Can you share some real life ocd stories?

There was a person with OCD who always had to check if the doors were locked. Every time they left the house or a room, they would go back and check at least three times. This was really time - consuming and also made them very stressed when they were in a hurry but still felt the need to check.

A person developed real event OCD after a work - related mistake. They were haunted by thoughts of being fired and the negative impact on their career. To recover, they joined a support group. In the group, they heard similar stories from others and learned coping strategies. They also practiced relaxation techniques like meditation. These combined efforts helped them overcome their OCD related to the real event.

A person had real event OCD due to an argument they had with a friend. They kept rethinking every word said during the argument and were worried about ruining the friendship. They joined a support group. In the group, they heard similar stories from others and learned coping strategies. They also practiced relaxation techniques like deep breathing when the obsessive thoughts occurred. Over time, they were able to repair the friendship and move on from the obsessive thinking about the argument.

Sure. One success story is about a person who had severe OCD related to checking things constantly, like whether the doors were locked. Through cognitive - behavioral therapy, they learned to gradually reduce the frequency of checking. They started by setting specific time intervals for checking and slowly increased the time between checks. Eventually, they were able to go about their day without constantly being preoccupied with checking, which greatly improved their quality of life.

Sure. There was a guy with OCD who had to touch every doorknob three times before opening a door. One day, he was in a hurry and only touched it twice by mistake. He spent the whole day worrying about it but later laughed at himself for being so silly.

There was a case where someone with OCD about orderliness. Their entire day was consumed with making sure everything in their house was in perfect alignment. If a book on the shelf was slightly out of place, they would have a panic attack. They spent hours arranging and rearranging things, losing touch with friends and family in the process.

There was someone with OCD about symmetry. Everything in their room had to be perfectly symmetrical. They joined a support group. In the group, they heard from others who had similar experiences. They also worked with a psychologist. The psychologist helped them understand the root cause of their need for symmetry, which was related to a fear of chaos. With time and effort, they started to tolerate a bit of asymmetry in their environment. Little by little, they could function better in normal situations where perfect symmetry was not possible, like in public places or at a friend's house.

Sure. One funny OCD story is about my friend who has to check the stove exactly five times before leaving the house. Once, he was in such a hurry but still couldn't resist doing it. Another is a person who arranges their bookshelf alphabetically by author and genre every single day. It's really obsessive but also quite amusing in a way.

There was a person with OCD who had an obsession with symmetry. Everything in their room had to be perfectly aligned. With the help of exposure and response prevention therapy, they started to expose themselves to slightly asymmetrical situations and resisted the urge to fix them immediately. Over time, their anxiety decreased, and they became more comfortable with imperfection. This led to a great improvement in their daily life and relationships as they no longer let their OCD control them.

A gay individual with OCD might have an obsession with cleanliness in a sexual context. For example, he might worry excessively about STDs even after taking all the proper precautions. He would compulsively wash himself or demand that his partner also engage in extreme cleaning routines, which put a strain on his sexual and emotional well - being.