Getting sick and OCD

[dog5000]

Something that I've noticed, too, is that when I get sick, my OCD symptoms seem to get worse. I don't know why this is, but I'm wondering if anybody else has noticed anything similar?

 

[lammers1980]

Strangely I think I experience the opposite. Perhaps it is because when I have a fever and everything hurts, I don't have time to think about my worries. To each unto his own I guess.

 

[Daniel E.]

I agree that it's different for each personality. My symptoms (obsessive thinking, anxiety, depression) usually get at least a little worse when I have even minor pain or discomfort, such as from a cold or an episode of minor back pain.

Another factor is that anxiety and depression can obviously increase the perception of pain, which is why antidepressants are given to people with back pain, fibromyalgia, etc.

 

[ThatLady]

I think some people find that additional stress in their lives takes their minds of their problems, and some of their symptoms seem to decrease. Others find that additional life stressors only increase their overall stress-levels and, thereby, increase their sypmtoms. We're each different, and our reactions are just as different.

 

[Jenna]

Hey dog, I know that everyone is different, but I know what you're going through there. When I get sick, my OCD symptoms get worse, if only because I'm spending all my time trying to figure out how I got sick and how I can prevent it from happening in the future (as futile as that is). As soon as I get stressed out or sick, the compulsions come out in full-force, trying to get myself feeling normal again.

 

[Jenna]

Hey dog, I know that everyone is different, but I know what you're going through there. When I get sick, my OCD symptoms get worse, if only because I'm spending all my time trying to figure out how I got sick and how I can prevent it from happening in the future (as futile as that is). As soon as I get stressed out or sick, the compulsions come out in full-force, trying to get myself feeling normal again.