and let go off, but suddenly come afresh in my mind like the next second.

Sometimes some thoughts scare me, they are negative thoughts that I have towards people, like even my own family members, when they didn't do anything wrong, or my friends, or even sometimes myself. I'm unable to guard myself against these thoughts and its very frustrating. I can't concentrate on the task that I am doing, like maybe reading a book, because in like the 2nd or 3rd page, my mind will catch on to a phrase/word in the book that will trigger some thought(very vaguely related to it), and it goes on and on, and even though somehow I know I'm supposed to be reading the book, my concentration is gone. The sentences will be in front of me, I will be reading them, but they make no sense whatsoever anymore.

i haven't been having obsessions that show outwardly (does that make sense) ie I dont go about arranging things n stuff...making sure things are right... except for one thing. Whenever I see sharp objects, or sharp edges, I want to feel them to feel all right, or maybe like push them aside or smth. Does that make sense? Otherwise I think it will somehow hurt. This happens sometimes.

what I have noticed though is that the way I talk to people has changed.. I don't exactly know how to express this but... I guess I can't really follow what they say sometimes and how it related to what they previously said...and somehow I say things I didn't know how they got out of my mouth, but sometimes,Ijust feel like I have to tell people things.

Can someone tell me if its like OCD or just anxiety or smth.

mariah · Newbie User Joined: Aug 28, 2006 Posts: 2

It could be a bit of both anxiety and ocd. See the thing about depression,anxiety,ocd, all those lovely mental health problems is that they are all related some how,that's why there are a million different medications and diagnoses. You should talk to your doctor. Dont let these things take over your life cause there is always a fix for everything

decadeOfSA

Sable

someoneelse · Newbie User Joined: Sep 27, 2006 Posts: 36

I have read your posting over several times trying to see if anything that you said applied to me. I do have social anxiety but I do not know if that is what you are experiencing. You would need to have someone else decide that for you. The obtrusive thoughts coming to you whenever something reminds you of a past event happens to me every day. It happens so much that it becomes just a normal part of my day. I did look up ANTS which another person spoke of and it comes from a Dr. Daniel Amen which I do not know much of. I am glad that you posted that message it helped me a lot. It made me look at how I think differently then I did before. I hope you get some answers to your questions over time.

Spiralz · Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 11:17 pm Post subject:

It sounds for the most part that you are experiencing obsessions, and minimal or mild tendencies towards compulsions. When a sufferer experiences the initial anxiety of the intrusive thought, this is known as a "spike" ,and the reaction to the spike, which would be you confronting the intrusive thought, is known as "rumination", and the more you confront this thought the worse the obsessive state becomes. To truly overcome obsessions you need to be able to identify these patterns and learn to not allow a spike to get you "stuck in gear" I hope this makes sense, and I hope I've been of some help.