Overly Anxious about Scientific Findings regarding OCD

[SQAAD]

Today i didn't manage to be compulsion-free & started reading some articles/studies regarding OCD (i wish i didn't do that ). I stumbled across terrible news for my ego. Basically what i found is that OCD sufferers have impairments in learning ,memory  & attention.

That came as a complete shock & huge dissapointment to me because i always believed that i had increased concentration compared to others...

Anyways now i am dealing with terrible anxiety & "negative" thoughts regarding these scientific findings. I haven't been diagnosed by a doctor yet to be OCD  but i definetely believe that i am OCD, although my compulsions are generally mild. Any advice would be highly appreciated. It seems the more i know the worst for my ego.

Does any of you who struggle with OCD have difficulty learning & remembering things? Personally i don't believe to have this issue but maybe im just deluded according to science...

I don't know what to believe anymore....

Edited May 14, 2019 by SQAAD

[SQAAD]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4866747/

[Devansh Saharan]

I do have a lot of concentration issues, a lot in fact. But when it comes to learning and memory I don't think I fall behind anyhow, definitely I believe that I'm not able to perform as good as I can due to my compulsions, both physical and mental. So yeah, for me concentration issues are a thing. 

Do you do something to deal with compulsions, or any other things that come with OCD. I was diagnosed and put on Escitalopram, but I put it off after a month as I had no benefit from it, further I learnt that extended usage of SSRI's isn't good for brain, as I'm only 15 I don't have any plan do be on meds for the rest of my life, so discontinued them, so any personal tips would be appreciated(maybe PM me) . 

Thanks. 

 

[Forestluv]

@SQAAD Hey now. . . didn’t we all agree that looking for science articles for proof that there is something wrong with me isn’t the best idea? ? ♥️ 

[SQAAD]

@Devansh Saharan I watch Mark Freeman's videos on YouTube. He has OCD and gives solid advice.

After watching him i try to avoid doing the compulsions (for me is more mentally checking until i feel sure about a topic). It is very difficult to stop doing the compulsions but it can be done... Meditation also helps.

Good luck buddy, i feel for you.

Edited May 15, 2019 by SQAAD

[SQAAD]

@Serotoninluv Everytime turn around i see something wrong. Life is overly complicated and confusing. Being a dog would be better.

One person says you should A, another one says you should do B . It is very difficult to get to the truth of things. For some reason God wants to make it extremely difficult for most human beings to bear this life. 

Yea you're right. One article lead me to another and now i have to deal with the terrible scientific facts.

Most people are unconscious to the suffering of others. If you are mentally & physically healthy and most things goes your way it is very easy to be happy. The struggle is when you have to deal with bs health problems day in and day out or other problems that seriously diminish the quality of your life and can't get rid off.

Edited May 15, 2019 by SQAAD

[Devansh Saharan]

2 hours ago, SQAAD said:

@Serotoninluv Everytime turn around i see something wrong. Life is overly complicated and confusing. Being a dog would be better.

One person says you should A, another one says you should do B . It is very difficult to get to the truth of things. For some reason God wants to make it extremely difficult for most human beings to bear this life. 

Yea you're right. One article lead me to another and now i have to deal with the terrible scientific facts.

Most people are unconscious to the suffering of others. If you are mentally & physically healthy and most things goes your way it is very easy to be happy. The struggle is when you have to deal with bs health problems day in and day out or other problems that seriously diminish the quality of your life and can't get rid off.

I can feel you, like really really closely. 

2 hours ago, SQAAD said:

@Devansh Saharan I watch Mark Freeman's videos on YouTube. He has OCD and gives solid advice.

After watching him i try to avoid doing the compulsions (for me is more mentally checking until i feel sure about a topic). It is very difficult to stop doing the compulsions but it can be done... Meditation also helps.

Good luck buddy, i feel for you.

Sure, will check it out. 

[Zigzag Idiot]

I've worked in the outdoors for years. This is my collection of empty used up chapstick dispensers.

 

The Graduates or Alumni.

Chapsticks that get ruined going through the clothes dryer don't get to become Alumni. They get thrown away.

Somewhere I have another lost collection to go with these,,,,

I have a theory that people who are a little OCD are naturally gifted systems thinkers. Maybe,,, maybe not,,,?‍♂️

[BjarkeT]

The science of learning suggests that the better we learn deepened on how we learn so i don’t think you have to worry that much if you think you aren’t a good learner. If you think you are bad at learning you can just find ways to improve your learning some examples of what you can do is to learn more actively (called active learning) which is for example doing things like deliberate practice, Testing your self, doing practice problems, teach to understand something and focus with intense focus distraction free retrieval practice for memory. i think that all of those can help despite having a diagnosis. It may also help to have a growth mind set vs having a fixed mindset. A growth mind set is the believe that you have the ability to improve while the fixed mindset is the believe that you can’t improve or some way a long those lines. Btw some scientific research called attention residue says that the reason we have bad concentration is because we when we switch our concentration from one task to an other our concentration get diminished this can happen when we spend a lot of time on the internet’s for example. I recommend reading deep work and digital minimalism where cal newport talks about this and how to improve your concentration.

Edited May 15, 2019 by BjarkeT

[Elisabeth]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8

20 hours ago, SQAAD said:

Today i didn't manage to be compulsion-free & started reading some articles/studies regarding OCD (i wish i didn't do that ). I stumbled across terrible news for my ego. Basically what i found is that OCD sufferers have impairments in learning ,memory  & attention.

That came as a complete shock & huge dissapointment to me because i always believed that i had increased concentration compared to others...

Understand how sociological findings work. 

On average (usually, sometimes, ...), OCD sufferers have scored worse on memory and concentration tests. 

1) It's statistical. Meaning, the fact that some people with the condition suffer from the symptoms doesn't automatically mean it's your symptom too. If you haven't noticed a problem, maybe there's none. 

2) It's measured somehow. The test may not be targeting the area where your concentration is strong. Maybe your "increased" or "decreased" concentration comes and goes depending on mood and other factors. 

I would not be surprised one bit if your concentration is awesome for several compulsion-free hours a day, but you can't concentrate on demand.

[SQAAD]

@Elisabeth

5 hours ago, Elisabeth said:

Understand how sociological findings work. 

On average (usually, sometimes, ...), OCD sufferers have scored worse on memory and concentration tests. 

1) It's statistical. Meaning, the fact that some people with the condition suffer from the symptoms doesn't automatically mean it's your symptom too. If you haven't noticed a problem, maybe there's none. 

 

Thanks for making things a lil bit more clear.

I just don't wanna read a scientific study anymore. Everytime i do i feel pathologized & terrible. Their whole language is toxic to me and leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  I have read hundreds of scientific studies. Many of them contradict each other. I don't wanna depend who i am on the scientific paradigm even though i respect it .

After reading studies like these it is no suprise that someone with OCD becomes more OCD about their condition and starts worrying a lot about it. Now i am anxious about how this will effect the rest of my life or if i will be able to accomplish my dreams because of this.

I considere myself to be a good learner and to have high levels of concentration. After reading some studies it is no suprise that i doubt myself now. 

Now when i study i doubt myself because of these studies. I just try to ignore the thoughts. I am responsbile about how i react to those studies but sometimes i feel like a victim. It is not something you can easily ignore & keep on going with your day.

 

Edited May 15, 2019 by SQAAD

[SQAAD]

@Zigzag Idiot

8 hours ago, Zigzag Idiot said:

I've worked in the outdoors for years. This is my collection of empty used up chapstick dispensers.

 

The Graduates or Alumni.

Chapsticks that get ruined going through the clothes dryer don't get to become Alumni. They get thrown away.

Somewhere I have another lost collection to go with these,,,,

I have a theory that people who are a little OCD are naturally gifted systems thinkers. Maybe,,, maybe not,,,?‍♂️

Nice collection!

Do you suffer from OCD?

(I ask so i can be certain  )

Edited May 15, 2019 by SQAAD

[Elisabeth]

 

 

 

 

 

4

1 minute ago, SQAAD said:

I don't wanna depend who i am on the scientific paradigm even though i respect it .

Yup. 

The scientific paradigm is NOT designed to help you figure out who you are. It's a description of what is from a wanna-be-objective perspective. Its designed to help people think about the external world. 

Don't base who you are on any study.

The psychiatrists take these studies and say "Hm, these symptoms usually come together. Let's call them a condition (named...). Anyone who exhibits most of the symptoms will be diagnosed with it. Hm, this another study says that this medicament helps people with this condition 80% of the cases. Let's just try it on anyone who's diagnosed with this condition, because there's a good chance it will help." That's how the mental health system works today.

Studies are not written for sufferers to read. They are written for other scientists and doctors. They are written for someone else to help him make sense of you, a process that inevitably has to stereotype and oversimplify to a certain degree. 

You will always know who you are better than your doctor (even your therapist and your spiritual teacher), because you have way, way more input information. Doesn't mean the doctor can't help you a bit. After all, he knows about the medication or technique's which have helped somewhat similar people. Treat his suggestions as valuable tips as to what you might try. 

[Bill W]

On 14/05/2019 at 9:35 PM, SQAAD said:

Basically what i found is that OCD sufferers have impairments in learning ,memory  & attention.

That came as a complete shock & huge dissapointment to me because i always believed that i had increased concentration compared to others...

As an OCD sufferer I can really relate to this. However, I'm going to come at this from a somewhat positive angle (I think).. It's really no surprise that OCD sufferers would have some issues with learning, memory and attention. I believe these issues are reversible. Us with OCD or any chronic anxiety disorder probably have to work harder than some others in enhancing our ability to learn, pay attention and retain information. Possibly the same is true of those with moderate or severe depression. 

The unfortunate thing is that the more you worry about learning ability, memory and attention the harder you might find it to achieve these things. 

 I'm in my 40s now and am a mental health nurse and I've only just had the penny drop that if I am to improve my focus, concentration and attention then I need to practice and train my mind to do this rather than just expect it all the happen without me doing anything specific to make it happen.

[Bill W]

Also, in terms of studies on the issues we are debating. Even the best research will only tell you how groups of people are likely to respond. It can't tell you exactly how a given individual will respond. 

[Zigzag Idiot]

7 hours ago, SQAAD said:

Nice collection!

Do you suffer from OCD?

(I ask so i can be certain  )

Thanks! ?

 A girlfriend once told me that I was similar to Jack Nicholson's character in the movie As Good As It Gets. I represent the gray area perhaps. Also In childhood, a friend of my Mothers who was well educated and traveled was visiting when she saw my collection of banana stickers running vertically restuck onto on the front of the refrigerator and named it with a fair amount of theatrics.  It stands out in memory because she kind of made a big deal about it.

 Some of my compulsive tendencies are not very flattering. Being lighthearted helps me integrate some of these aspects and not make a problem or a big deal about it. It's not a big deal in my life. So far as being a problem, it's way down on the list of things which cause me suffering or worry. 

I sure don't mean to make light of this tendency in regards to other people though because I know in a lot of situations it's a major disruption and a source of suffering in their life. 

Centering Prayer meditation has been good for me in this regard because it's all about letting go of thoughts. 

[Inliytened1]

@Zigzag Idiot yes.  They call it the doubt disorder because of a feeling of lack of certainty.  It's a torturing illness of the Ego.  But if one can harness the suffering caused by OCD and work towards Liberation they will become conscious of all Realizations.  There will be Absolute Certainty.  That is true liberation and freedom from the Ego.  God is perfect.

Edited May 16, 2019 by Inliytened1

[Commodent]

You experience your concentration to be good enough, better than average even, and yet you let some research paper convince you otherwise? My dear, don't let that bug you. Just like any mental illness, OCD manifests itself in lots of different ways. It's not set in stone, and it does not really tell anything about who you are. If I were you, I would regard the OCD diagnosis as a general description of a bunch of different issues that seems related. No research finding will ever teach you anything about who you are. Trust your own experience.

[Inliytened1]

@Bill W Do you meditate?  I have a hunch us OCD folks are spiritually gifted.

[Bill W]

1 hour ago, Inliytened1 said:

@Bill W Do you meditate?  I have a hunch us OCD folks are spiritually gifted.

Hey there. I am gradually incorporating meditation into my daily life. I don't know why I am somewhat resistant to it as I believe all the positive things people say about it, and I've experienced it as helpful when I have got myself into a routine with it. 

I can never make up my mind whether I want to practice a more "nothing" meditation, or whether I want to focus and contemplate on something. Regardless of spiritual advancement, I thoroughly believe meditation will aid my attention and concentration. Some times I feel like I have an adult version of ADHD.