I told my mom.

[peacealways]

So I finally told my mom about my sexually intrusive thoughts and she did not respond well. :( kind hurt but I am determined to make it through this. I know I'm going to be okay and that I'm not alone in this. I just wish she knew how other people suffered from this...her response did not help the situation but info feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.
I'm gonna be admitted into a hospital tomorrow. There is light at the end of my tunnel and I am gonna make it through this.

[swgrl09]

Well first, well done for opening up to her. That took a lot of courage.

Second, I bet she doesn't understand what you are going through. It's hard for people who don't go through it themselves to really understand. Hopefully when you have treatment, your therapist or psychiatrist can bring her in for a family session or something to help her understand what this is like for you.

I wish you the best in your treatment and at the hospital. You are right, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

[peacealways]

Well first, well done for opening up to her. That took a lot of courage.

Second, I bet she doesn't understand what you are going through. It's hard for people who don't go through it themselves to really understand. Hopefully when you have treatment, your therapist or psychiatrist can bring her in for a family session or something to help her understand what this is like for you.

I wish you the best in your treatment and at the hospital. You are right, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Thank you!

[mgw]

Hey, well done for opening up! I just wanted to share that the guardian newspaper website has a few articles about this which may be useful in getting people to understand- there written by sufferers And a really good at explaining and dispelling the stigma! Well done again!

[MyNameIsTerry]

Keep hanging in there, things will get easier, they do if you keep trying to get through to the other side.

Anxiety & depression are not well understood and there is still a lot of stigma around. Sexual OCD is a more extreme form when it comes to other people understanding because it can make them think of sexual attacks, incest, paedophilia, etc. This is due to lack of education about them.

There is a website in the UK called Time For Change which is trying to tackle this. It is a campaign by a large mental health charity, Rethink. Its full of user stories about their anxiety disorders and they encourage people reading this to understand how their loved ones may feel. I've seen them putting leaflets for this service in large supermarket chains.

http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/

In a thread a few months ago a member, I think it might have been Clarrisse, posted this very useful article of a young woman struggling with sexually intrusive thoughts that was in one of our national newspapers.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/31/pure-ocd-the-naked-truth

Maybe it would help your mum understand that its a legitimate form of OCD?

Keep in touch if you need support of this place, it can help. I hope you get the help you need to get through this? Are you being admitted due to the side effects of the medication on top of it all?

[Jabz]

Dear peacealways,

please have your mom read this article:
http://www.ocdonline.com/#!i-think-it-moved/c1n7y

and many other on the site. Dr. Steven Phillipson is the leading psychologist on OCD which centers around intrusive thoughts.

he does sessions via Skype and I highly highly highly highly suggest him, he has helped many people and his center has changed my life around completely.

If nothing else at least read the articles yourself, REALLY READ THEM. They will change your life, I promise you. Just take 30 minutes out of your life and read them and then have your mother read them.

Educate, educate, educate.