Changing Obsessions.. Anyone know what to do? Please help, any advice would be great

[nikica]

Hello!

I've struggled with POCD, ROCD, Schiz OCD, HOCD, health OCD, all in the matter of a few months.

Lately, as soon as I came to peace with ROCD, my old POCD fears came up again!!

How do I get rid of this for good?? I'm so tired and scared that I'll live with these changing themes forever, each causing me just as much anxiety as the previous. What can I do to make it stop?

I feel like I can't catch a break.

Thank you so much I hope you're all doing well.

[Apple86]

Hi nikica,

I can't answer your question as to how to stop the OCD thought cycle, but know that you're not alone - I've recently been diagnosed by a psychiatrist with anorexia (in recovery), with co-morbid health anxiety, panic attacks and obsessional thoughts and images. My obsessional thoughts switch themes, like they're on a cycle. It's normally health OCD, schiz OCD, harm OCD. I'm starting to think I've been having ROCD for a while without realising it too. Once I feel reassured about one thought, my mind flips to the next theme. I'm always trying to figure out which is worse but in truth they're all equally as distressing.

I find some relief from these thoughts by pure 100% distraction. Although sometimes, if distraction doesn't work, this compounds my Schiz OCD as I start to think that I'm paranoid. I've had real worries about my paranoia rcently. Erghhh, it's so hard.

[Prospector]

Look at the underlying thought patterns. It seems like you entertain perfection quite well given that you have listed your 'types' which can be a good thing (tends to be more intelligent people who are so rational in their approach to life) . I would argue they all have the same problem: not recognising thoughts as anything beyond thoughts. Remind yourself this as if you don't perceive thoughts as threatening your OCD will significantly subside. If you take the thoughts seriously, what you presume to be schizophrenia symptoms are going to be anxiety fight or flight symptoms.

Also, a good way to approach these kind of things is to be a positivist or futurist. Obviously you have OCD and the themes manifest as fearful ideas. Take schiz, obviously it can be a serious condition to some. But ultimately it is down to misperceptions do to irregularities in areas of the brain. Neuroscientific understanding about neurotransmitters will ultimately be responsible for curing this condition at some point in the (arguably near) future.