OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

Now I know for me as a child I had symptoms of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and struggle with them from time to time in regards to my anxiety. I know that being obsessive with my tinnitus monitoring has made my problem always seem so much worse because I'd get into routines. Most nights I'll pull into my parking spot coming home from teaching and I'll turn of the car and sit in the very quiet (btw 15-25 dB depending on background noise) to see how my T is doing. Even though I've observed some very interesting patterns in the sounds and this "ritual" (which I don't always do) I know it's not good for me even if my T is mellow (which it has been lately).

Anyone here have a history of OCD or feel like they have become obsessive and developed monitoring rituals?

 

I'm over three years in and still obsess and monitor, I just simply don't/can't let go.
I don't remember being this obsessed about anything ever before, tinnitus turned me into someone I don't recognise at all

 

I totally understand how that feels. I hope that we can both let go eventually...I believe it will help a great deal.

 

I dont know what i got but everyday is same. I am being trapped and I struggle to escape it and cannot stop thinking about solutions. I miss my quiet times so much. I cannot believe that my life can ever be the same. The intruder drives me nuts.

 

Before T, maybe slightly...couldn't let things go for days on end sometimes. Nothing like this though...I can't get this off my mind for 2 minutes since onset. Then again it is yelling at me telling me to pay attention, kind of tough to walk away from this one and drop it from my mind.

 

Any body else hear feel like they monitor there tinnitus obsessively?

 

I don't think we can or should label us as being OCD.
I like to think that obsessive component is directly linked to tinnitus distress and is a "normal" thing to do.
On the other hand some can easily let go others can't but I think the loudness and pitch play a major role in this.

 

I agree. But what I think for myself is the fact I have things I have and still do compulsively and know that it overflows into my T reaction. Even jasterboff says odd is a big road block to habituation.

 

@SoulStation

All I'm saying is if you didn't have OCD before t I don't think you should label yourself "true" OCD, your OCD is a direct result of your tinnitus distress rather than alone standing disorder.
Maybe I'm wrong but that's how I see it.

 

Agreed. I'm just interested in the correlation between people Who have exhibited symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder before they contracted tinnitus.
I am not full ocd and have never been treated for it. I just have exhibited symptoms of it mildly at points in my life. And t messes with it.

 

For me, OCD is my middle name, and it plays a very big part in my tinnitus perception. When I get spikes from time to time it realy make's them seem louder, and last longer. OCD is a very powerful force don't let it fool you.

Louie

 

Yes, I am. It's hard to let things go.
I over see things through so much that I suffer for it. A control freak my wife says.
Now I'm obsessed with stopping this noise, but that I can not control and it hurts.
Gotta remember to let it be, let it be.

 

Ditto

 

Larry


I understand how you feel, I was like that in the beggining, having a tough time as you say "letting things be" but after awhile I started to over come that, and you will too. Its just going to take a litte more time, its different for everyone. But You need to keep reminding yourself of the Fact, that your compusive thoughts and dwelling on tinnitus is the worst thing for tinnitus, it only feeds the beast as you already know. At the times when I feel like my OCD is starting to work on, or trying to increase my tinnitus, I try to stop and take some time to focus on relaxing, and get control of my mind. It really helps. When you push your OCD thoughts to the back of your mind, your tinnius will go with it and will decrease, its just takes a little practice, and paitents. Its a form of meditation and it works.

Good Luck

Louie

 

Louie thank you so much for the kind response and advice.
I went to a party tonight for a friend who is going away for a tour and even though there was only a few people in a small apartment, they got loud at points. There were some kids there and one of them screamed and I felt like it spiked my T.
I wish I could have left and not checked my T with my fingers in my ears.
I obsessively check my T and am obsessed with this site. Its like my 'Facebook' -for real. Ugh.
Life.

 

Larry

I know that you understand that its like a loop, you went to this party and its very unlikely that it really had any effect on your tinnitus, its not like you went to a rock concert. A few kids yelling is such a short duration, its not going to do anything. But then later your OCD starts to work on your anxioty, making you think that your tinnitus MAY MAY have gotten louder, so you start to focus on it wich makes your OCD anxioty increases and you find yourself in a loop. Like when you point a microphone at a speaker you end up with a feedback loop. I'm willing to bet you that in a couple days that your not even going to be thinking about it. And very doubtful you have done any harm at all. I used to be just like that, constently monitoring every sound. I had my DB meter with me all of the time but that's just a loose loose thing to do. Unless there was a live band, or a DJ and you were right by the speakers with no ear plugs for few hours , your going to be fine. Try and relax and get a good night sleep.

It still is a good idea to keep your ear plugs with you when ever you go out. But you only need to wear them in really loud places. This was not one of them .

I'm not going to wish you luck, cause you don't need it.. you went to a small get together no big deal. Get busy and keep busy


Take care

Loue


PS: I wish I had a dollar for every time I was were you are right now.

 

Hello boys and girls!!
I am an obsessive person since always and very anxious too, i have GAD.
I constantly do the same. While sitting in my car, block my ears to see how my T are, level, tone and look for any change. That behaviour is harmful, beacuse feeds our obsessiveness and anxiety.
At home, i am constantly looking for new noises, if out of the blue i hear a noise similar to a the T i have or a repetitive sound, even if it comes from the dishwasher, freezer, tv or whatever... i feel very anxious. Sometimes i imagine noises or my T, that i am actually hearing them.
My obsessions now are very related with noises, especially the repetitive ones. It is some form of OCD i believe.
When i feel anxious or stressed, it is like if i could hear a vero low noise in my mind, and it plays over and over again. It is an obsessive thought, but manifested as this repetitive sound. At the beginning, i had terrible days. I had the impression that i was going to end completely psychotic.
Anyone has gone through this?
To the part of the body where we pay attention, we create sensation.
God bless you all!!

 

I believe there's a link between OCD and T, I have both (+PTSD) but since my EMDR therapy I feel things are getting better, a lot of sleep, and some work from yourself can distract you from obstructive thoughts, for me I had a lot of health and money related negative thoughts and I now try to take distance from it, and it helps. For me T isn't there just because of hearing damage but more stress/anxiety related.

 

It is normal to be OCD because of tinnitus..
There is an uninvited POS intruder inside your head and you want it GONE.
Constant monitoring in this kind of situation is only human nature.

 

I had severe ocd at one point months ago that I had no choice but to start therapy

 

OCD is a mental illness which affects 2.3% of the population, which is about 1 in 40 people, and can be very debilitating.

My OCD has gotten worse since the tinnitus started, so I've started therapy to try to learn ways of coping with it.

 

Hi folks.
For me, the best way to stop obsessing is to meditate at least once a day:

Sit comfortably,
Hear your sounds,
But do not concentrate on them,
Eyes closed,
Lips closed,
Jaws apart,
Soft mouth,
Soft throat,
Tongue floating in water,
Stop all conscious breathing,
Ask tummy to breath for you,
Just wait for tummy breathing to start up,
Think the word ‘deep’ as you exhale,
Think the word ‘-er’ as you inhale.
Deep-er......deep-er.....deep-er......
Drift away into a state of relaxation.

 

You're correct. I have OCD. It has nothing to do with tinnitus. I had OCD long before the acoustic trauma that caused my tinnitus. A lot of people have misconceptions about what OCD actually is. It isn't the same as phobia. What a lot of people here describe is a phobia, not OCD.

OCD thoughts are different from normal thoughts. They often begin with a normal idea but then they take a bizarre turn. Even when the rational mind knows they are false, they are too persuasive to ignore. A person with OCD can be looking directly at something but be totally convinced of the opposite of what they are looking at because the OCD thought is more compelling than reality.

It's an extremely horrible thing to have. Phobia is horrible too, but it's a different kind of horrible.

 

I don't think it's possible to get OCD from tinnitus. OCD is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. I think people with tinnitus develop phonophobia. OCD thoughts are different from phobia. Phobia is an exaggerated fear that causes anxiety and avoidant behavior. OCD includes anxiety and avoidant behavior, but it also includes irrational thoughts (obsessions) and ritualized behavior (compulsions). The person with OCD has to perform the compulsions, no matter how weird, how physically taxing, how time-consuming they may be. The person doesn't want to do them, but he can't resist the urge to perform them, even when they are painful. Many specialists think it might be genetic, although it is still quite mysterious.

 

Such as plugging ears to check for tinnitus...it may not be geneticly induced, but the end result is just the same.
Some people also have CDO (OCD in alphabetic order)..
I thought I would throw that one in there..lol

 

There is a study online regarding Tinnitus and OCD. Some people with tinnitus do exhibit obsessive behavior, regarding their tinnitus symptoms, event though they do not actually have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

 

Did not mean to offend anyone... we're all in the same boat here..

 

Yeah, I realized that, so I edited the post while there was time.

 

You're wrong, but I made my post to educate, not to argue. You are free to believe whatever you want. However, I do not appreciate jokes that belittle a mental illness that has devastated my life. You disgust me.

 

I think you need to calm down....all I offered was alternative point of view.
Sorry it interfered with your "education".

Also, if you can't take a little well intentioned joke, the problem might be somewhere else.
Yes I'm pretty sure having OCD is no picnic...but it cannot be compared with the 24/7 torture of tinnitus.

Completely different league..sorry.