Question- is being afraid of something to the point of obsession over it the same as ocd?

[Girl88]

If a person is afraid to catch something like for example a virus, and they change their way of life and how they do things just to make sure that they never catch it, is that the same as ocd? it is a serious question. thank you in advance for replies. if it is, what does the person do to stop it without meds?

[deValentin]

If the fear of catching a disease becomes obsessional, that is, distressful and impairing, then it's a sign of OCD. In other words, to have OCD is, among other things, to spend all your time trying to get absolute guarantees you won't fall sick, at the expense of the other domains of your life. There are other OCD themes, like the need to be absolutely sure your front door is locked or your romantic partner is "the right one". And the more you try to satisfy that need, the less you're able to do it in the end.

How to stop OCD without meds? Have you heard of exposure and response prevention, or ERP? It's the therapy that has been proven the most reliable so far. With ERP you learn not to give in to your compulsions when triggered.

ERP isn't always an easy therapy because OCD is a form of misplaced trust. You wrongly trust that by overworrying, overchecking, overthinking, being rigidly neat, etc. you'll find peace of mind. At the same time, you don't trust enough that living an overall sensible life will give peace of mind. So, you need to switch your trust around, which isn't always easy if you've been too trusting in some regards and not trusting enough in others for a long time.

[Girl88 in reply to deValentin]

thank u

[Sallyskins]

That sounds very much like OCD to me. It's normal to avoid viruses and bacterial infections, by practising sensible behaviour - and to avoid spreading them.

So precautions like social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, not sneezing or coughing over other people, practising normal hygiene precautions, practising safe sex etc are normal behaviour.

Avoiding other people completely or avoiding sexual relationships altogether in case you catch herpes or HIV is not. Being afraid of any red substance in case it turns out to be infected blood is not. Avoiding touching other people at all is not.

Sensible behaviour doesn't involve obsession. If it is OCD, then although medication can certainly help a lot of people (it isn't a cure) there are lots of ways to manage it.

CBT or cognitive behavioural therapy is the main treatment. It isn't easy to do and it requires a lot of input from the patient - it isn't like having a procedure done to you. The patient has to actively fight against the obsessions and consequent compulsions.

If possible, get a referral to a therapist who understands OCD and uses CBT techniques. In addition, there are self help books that can get you started - I always suggest Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and The OCD Workbook. Just make sure any book you choose uses CBT techniques.

These have case studies and exercises that can be adapted to any particular form of OCD and also help you to understand what OCD is and how it operates.

If obsessions involve altering your behaviour to the point of disrupting your life, then they're likely to be OCD. There is lots of help on this forum as well!

[helloworld22]

If the changes you make impairs your life or impair your quality of life, that sounds like an obsession disorder. Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) therapy is regarded as the most effective therapy to address OCD.

The book “Brain Lock, Twentieth Anniversary Edition: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior”, by Jeffrey M. Schwartz is a good explanation of OCD and what to do while you are preventing a response during ERP. It can be found on Amazon here: a.co/d/5lSVtox