# OCD and Social Anxiety



## ThinkingThings (Feb 27, 2011)

So I have OCD which is mostly on the obsessive side. I obsess over small details. I think that small little things represent a bigger issue. And I analyze and obsess over whatever I'm analyzing. Anyway, regarding my social anxiety.....I tend to overthink little things in how i'm talking. And I think that other people pick up on these little things. So I focus on things like inflections in the way i'm talking or punctuation in the way i'm texting. I assume that people see these little details in how I talk or express myself, and take it to mean something that might be bad or detrimental to our friendship. So maybe i need to put a smiley face at the end of a text or they'll think i hate them. Or if I don't smile enough then they'll hate me. Or if I say one thing a certain way, its not cool enough so they won't like me anymore cuz i'm lame. So even when i'm talking with good friends, I feel like I have to be super careful and nit picky in the way I express myself so they don't take it the wrong way and decide not to be my friend. I often think that the littlest things could promote this.

I think that I have low self-esteem which creates the social anxiety. And then my OCD makes me analyze little things that would normally be overlooked.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else experiences this or has any advice.


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## Sophomore (Sep 19, 2010)

I have OCD myself and I obsess about my speech and writing. Whether it sounds intelligent is always the primary concern. 

However, I don't worry over those things you described. That being if I do this or that minute thing the person may hate me for it. Its easy for me to say just chill and go with the flow but I myself find it very difficult to do. 

Have you talked to anyone about this in your personal life? Not over the internet?


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## revoltra (May 26, 2011)

I have a few OCD tendencies, but nothing like a blown out full OCD. But I am still in the process of figuring out what I have though. So far I've been diagnosed with depression and social anxiety, and now my therapist is trying to figure out if maybe I have a personality disorder, cause I deffinetly have obsessions about certain things.


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## MysteryMan (Jun 16, 2011)

*Yes*

I have OCD and social anxiety too. The OCD is strange - it's worse at times, better at times, very unpredictable. I'm always caught checking things - I'll re-read letters more than once before I send them off, check the door handle oodles of times. Certain things, it's like my mind just locks onto. And it's so hard to get it off it. I am hypoglycemic and I've read before there's a correlation between hypoglycemia and ocd. Whenever I go long times without eating, I notice the OCD seems to worsen.

Stay away from caffeine, I know that's hard, maybe even impossible in this day and age but cut back. I've noticed a slight improvement since cutting back - but I still need it to get up in the morning, need that boost.


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## kaykay609 (May 30, 2011)

I tend to obsess over the smallest and silliest things too. I can't help but to analyze everything and it's so frustrating 'cause it makes it impossible to feel comfortable and just relax and let things go. Don't know if it's got anything to do with OCD though.

These are some things I obsess about:
- pains and rashes
- the way I talk, write, move, act ( for example: whether or not i should use a smiley, whether I respond to a hug the way I'm supposed to, thinking that others are annoyed by the sound of my breathing, or that they think I swallow too much, stuff like that )
- being mentally ill ( as in, there was a long time I was sure I was bipolar or had borderline and I've spend hours of every day trying to find proof for that ), seeing every sound that I hear and others don't as a sign that I'm hearing voices in my head
- positions of objects, sometimes everything in my room is just "in the wrong place" and I have to move everything until it is in the right place again. 
- questioning if all this is "real"", thoughts like "what if i'm hallucinating this, or what if i'm dreaming, actually thought I was abducted by aliens once and that they were brainwashing me and that this entire world was fake, that was really crazy.. )
- judgements, thoughts, criticism from others
- large open spaces where I can't see everything, I like to know what I can expect and be prepared
- losing people ( it takes 1 short answer, 1 irritated look and I already think people are going to abandon me )
- my drug and alcohol use ( i used to debate for hours with myself whether i was an addict or not, whether i should quit or not )
- if I exaggerate my problems
- fast heartbeat, breathing, sweating. i actually thought that my own heart pounding in my chest were footsteps when i heard them, so my heart started to beat faster and faster and i thought the footsteps were coming closer and i panicked
- people that watch me, when i'm doing something, or not doing anything at all, and i freak out when people come too close or touch me
- almost every sentence that someone says, i make up an entire story about, i analyze every letter of every word to look for hidden messages or agendas and i usually find that and work it out into "proof" that that person is out to get me in some way, or is angry at me, or hates me, or blames me for something.

Is this all just because of the social anxiety or do you think it could be something more? Because it's really bothering me.


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

OCD frustrates the hell out of me. it feels like a never ending annoying tape that plays in my head and wont stop.


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## ForAllTime (Aug 4, 2011)

I think I've got OCD and SA too. I haven't been to a psychiatrist, but I've self-diagnosed myself based on what I've read. The SA is only around most people except for friends and family (so coworkers, strangers etc). My OCD tendencies revolve around re-reading emails before hitting "send"...like multiple times, the way I write...etc. I come off as being extremely organized, but this has to be more than that.


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## trendyfool (Apr 11, 2010)

I'm pretty sure I have OCD. It's mostly thought-based. I get lost in my own head to the extent that I lose touch with reality, and my sense of what's important gets skewed beyond recognition. Like, I won't be able to stop thinking about a flaw in my personality, and I lose sight of what's real and true, what really matters, because I can't stop thinking about that one flaw. I see obstacles that seem to make life impossible, when really they're just things my mind has created. I've been compulsive about weird things lately, too--like counting things. I really want to get back to reality and get past my obsessions so I can start living again.


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## Glacial (Jun 16, 2010)

trendyfool said:


> I'm pretty sure I have OCD. It's mostly thought-based. I get lost in my own head to the extent that I lose touch with reality, and my sense of what's important gets skewed beyond recognition. Like, I won't be able to stop thinking about a flaw in my personality, and I lose sight of what's real and true, what really matters, because I can't stop thinking about that one flaw. I see obstacles that seem to make life impossible, when really they're just things my mind has created. I've been compulsive about weird things lately, too--like counting things. I really want to get back to reality and get past my obsessions so I can start living again.


This is me too. I am nowhere near as OCD as I was about five years ago though. It actually took a good counselor, who I never told, that made a huge difference in my thinking and enlightened me to logical thinking. But my SA is still here and strong, unfortunately.


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## trendyfool (Apr 11, 2010)

Saving Face said:


> This is me too. I am nowhere near as OCD as I was about five years ago though. It actually took a good counselor, who I never told, that made a huge difference in my thinking and enlightened me to logical thinking. But my SA is still here and strong, unfortunately.


good! yeah the right therapist can make a huge difference. I'm not as OCD as I used to be either--I used to have really out-there obsessions about conspiracy theories and stuff, but I'm pretty much past that. My OCD is a lot more "normal" now, but it still sucks!


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## Glacial (Jun 16, 2010)

trendyfool said:


> good! yeah the right therapist can make a huge difference. I'm not as OCD as I used to be either--I used to have really out-there obsessions about conspiracy theories and stuff, but I'm pretty much past that. My OCD is a lot more "normal" now, but it still sucks!


Glad you've improved. Mine were related to health issues (thinking I am going to catch a disease that is highly unlikely) and religion based (I feared a higher power was constantly judging my 'sins').


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## Insanityonthego (Jul 5, 2010)

Ohhh these two together are a ******. I don't know how I've been handling it without medication. Oh right, drugs and alcohol. I think OCD is in the genes though cause I've had OCD since I can remember and then later on developed SA.


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## zomgz (Aug 17, 2009)

I have a tourettes type OCD but I never show any of the signs for it in public. It's what my therapist called "Societal expectations". I have weird symptoms where I right click on the screen over and over again. Sometimes I have vocal tics which are like grunting/throat clearing things.


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## mrsnorris22 (Aug 25, 2011)

ThinkingThings said:


> So I have OCD which is mostly on the obsessive side. I obsess over small details. I think that small little things represent a bigger issue. And I analyze and obsess over whatever I'm analyzing. Anyway, regarding my social anxiety.....I tend to overthink little things in how i'm talking. And I think that other people pick up on these little things. So I focus on things like inflections in the way i'm talking or punctuation in the way i'm texting. I assume that people see these little details in how I talk or express myself, and take it to mean something that might be bad or detrimental to our friendship. So maybe i need to put a smiley face at the end of a text or they'll think i hate them. Or if I don't smile enough then they'll hate me. Or if I say one thing a certain way, its not cool enough so they won't like me anymore cuz i'm lame. So even when i'm talking with good friends, I feel like I have to be super careful and nit picky in the way I express myself so they don't take it the wrong way and decide not to be my friend. I often think that the littlest things could promote this.
> 
> I think that I have low self-esteem which creates the social anxiety. And then my OCD makes me analyze little things that would normally be overlooked.
> 
> Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else experiences this or has any advice.


I'm usually paranoid about the way I sound to other people and the way that I hold myself, and if what I'll say will be lame or not. Then I just end up not saying anything. Like you, I'm also paranoid about the way that I express myself so I don't offend other people. You are definitely not alone!!


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## mrsnorris22 (Aug 25, 2011)

I'm trying to figure out whether I have OCD or not. My therapist actually suggested the idea that I may have it, but I want to be entirely sure so I don't end up making a huge deal thinking I have something that I may not have. I think I do have some OCD tendencies, but does this mean that I actually have it? Is it one of those all or nothing disorders, that even if you show some tendencies, you can't be diagnosed with it?


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## Natterz85 (Mar 5, 2011)

zomgz said:


> I have a tourettes type OCD but I never show any of the signs for it in public. It's what my therapist called "Societal expectations". I have weird symptoms where I right click on the screen over and over again. Sometimes I have vocal tics which are like grunting/throat clearing things.


I get the vocal tics to, can be quite embarrassing, especially in public


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## zomgz (Aug 17, 2009)

Natterz85 said:


> I get the vocal tics to, can be quite embarrassing, especially in public


It really makes me feel bad when people notice it.


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## guppy88 (Nov 12, 2010)

ThinkingThings said:


> So I have OCD which is mostly on the obsessive side. I obsess over small details. I think that small little things represent a bigger issue. And I analyze and obsess over whatever I'm analyzing. Anyway, regarding my social anxiety.....I tend to overthink little things in how i'm talking. And I think that other people pick up on these little things. So I focus on things like inflections in the way i'm talking or punctuation in the way i'm texting. I assume that people see these little details in how I talk or express myself, and take it to mean something that might be bad or detrimental to our friendship. So maybe i need to put a smiley face at the end of a text or they'll think i hate them. Or if I don't smile enough then they'll hate me. Or if I say one thing a certain way, its not cool enough so they won't like me anymore cuz i'm lame. So even when i'm talking with good friends, I feel like I have to be super careful and nit picky in the way I express myself so they don't take it the wrong way and decide not to be my friend. I often think that the littlest things could promote this.
> 
> I think that I have low self-esteem which creates the social anxiety. And then my OCD makes me analyze little things that would normally be overlooked.
> 
> Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else experiences this or has any advice.


I have OC/DC. It shook me ALLL NIGHT LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Natterz85 (Mar 5, 2011)

zomgz said:


> It really makes me feel bad when people notice it.


Same with me, people tend to look at me as if im insane, so i kinda cover it up by saying i was coughing or clearing my throat or something


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## rockyraccoon (Dec 13, 2010)

I have both OCD and social anxiety. My OCD is mainly on the "Pure O" version, which basically means almost all of my OCD tendencies happen internal, inside my mind, so people don't really catch onto it. I had ADD as a child and it went untreated, and I believe it changed into OCD. I've had social anxiety for many years. I was always shy as a child, but it wasn't until around the age of around 12 or 13 when my shyness actually became a disorder. By the time I hit the age of 17, my social anxiety disorder was full blown, as it is now. Having these two disorders is a terrible burden to live with. I have tried countless medications for both disorders and nothing seems to work out.


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## regimes (Aug 24, 2011)

zomgz said:


> I have weird symptoms where I right click on the screen over and over again.


o_o
i left click and highlight everything over and over and over
so much that i don't even notice.. and it bugs the crap out of everyone around me.


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## lockS (Sep 15, 2011)

yeah I have OCD too...
they said it was less usual for a young teenager to already struggle with it
and i must say having it combined with SA made it even harder!
these obsessive thoughts just keep lingering in your head, 
and it made me more insecure than I already was
it also made me think of myself as this weird girl, that does weird things 
for strange reasons
but i'm glad to say it really has reduced 
so there's hope for everyone!


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## LadyDarkness (Jun 5, 2011)

I've had OCD since I was a child, so that's a really long time.


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## Matomi (Sep 4, 2011)

I've had OCD for as long as i can remember. It annoys me.


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## Famous (Sep 6, 2011)

I told my counsellor I was staying up all night with nerves in case I couldn't get to sleep because I was worried about the lack of sleep causing a seizure, in my opinion that's because its happened before, so if I havent slept I'm very nervous about appointments, feeding a downward spiral depending upon the scale of importance.
In his opinion I'm obsessing.
He hasn't had a grandmal before.


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## ThinkingThings (Feb 27, 2011)

nothingman said:


> I tend to obsess over the smallest and silliest things too. I can't help but to analyze everything and it's so frustrating 'cause it makes it impossible to feel comfortable and just relax and let things go. Don't know if it's got anything to do with OCD though.
> 
> These are some things I obsess about:
> - pains and rashes
> ...


So I can relate to a lot that you say in here. I used to really be afraid that I was hallucinating things as well. When I was in high school, I was really confused about my ocd and social anxiety. I didn't realize it was these two things. I just thought I was going crazy. So this made me overlook and overthink lots of other things because i DOUBTED my sanity. This doubt led me to doubt other things perceived through my senses. I really thought I was getting schizophrenia. I don't know too much about your situation, but once I realized that my fear of schizophrenia was giving me the sense that i was crazy, I stopped fearing it. Although i sometimes still feel like i'm going crazy, i can just attribute this to the ocd. Anyway, I don't know too much bout your situation but i hope this helps.


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## Area88 (Oct 4, 2010)

I'm pretty sure OCD is the cause of all my anxiety. Is everyone taking medication for their OCD? I just started Anafranil a week ago.


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## akai (Oct 10, 2013)

*Trying to be social*



nothingman said:


> I tend to obsess over the smallest and silliest things too. I can't help but to analyze everything and it's so frustrating 'cause it makes it impossible to feel comfortable and just relax and let things go. Don't know if it's got anything to do with OCD though.
> 
> These are some things I obsess about:
> - pains and rashes
> ...


This is me in a nut shell, sorry for using your words not mine...


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## Luho (Nov 7, 2013)

I know exactly where you are coming from! I've had OCD since I was 10 years old, and it was terrible for 6 consecutive years. Rather than obsessing over minor details, I was more concerned over the germs and sanitation. I think, throughout that time - I had SAD as well, though back then I had no idea what was happening. I still suffer from both at times, but I can honestly say it's much better now. Perhaps I grew out of it, or maybe my trigger is gone - whatever that may have been. I still suffer slightly, but not nearly as bad as I used to. (I used to have getting out of my car, because the parking lot was so nasty and I was paranoid over my shoes touching filthy things. I realize how silly this was now.) The only advice I can give you is to think positively, and relax. Religion helped me a lot, because it gave me security and piece of mind. But in general, relaxing and just taking a breath for a while helps a ton. Also, try to do/leave one thing purposely "wrong" a day. It's really hard at first, but it'll help you loosen up. 

Anyways, I wish you the best of luck! OCD is crazy and puts people through all kinds of hell. Just stay positive, and remember that you're the only one that can live your life - not your OCD.


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## MRBR (Nov 4, 2013)

I never had OCD until my SA started settling in. The two definitely correlate. I don't think it's anything severe. I'm very tidy and I have to be. I can't function in a messy environment. Everything has a spot at my place. I check several little things before leaving the house. Is the coffee maker off? Are the burners off? Are the lights off? Haha, like I said nothing crazy, but these are habits I've developed.

Oh, and I'm obsessed with making sure the door is locked when I leave, although I don't think that's such a bad thing.


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## awseay (Nov 5, 2013)

I'm obsessed with fishing by my self. I know it sounds dumb but I have to fish, a lot. I've been divorced once and it was directly related to my obsession with fishing. Is being obsessed with fishing an ocd tendency?


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## daniel83 (Jul 25, 2010)

nothingman said:


> I tend to obsess over the smallest and silliest things too. I can't help but to analyze everything and it's so frustrating 'cause it makes it impossible to feel comfortable and just relax and let things go. Don't know if it's got anything to do with OCD though.
> 
> These are some things I obsess about:
> - pains and rashes
> ...


wow, a lot of this applies to me as well (your list), but is it OCD ?


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