OCD stigma is really bad, so here’s a mini thread about ego dystonic thoughts:

People with OCD get obsessions, which are persistent, ego dystonic intrusive thoughts. Ego dystonic means that the thoughts do not align with a person's character or intentions. https://twitter.com/toms_spectre/status/1333936541006131200

Because of their ego dystonic nature, OCD obsessions can be extremely distressing to the person experiencing them. People with OCD will engage in compulsions to temporarily relieve the anxiety caused by the ego dystonic thoughts.

Because not many people know about ego dystonic thoughts, they can be very difficult to open up about. People with OCD often fear that others will take their thoughts "seriously" and believe they will act on them, which studies show us is NOT a risk.

Unfortunately, some people who do choose to disclose their ego dystonic thoughts HAVE been taken seriously and even hospitalized against their will, which can be incredibly traumatic. People with ‘harm OCD’ or the fear of harming other have even been mistaken for homicidal.

It’s very difficult for us to talk about our intrusive thoughts, even to people we trust. And that’s hard, because having OCD can be very isolating. And having intrusive thoughts can be scary, especially when you’ve never heard anyone else talk about them.

t’s estimated that at least one percent of people have OCD, and that’s at least one in every 100 people living with intrusive, ego dystonic thoughts. That’s a lot of people, and yet many of them are still being misdiagnosed, and even more are scared to open up at all

Ego dystonic thoughts are scary. Having them doesn’t make you ‘crazy,’ it doesn’t make you unlovable or broken. One if the reasons that I talk to openly about my OCD is that people need to know that they’re not alone in their intrusive thoughts.

That’s a little info about ego dystonic thoughts. I guess the main takeaway is that ego dystonic thoughts suck, but if you have them it’s important to know that you are not your thoughts and you are not alone. Lmk if y’all have any questions on this, bc I’m happy to answer them

Im begging y’all to rt. I’m so tired

Thanks @LuxAlptraum for speaking openly about your experiences with OCD.