Obsessive-compulsive disorder + social phobia, how can it be relieved?

Dear question asker, I hope this message finds you well. I just wanted to send you a warm hug from afar to comfort your wounded heart.

Perhaps we could take a look at your problems together?

You mentioned that you have OCD and that you check things repeatedly after you've done them. For example, you wash your hands many times, and you wash your clothes many times too, for fear that they haven't been cleaned properly. It would be helpful to understand how many times you say you do it.

It's worth noting that psychology has a rule for obsessive-compulsive disorder: doing something repeatedly many times. It's possible that you haven't yet reached the standard of that rule. You mentioned that you have peripheral vision obsession and drooling obsession.

You mentioned that you have a condition that affects your peripheral vision. Whenever someone enters your peripheral vision, you notice them. You also said that at school, you are afraid to make eye contact with your teachers and classmates. You said that you have a condition that affects your ability to control your saliva. Sometimes you can't help swallowing. Once you do, the student next to you will imitate you. Once he does, you will be unable to stop doing it.

After you've had a chance to work through your issues, I'm curious if you've made any new discoveries. I get the sense that you're naturally reserved and cautious. Given your upbringing, it's understandable that you're not as comfortable in social settings. It's also understandable that you're concerned about making eye contact with others and that you're worried about your classmates copying your actions.

It's possible that your social phobia may be related to what you said about having social anxiety. It seems that your shyness and fear of social interaction may have contributed to the development of your social phobia.

You are clear-thinking and logical, good at thinking, and aware of and analyze yourself. You have many more advantages that you may not yet recognize, and your advantages may also be the envy of others. You can be more self-confident, encourage yourself to go out, don't be afraid to make a fool of yourself, believe in yourself, and get along with your classmates and friends more. Maybe one day these problems you mentioned will be solved naturally.

I hope my answer is helpful. I wish you the best and I love you.

Hi, I'm Meng Xiaoxiao, a student at Yi Psychological Consulting. After reading your account, I can see how uncontrollable obsessive behavior has affected your life and emotions. I just wanted to give you a warm hug.

Before we get into this, I just want to know if you've been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder or social phobia by a hospital psychiatrist. Have you ever taken medication to control your symptoms?

These messages will give us some key insights for the next part of our discussion.

Every symptom has its own meaning.

When it comes to compulsive behavior, we can take a step back and ask ourselves why we want to check things over and over again. Why do we worry that there is still laundry detergent left in our clothes?

What's really behind my fears? And when it comes to that fear of the corner of the eye, what am I actually afraid of?

When I see someone in the corner of my eye, what are my initial thoughts about that person? What behaviors do I anticipate from that person?

Do you still want to keep yourself invisible?

Maybe when we understand our true underlying needs, we can accept our behavior. Often, some behaviors also serve to protect ourselves, and they protect our vulnerable hearts and spare us from feeling pain.

If the symptoms stick around for a while—like, a lot—and really start to affect your life and social interactions, it's probably a good idea to chat with a psychiatrist.

I hope what I say will give you some inspiration.

Hello, I can feel your panic, confusion, and trembling.

I've been there. I was studying.

I can tell you how I got over it.

1. Spend more time outside and with other people.

I only realized this later. When I felt forced and anxious, I would ask myself to discuss issues, go outdoors, and avoid new environments.

2. I was criticized for this in the past. For example, when I wasn't looking at someone, they said I was looking at them.

I was also very anxious and didn't know I had this problem. Later, I would distance myself from people who mocked me.

Second, I will be a good person. Other people's misunderstandings are their own business.

3. Know yourself. I can keep my distance, but I still have this problem.

I later realized that eye contact isn't always bad. At least I can quickly detect changes and danger.

Take a break. It's not worth stressing over small things.

Just do what you know is right, and you'll feel better.

4. Focus. You may not think this will help much, or you may think your inability to focus is causing the problem.

Focus on the learning process and knowledge points. Don't focus on swallowing or peripheral vision.

If you think about swallowing or looking around, drink some water or keep reading.

Good luck!

Hello!

Thank you for your trust.

You describe some OCD symptoms in your post.

1) You check if you forgot something when leaving a place.

2) You wash things many times, worrying about whether they are clean enough.

3) You read word by word.

The three phenomena are related to life and learning. They are compulsive thinking and actions you acquired during your growth. You had a demanding and/or perfectionist parent, or you have a tendency towards perfection.

To overcome this, you need to tackle the problem from a cognitive perspective. For example, you need to check if you've left anything behind when leaving a place.

What if you left something behind? What's the worst that could happen?

Can I handle the consequences of not double-checking? Ask yourself these questions, and then do less checking.

When washing things, you worry that they haven't been cleaned properly and wash them repeatedly. Is it because you can't accept that the laundry hasn't been cleaned properly, or because of the smell of the washing detergent?

What if it isn't cleaned right or has a detergent smell? Is it harmful if laundry isn't cleaned right or has a detergent smell?

What emotional changes might it cause? Can you describe them?

You read words one by one. Is there a voice in your head saying, "Be careful"?

"This behavior may be related to an excess of neurotransmitters. Relieving this state starts with cognitive correction.

I don't know your age, but you seem to be able to think logically.

When we read, we read quickly. What impact does this have? Can I accept it?

If you can't accept it, how anxious are you?

These behaviors are common in young people during social interactions, but the intensity varies. Your situation is more prominent and is related to your upbringing.

These behaviors show a lack of self-confidence and anxiety.

You notice other people more. You jump when they move. There is a similar situation (you may have read this article): "When the donkey barked, the tiger was so frightened that it fled."

This is a normal stress response.

The latter part of the problem requires improving self-confidence and relieving anxiety. You can build self-confidence through learning, starting with small things that are easy to achieve.

To relieve anxiety, first assess the level of anxiety. Depending on the intensity, use different types of relaxation methods, such as breathing or progressive muscle relaxation.

Try progressive muscle relaxation (you can search for it online). Also, meditate every day, pay attention to yourself, feel your emotions, and accept yourself. Follow this three-step process and make progress a little bit every day.

I'm Chu Mingdeng. I love you.

Give the questioner a hug! The questioner's obsessions seem to exist in their thoughts and actions. Whether it is glancing around or checking, it all reflects the extreme unease in the questioner's mind. These situations have been going on for a long time.

You feel insecure and want to check you are safe. You are always uneasy and focused on this unease, making it hard to concentrate on others during interactions. This leads to misunderstandings and responses that are difficult to understand and accept. It can be said that OCD and social phobia affect each other.

Every behavior has a reason. The questioner can try to understand what their obsessive thoughts and behaviors mean to them. This includes understanding why they look at others in the corner of their eyes. Understanding the deeper meaning behind these behaviors will also help you find out what is affecting you.

To help, accept your fear of looking at people in the corner of your eye. Look at people directly instead to see what happens.

However, you need to let your feelings exist for a while, then do what you did above again to see what happens.

Looking at others with the corner of your eye can make them feel disrespected and scorned. They will react defensively and aggressively. They will not see your fear and will misunderstand you. You will feel attacked and defend yourself, which makes you even more afraid. You will feel more negative and powerless, and afraid of social relationships.

To break this pattern, look at others directly instead of using peripheral vision. Even if you want to look at others with your peripheral vision, look at them directly and express yourself with words.

The poster described many details of life, mentioning obsessive thoughts and behaviors. It can be seen that the poster pays attention to life and will actively search for information when facing difficulties.

These thoughts are repeated ideas, impulses, etc. that cause distress and are hard to control. They are not about real problems but are strange and unnecessary worries.

Obsessive behavior is a response to obsessive thoughts. It can include external behaviors like washing or checking, or internal activities like counting or repeating words.

Obsessive thoughts are often out of control and make people feel very anxious. This can lead to excessive behavior to try to reduce the anxiety.

Most people with OCD are female and it usually starts in early adolescence or young adulthood.

Studies show that about 62% of people with OCD also have another mental disorder. OCD often coexists with major depression, social anxiety, and specific phobias.

Mentioning these things is to tell the host that there have been many studies on this type of mental disorder and that we can trust doctors and therapists to help us.

You should know that this type of mental disorder requires a psychiatrist to diagnose it. From your description, this distress has had some impact on your life, but you did not mention the actual degree of impact or when it started.

For example,

You wash things over and over because you're afraid of leaving detergent residue.

Washing things many times makes you feel pain, but so do how often, how long, and whether it hurts others or affects other things. These are all important signs of a problem.

Sometimes when I read, I read from the first word on.

Does it happen when you read textbooks or other texts? What are the situations when this happens?

How does it affect learning and exams?

Record some of your daily behaviors and share them with your doctor.

How is it treated?

In more serious cases, medication is needed to stop the nerves from working.

Cognitive behavioral therapy treats OCD by stopping the cycle of thoughts and behaviors.

Psychodynamic theory says that obsessive thoughts are a defense against unacceptable ideas. Therapy makes the unconscious conflicts conscious, which resolves the problem.

Hello, host! I'm smiling.

I understand your question. I'm here for you.

You understand your problems. OCD or social phobia? You know what you're dealing with. That makes it easier to solve.

Don't rush. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. It will make you feel bad.

If you have OCD, it shows you are anxious and have conflicts. This makes your behavior have problems. This is normal. Many people have gone through it. It may be painful, but you will feel like you are living a different life.

I have also summarized some methods to help you.

(1) Face your fears. Avoidance won't help. Face your problems head-on. There are always solutions.

(2) Relax more. Meditate and breathe deeply to relieve your tension. Deal with problems in the present with a relaxed mind.

(3) Release your emotions through music, journaling, chatting, or exercising.

(4) If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder, make a plan. For example, if you are obsessed with laundry, do it less often to reduce your obsession. The same applies to drooling obsessive-compulsive disorder.

(5) Get professional psychological help from a counselor.

The world loves you.

Best wishes!

Hello,

Host:

I read your post and it's clear you've been through a lot. It's likely been a challenging journey over the years.

At the same time, I also noticed that you've been really brave in facing yourself and actively seeking help on the platform. This will undoubtedly help you better understand and know yourself, so that you can make appropriate adjustments.

Next, I'll share some observations and thoughts from the post that might help you see things differently.

1. Exploring yourself

In the post, the host mentioned that you often have obsessive thoughts and behaviors. I'd like to explore with the host what these obsessive thoughts and behaviors mean to you.

I get it. You want to find a way to help yourself as soon as possible. But from a psychological point of view, when we see ourselves clearly and understand why we are the way we are

Then you'll have a better understanding of yourself. With such awareness of yourself, you'll be halfway to solving the problem. In the post, the host mentioned that when you leave a place, you need to repeatedly check if you have forgotten anything.

So, what does it mean to you if you miss something? You'll wash things many times over, worried that there'll be detergent residue.

So, what does it mean to have a residual? As long as someone's line of sight is within my peripheral vision, I'll act in a way that's not natural and often get noticed. I don't want to be noticed by others.

What would you feel like if you weren't noticed by others? Thinking and exploring these questions might help you understand yourself better.

From a psychological standpoint, our actions are a reflection of our inner psychology. By understanding the psychology behind our behavior, we can gain deeper insights into ourselves and make more informed adjustments.

You'll also be much more likely to succeed.

2. Look into how your compulsions and social phobias are connected.

Our upbringing and the environment we grew up in often play a big part in why we are the way we are today, as well as the influence of our genes. This is something we can think about too.

So, for the host, it might be helpful to reflect on your own experiences growing up and consider what shaped you and made you who you are today.

For instance, some people develop social phobias because they were bullied as kids. For them, being noticed by others can make them feel insecure. So, sometimes avoiding social situations is a way to protect themselves.

3. Look at yourself from different angles.

In the post, the poster mentioned that when you leave a place, you need to repeatedly check to see if you've forgotten anything. This also has the advantage of helping you avoid being forgetful.

This can be beneficial in many ways. It's just that we may try to reduce the frequency, but that's okay.

Washing things over and over again will get them clean. And avoiding social interaction, is this a way of protecting yourself?

This is something we really need to look into. I'm saying all this in the hope that we can examine ourselves from different angles.

These might be a bit of a hassle, but there are still some upsides.

In a way, there's no such thing as a perfectly healthy person. But there's also a kind of wisdom in living with "problems."

4. Learning and improvement

Forcing such a way of thinking to form may be a bit of a challenge. So, if we don't have the energy to adjust at the moment, we can take a look at the resources around us and see what might help.

If you have the resources, you can also find a professional counselor.

If we don't have the right resources, we can still help ourselves by learning some psychology.

There are lots of resources on the platform, so there are plenty of ways for us to tackle this challenge.

I really hope these are useful and inspiring for you, the host.