I cant believe there is someone with e same persistent fears as me. I really hope it gets better for u soon. For me, e checking behaviour as nursegirl said, really dont help at all n make me even worse. It dows help when i try to talk it through with someone, like my husband, best friend or e pple on this forum. It does help. I cant even count w number of hig tests i have done already or hw much money ie spent on yhem, its an uphill battle esp since there r sooo many what ifs. Dont troll e internet n do google searches on such things as instead of reassuring u, it will make it worse!
Why don't you give the book "The OCD Workbook: Your Guide to Breaking Free of OCD" a look on Amazon. I think you will find that you are not crazy. OCD stems, or is thought to stem from a neurotransmitter imbalance in our brains. These neurotransmitters affect mood and cell to cell communication. That is why medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors seem to work for OCD. They increase the amount of serotonin that is available for the cells to use.
Give the book a look and if you are still having problems, then you can always make an appointment with a psychologist. They can teach you CBT (Cognitive behavioral therapy) which you can use to help yourself with this worrying you have going on.
I need to find a way to quit worrying bc I'm afraid it's gonna affect my baby..I always thoughtOCD was when people cleaned a lot and couldn't stop washing their hands..I thought I was becoming a schizophrenic or something bc I have these rituals you talked ab like going over the lists of reasons why the things I were thinking weren't true, I always think someone's trying to put something in my drink to drug me. My latest obsession is I keep thinking the week I got pregnant that somehow I don't remember a few hours and someone raped me and the baby will look nothing like my boyfriend.. Even though I remember everything else, I would surely remember something like that and I don't know why I think these insane thoughts but I can't stop.. I'm too scared to tell anyone bc they might think I'm too crazy to have a baby or think I'm trying to hide something I really did when the truth is I have no idea why I keep thinking this.. I did notice when I got pregnant and quit drinking alcohol that I had less anxiety and couldn't create as many scenarios..I'm scared my brains making me think this stuff bc maybe something really did happen to me and I don't know it
Did you read through the entire thread? You are not crazy. You are suffering from OCD more than likely and therapy is the way to go. Take care.
Wow I'm glad I read your thread bc I have never heard anyone else have these same thoughts.. I can't remember how many times after drinking I would convince myself these things happen.. I would always think I got out and did terrible things and maybe just didn't remember.. It got to the point that if I didn't remember every detail of the night I thought something bad happened. I got so paranoid I thought I was going crazy.. So I guess this is OCD? I am pregnant now with my boyfriends child but still thoughts creep in my mind that maybe when I was out one night someone had sex with me and I don't remember it, even though I know that this is absurd thinking, I create scenarios in my head of when things like this could happen and how..it's exhausting to constantly worry ab things I don't even think are true.. But I can't seem to stop doing it.. Any advice? I know i prolly sound crazy!
Nursegirl already answered your question. You are continually seeking reassurance which really isn't going to calm you down because there will be something else you come up with. Therapy is the way to go.
Thanks nursegirl, n i wld knw n wake up ir i sleptwalked n someone stuck me wit a needle right?? Sorry im just tryin to rationalise n calm myself down ...
Do u think i wld have known if i had had sex wit someone in my sleep?
Of course you would. YOU know that too.
You need to get back into therapy ASAP. OCD is a disorder that usually requires always working on it to some extent, even if it's just continuing to do the things a therapist taught you on a regular basis. You know this is your OCD, so you need to be proactive and get help asap before letting it get any worse. You can't just stop everything when you're feeling better, you have to always be on guard and be aware.
You also can do things to help yourself but it's going to require some work on your part. You need to fight the urge to do the "checking" behavior. That means, no searching the internet about it, no videoing yourself, those kinds of things. Sure, your anxiety will spike at first, because the compulsions are done to deal with the anxiety, but in the long run, they make it worse. You have to make a concerted effort NOT to do those things. And the drinking has got to stop, completely. It's self-medicating which can easily lead you to an addiction, plus, like I said before, it will fuel your anxiety terribly. It does that. Also, you're putting yourself in a position to worry more by drinking so much you can't remember. You need to keep a clear, sober mind.
When the thoughts enter your mind, you try to put a stop to them by saying "Enough!" or "Stop!", over and over if you have to. The more you fuel those thoughts, the more your brain gets the message that there IS something to be afraid of. If you take the power away from those thoughts, your brain gets the opposite message, that's there's nothing to fear.
Remember, FEAR IS NOT FACT.
Thanks nursegirl, ....i have been to therapy before bt stopped after i started gettin better i was ctually doin a lot better for quite a few months n then this had to happen again!! :( sometimes i jst throw my hands in e air n sob .im jst so fresked out cos ive read abt pple blackin out under e influence of alcohol n doin stuff bt ive never been one of those pple.. In fact i knw i was asleep fr 50 mins tops.... Do u think i wld have known if i had had sex wit someone in my sleep? I knw itnsounds crazy bt its drivin me mad... I will go readjgf's thread nw
For starters, you need to lay off the alcohol. For one, it fuels anxiety something terrible, and two, it only makes sense not to purposely put yourself in a position of getting so drunk that you're going to go into a tailspin "what iffing". That's a no brainer..
The other thing is, you recognize that these thoughts are irrational, but you can't get your brain to buy it. Part of that is because you're engaging in all of these "checking" behaviors, trying to gather "proof" for yourself that you didn't do anything while sleeping. Those compulsions feed those thoughts. It keeps you stuck.
The MOST important question, what are you doing to work on your OCD? You need to be addressing that with a professional, and if you're not already, you may need to be on medication(s).
You already KNOW that the OCD is the root of your problems, so it's important to work on better managing that so you don't stay stuck in this cycle. Read JGF's thread in this forum entitled "anatomy of a horrific thought". It nicely explains the process behind these intrusive thoughts and how to stop them.
Good luck to you!
Plus now i am really freaking out bug big time n having a panic attack cos i jst checked my fridge n thes a bag of chillis missing i rem cookin n a drunken state bt nt throwin away anythin i asked my husband n he didnt either normally i always knw wat im doin when drunk pls somebody help me m flailing n flailing bad :(
Also i must add tt ive been very stressed out at work lately which explains e drinking i read tt stress n alcohol can trigger sleep walkin/sexsommia tts y im terrified can anyone share their insights on this??