Purely obsessive ocd

[Tom89m]

Hey guys I'm new here and would really appreciate some input from people with ocd mainly obsessional ocd. Basically I smoked some cannabis 8 weeks ago and had a really bad reaction to it and since then iv had a lot of ocd symptoms I got thoughts of harming people which at first scared the crap out off but since googling that anxiety can cause it I'm more ok with it what really sent me over the edge was reading up that I could have ocd and it's literally all I think about every waking second that this could ruin my life I'm a med student and  prone to worry I'm abit of a hypochondriac but I just envision this taking my life from me that il send up depressed loose my girlfriend and have no job it's really gotten me down. Anyway my reason for posting is because I suffer from health anxiety pretty bad and after visitng the psychiatrist today she's convinced thats what I have. I'd really appreciate some insight into just what pure o is like I'm just trying to figure if this is all just in my head I hear that pure o ocd is hard to diagnose and im worried she could be missing it 

[white knight]

Hi Tom,  welcome

So, you are a med student with anxiety...yet you took cannabis ? Doesnt seem logical to me. This might seem harsh but we want to help others but they have to also help themselves.  Stopping that kind of habit would be a good start.

Did you tell your psych you took cannabis? Because if you didnt he/she could be wasting their time.

Hope you get some answers with your OCD questions.

Tony

[geoff]

dear Tom, OCD, one of my favourite topics simply because I've had it for 54 years, and those thoughts that you are having of harming people, and usually of someone close to us, are true.

I used to always think about hurting my Mum, but I loved her so dearly, and in reality I wouldn't, but these thoughts would always consume me, especially when I was with her.

Somehow along the line I learnt that it was a symptom of OCD, because in my early days no one knew that I had it, not even my Dad who was a GP.

Anxiety is the prime cause of OCD and I suppose it's not too hard for me to diagnose it, and there are ways which can reduce these feelings, which maybe extreme and that's by CBT and the medication I take is meant for OCD as well as depression.

Please remember that I've had it for a long time, been through a marriage (not because of OCD) had 2 sons and now 2 beautiful grand daughters, 3 and 6 months old and was self employed for a long time so please get back to me so that we talk about it some more. Geoff.

[Tom89m]

Thanks for the reply mate just to clarify his was my first time taking cannabis it was in Amsterdam I had a sever reaction to it and would never touch it again I should have known better being a med student but the past 8 weeks have been hell since filled with anxiety and intrusive thoughts. I feel I have control over the aggressive stuff but I still can't clear my mind and it frustrates me I can't study or relax I just don't know if it's pure o or genera anxiety 

[Tom89m]

Thanks for the reply Geoff appreciate it a lot. at the minute I'm just really confused since my psychiatrist diagnosed me with health anxiety she doesn't seem to get the intrusive thoughts I had. These were sever at first  but I would get a flash image of me harming a friend or family membe at first it traumatised me but now I just say it's a thought and let it wash over me I wonder if I truly have ocd or was the anxiety inducing those thoughts in me. Since then I can't the thought of ocd out of my mind I need to know if I have it it's all I think about and can't stop 

[geoff]

dear Tom, thanks for replying back to us.

OK lets start slowly, these thoughts are definitely an OCD trait, but I need to know else you may do, and I'll give you a few examples: keep having to wash your hands, keep checking the door to see if it is locked or closed, keep repeating chores on a continual basis, not being able to walk on the lines on the concrete pathway, going back to see if the lights are off, even though you they are but you have to check on them, making sure that the oven is off by going back to it several times, counting to a certain number all the time, keep touching something while you count, you know that it's right but you have to keep touching or checking on it to a particular number.

The fact that you keep thinking about OCD all the time is an indication that it's because you have OCD, so get back to me and tell what sort of things you do on a continual basis everyday, or that you have to do , then I can tell you for sure if you have it, but it sort of heading towards that do have it. Geoff.

[geoff]

dear Tom, have a look at the post by 'ALL, My Story' this is also about OCD , or if you can't find it it may have moved onto page 2 by now. Geoff.

[Tom89m]

Hey Geoff

 this is what really bothers me I don't seem to have any of the real OCD traits I had the thoughts of harm at the start but they have since stopped the only thing I notice is il be having a good time with friends or something then I just get this sudden feeling of anxiousness and I start thinking about ocd and then I can't stop. Also I watched a video about a guy who couldn't stop noticing his swallow and now I have started to notice it I don't know if this is all just health anxiety or I really may have some form I OCD. Thanks for all the feedback 

[geoff]

dear Tom, thanks for replying.

You keep saying that you think about OCD, so can I ask you what do think OCD is. Geoff.