When my OCD had started to develop I would cut myself because it made the obsession go away; my OCD I think was one of the main things that started my self injury. I was wondering if anyone has heard of someone cutting because of their Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, because I looked OCD and self injury up and I can't find anything about it.
I have OCD and I cut. I'm not sure which came first but I think the obsessions made me feel so low that I cut.
"John, being brave is going where no man has gone before and with Lizzy Stark, that is NOT what you'll be doing!" - Aunt Polly.
“I told him I was going to betray you, and betray Lyra, and he believed me because I was corrupt and full of wickedness; he looked so deep I felt sure he'd see the truth. But I lied too well. I was lying with every nerve and fiber and everything I'd ever done...I wanted him to find no good in me, and he didn't. There is none.”
i know that for me (got serious OCD and anxiety) self injury was sort of a way of circumventing rituals... it wasn't a ritual in and of itself though... for example, there was a while where my bedtime routine was extremely long, sometimes three or four hours (it depended, i had to win solitaire three times, which took a while, and then pray until my anxiety went down, again that varied)... so some nights i'd get home from dance at nine twentyish, and then have to eat dinner, and do music, and do homework, all at a very fast pace and even then i wouldn't be ready to start my rituals till pretty late... and on the nights where i really really didn't want to handle all that, then i would self harm. and it happened more and more often with time...
so i guess thats a long example for a very short answer, yes OCD can trigger SI
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Yeah I have a lot of other rituals that I do but sometimes I get so much stress and anxiety from my OCD that I have to cut to get some peace from it. I've been trying not to cut and I haven't for awhile but I've wanted to badly and the thing that makes me want to cut the most seems to be my OCD.
I dont think OCD makes me want to cut. But I developed severe OCD at the same time as SH started so I think I can slightly relate to what you are saying. The intrusive thoughts were so painful I needed to stop them and thats what triggered me to SH at the time [as well as other things].
As Miss asked, do you see anyone for these difficulties? I think it might help to talk about all of this, it sounds like a struggle for you.
Professionals can also answer this question for you, they might be able to explain it further to you.
One of my friends suffered with OCD and self harmed because of it. She went into therapy for her OCD and that really helped her quit cutting.
Maybe you could try the same? *hugs*
Life is about love, last minutes and lost evenings,
About fire in our bellies and furtive little feelings,
And the aching amplitudes that set our needles all a-flickering,
And help us with remembering that the only thing that's left to do is live.
Yeah, I have a counselor. We mostly talk about my home life, because it causes a lot of stress and emotional damage. I've metioned my OCD when I first started going, I think I'm going to talk about it this next session.
I have always suffered from OCD and it often feeds my SH. Like, I have to be aware of the point when SH goes from being a coping mechanism to being yet another ritual.
I guess it's a case of the chicken and the egg, but they are definitely related.
I think the most useful thing I have found to try to avoid SH increasing because of OCD rituals is to try to keep occupied. I try to fill my evening with being active and being around other people so that I don't have time to dwell and start to get locked into obsessive thoughts, and it also means that I am more tired when I go to bed. Doesn't always work, but it's definitely a good strategy that helps me sometimes.
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