intrusive thoughts

[redwingslions]

hi, im red
this started about 3 weeks ago and its been on my mind non stop. it all started when i started my new job with my friends dad and all of a sudden i had an image of stabbing my friend. scared the crap outta me. thats all i could think about every day and thought i was going mad. then the thought left about my friend and started to think of my girlfriend being harmed. it scares me to death! so i went to my doctor and was put on an SSRI (its been about 2 weeks now) the thoughts have went from that to feeling like a pedo and seeing males on tv thinking "do i think hes attractive" (i know im not gay, i like women, its just like these triggers are making me think otherwise) Will this ever go away? its ruining my life basically and wont let me enjoy life like i did a month ago :(

please write back

thanks.

[JGF25]

You don't have to worry, you can live a normal life with OCD.  You can get married and start a family.  The key is to know what works for you.  In the beginning Prozac and klonopin worked very well for me along with the CBT I learned.  If I did have a thought, I could quickly let it go with a "whatever" statement.  They were very few and far inbetween.  When I went off medication, I knew that if it ever came roaring back I could just simply take the meds again and I would be fine.  I think that helped me a lot.  Kind of like a safety net.  I spent many years without meds.  I had mild OCD but it was definitely manageable.  This past May I had a trigger and it started up again only this time the thoughts were more financial in nature.  I went on meds again, fell back on my CBT and I am now back to "normal."  No problems other than the occasional panic attack which I know how to deal with.  The key for me is to not give in to the OCD.  

So rest assured that you can and will be able to live a normal life.  You have already given yourself a good start my seeking out help.  So many people post on here and then don't do anything to help themselves so they suffer and suffer needlessly.  

If you have any problems, need to talk about a particular thought, you can always PM me.  I started in my teenage years and I'm now 47.  I have been married for 22 years and I have 2 sons 17 and 15.  So if anything, I am an example that you can lead a normal life.  So keep that in the back of your mind.

[redwingslions]

thank you very much for the responses everyone.
JGF, did it go away for you or subside? im just worried that ittll be in the back of my mind forever. that would be terrible because id definitely like to start a family one day.

thanks again!

[JGF25]

Hi there and welcome to the OCD forum.  I'm glad you have sought treatment for your irrational thoughts.  As far as the SSRI goes, it really takes a good 4 to 6 weeks to really see the full benefits of the medication so you need to give it more time.  

As for the irrational thoughts you are having, I had very similar ones.  What I did, and I'm not a doctor so you can try this if you want, I went into a dark room and I pictured myself doing the act that I was scared I would do such as stabbing someone.  It is a type of exposure therapy.  When I pictured this in my mind, I quickly realized that it was something that I would never ever do.  If the thought came back, I did the vizualization again.  

If after the 4 to 6 weeks you are struggling, then you should seek the help of a psychologist who can teach you cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that you can use to go along with the medication.  

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.  

[redwingslions]

hey there, when did this start happening to you?
i wonder why we obsess about it. do you think we'll stop thinking these things and have you researched anything about this?

[hatchet4sickness]

thats similar to me,i know im strait but i look at girls and think,is she hot,then i catch myself.im ashamed of a few things,here goes, i have this really cute baby nephew, and i love him very much,well i had this evil picture of a baby beings swung in the air and hitting its head.and more crazie things.my ocd makes me doubt every fact i have ever heard