ocd.app

Tag: ocd app

  • Treating your body as an object: What it means and 4 tips on how to fix it

    Treating your body as an object: What it means and 4 tips on how to fix it

    We all have bodies, and we all have to take care of them – but sometimes it can be easy to forget that our bodies are actually living, breathing things that deserve our attention and care. It can be easy to treat our bodies like they are objects, and when we do this, we can start to forget that they are actually part of us. This can lead to all sorts of problems, both mental and physical.

    I was always treating my body like it was an object. I would neglect it and not take care of it the way I should have.

    I would use it to get what I wanted from other people and then I would just discard it. I didn’t realize how much I was harming myself in the process.

    It wasn’t until I started working on myself and healing my relationship with my body that I realized how much I had been mistreating it.

    I started to think about my my body as a sacred vessel that deserved my love and care. I began to treat it with the respect it deserved and I started to see the benefits almost immediately.

    Diyane Blissong, UK

    If you find yourself treating your body like an object, it’s important to try and change your perception. Your body is not an object – it’s a part of you, and it deserves your care and attention. Here are some ways to start changing your perception of your body:

    1. Talk to your body. This may sound silly, but it can actually be really helpful. When you start to see your body as a living, breathing thing, it can be easier to start taking care of it. Talk to your body like you would talk to a friend. Thank it for all the things it does for you, and tell it that you’re sorry for the times when you haven’t treated it well.
    2. Listen to your body. Your body knows what it needs, so try to listen to it. If you’re feeling tired, maybe you need more sleep. If you’re feeling thirsty, maybe you need to drink more water. Pay attention to the signals your body is sending you, and act on them.
    3. Treat your body with care. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy all new clothes or anything like that. But it does mean that you should start treating your body with the respect it deserves. That means taking care of it – both physically and mentally. Exercise regularly, eat healthy foods, and get enough sleep. And, when you do something that you know is bad for your body, like smoking or drinking too much, try to cut back or stop altogether.
    4. Be proud of your body. This one can be tough, especially if you’re not used to it. But it’s important to remember that your body is amazing, and it deserves your pride. Be proud of what your body can do, and of the way it looks. Accept your flaws, and love yourself – body and soul.

    Changing your perception of your body can be tough, but it’s worth it. When you start to see your body as a living, breathing thing that deserves your care and attention, you’ll be on your way to a healthier, happier life.

  • OCD, PTSD, and how to cope with both

    OCD, PTSD, and how to cope with both

    After my car accident, I was diagnosed with PTSD. I was having intrusive thoughts about accidents and feeling like I was in danger all the time. I was also hypervigilant and always on the lookout for potential threats. My friends and family were trying to be supportive, but I felt like I was struggling to cope on my own. I still have days where I struggle. I am hopeful that with time and continued progress, I will be able to fully recover and live a normal life again.

    Corinne, Canada

    If you’ve experienced trauma, you may feel like you’re never going to feel normal again. The combination of OCD and trauma can add additional hardship.

    When someone is obsessively thinking about a traumatic event, they are re-living the trauma over and over again in their mind. This can lead to flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts.

    The person may also start to avoid anything that reminds them of the trauma, which can make it difficult to function in daily life. This can all lead to a downward spiral of anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts.

    There are studies that show the relationship between OCD and PTSD.

    5 symptoms of OCD and trauma

    1. Unwanted, intrusive thoughts that are difficult to control or stop.
    2. Excessive worry and anxiety about everyday situations.
    3. Compulsive behaviors or rituals that are performed in an attempt to ease anxiety or prevent certain thoughts from occurring.
    4. Avoidance of certain people, places, or things that trigger memories or thoughts of the trauma.
    5. flashbacks or intrusive memories of the trauma that can occur at any time.

    Recovery

    Studies about PTSD and OCD define recovery as strongly related to thinking and rituals: “effective treatment of trauma-related OCD is defined as the reduction in obsessional thoughts and compulsory rituals“.

    The good news is that there are treatments available that can help you recover and heal. One of these treatments is called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

    CBT is a type of therapy that helps you change the way you think about and react to your experiences. It can be used to treat a wide variety of mental health conditions, including trauma.

    Here are some of the ways that CBT can help you recover from trauma:

    1. It can help you understand your reactions.

    CBT can help you understand why you’re feeling the way you are. It can also help you see that your reactions are normal and that they don’t have to control your life.

    1. It can help you change the way you think about your experience.

    CBT can help you challenge the negative thoughts and beliefs that you have about your experience. It can help you see that your experience is not who you are.

    1. It can help you change the way you react to your experience.

    CBT can help you learn new ways of coping with your experience. It can help you deal with your emotions in a healthy way.

    1. It can help you connect with others.

    CBT can help you build supportive relationships with others. These relationships can provide you with the social support you need to heal.

    1. It can help you take care of yourself.

    CBT can help you develop healthy coping skills. These skills can help you take care of yourself physically and emotionally.

    If you or someone you know is struggling with OCD, PTSD or a combination of the two, it’s important to seek professional help.

  • 3 Tips for improving your confidence if you have OCD

    3 Tips for improving your confidence if you have OCD

    People with OCD often have issues with confidence because they are constantly doubting themselves and their abilities. This can be extremely frustrating and debilitating, as it can prevent them from enjoying activities or participating in activities that they used to enjoy.

    I have ocd and it really affects my confidence. I tend to second guess myself a lot and it really holds me back from taking on new challenges. I’m always worried about making mistakes and it really affects my ability to just go for it. I’m constantly doubting myself and my abilities, and it’s really frustrating. I know that I’m capable of so much more, but my ocd just gets in the way.

    Mark Romanoff

    Why people with OCD struggle with confidence?

    There are 3 main reasons why people with OCD can have issues with self esteem and confidence:

    1. People with OCD often have intrusive and unwanted thoughts that they cannot control. These thoughts can be very distressing and can make it difficult for them to feel confident in themselves.
    2. People with OCD may also have compulsions that they feel they must do in order to reduce their anxiety. This can lead to them feeling like they are not in control of their own lives and can make it difficult to feel confident.
    3. People with OCD may also avoid situations or activities that trigger their OCD symptoms. This can make it difficult for them to participate in activities that they enjoy or that could help them build confidence.

    20 examples for common negative thoughts related to confidence

    1. I’m not good enough.

    2. I’m not smart enough.

    3. I’m not pretty enough.

    4. I’m not thin enough.

    5. I don’t deserve to be happy.

    6. I don’t deserve to be successful.

    7. I’m not worth anyone’s time.

    8. I’m not worth anyone’s love.

    9. I’m not lovable.

    10. I’m not good enough for anything.

    11. I’m not talented enough.

    12. I’m not special.

    13. I’m not worth anything.

    14. I’m not worth anyone’s attention.

    15. I’m not worth anyone’s respect.

    16. I’m not worth anyone’s love.

    17. I’m not a good person.

    18. I’m not a worthwhile person.

    19. I’m not a lovable person.

    20. I’m not a good enough person.

    10 Examples for negative thoughts related to confidence that are specific for people with OCD

    1. I will never be able to control my OCD.
    2. I’m so ashamed of my OCD.
    3. I’m disgusting because of my OCD.
    4. I will never be able to lead a normal life because of my OCD.
    5. I will always be alone because of my OCD.
    6. I will never be able to have a successful career because of my OCD.
    7. I will never be able to have a happy and fulfilling life because of my OCD.
    8. I am a burden to everyone because of my OCD.
    9. I am worthless because of my OCD.
    10. I will never be able to be happy because of my OCD.

    So what can I do to improve my confidence?

    Cognitive behavioral methods are a way of increasing confidence by reducing negative thinking and self criticism. The way it works is by changing the way you think about yourself and your abilities. Instead of thinking negatively, you focus not just on your positive qualities and accomplishments, but more importantly, on supportive interpretations of situations. This change in thinking leads to improved self-esteem and confidence.

    The first step is to become aware of your negative thoughts and self-criticism. Once you are aware of these thoughts, you can start to challenge and reframe them. For example, instead of thinking “I’m not good enough,” you can tell yourself “I am good enough.” Once you start to reframe your negative thoughts, you will start to see an increase in your confidence levels.

    3 tips for building confidence

    1. When you feel low confidence, write down your negative thoughts, so you get to better understand your challenges.
    2. Challenge and reframe the negative thoughts. Try to find additional ways to approach a specific negative thought or situation.
    3. Studies show that maintaining LOW self-esteem is actually a very laborious and consuming habit. Just by reducing your self-criticism, your confidence will increase.

    The old way

    ocd.app

    Cost

     $$$ – Therapist costs

     $ – Save money

    Evidence

    No published evidence

    13 published studies

    Time burden

    Long term

    3-4 minutes of your day

    Results

    Takes months

    91% see first results within a week

    Privacy

    Privacy concerns

    Anonymous and private

    User feedback

    Mixed

    4.8 / 5.0 (2,635 reviews)

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  • 5 examples of magical thinking when you have OCD

    5 examples of magical thinking when you have OCD

    If you have OCD, it’s likely that you suffer from magical thinking. This is when you believe that your thoughts, emotions, and actions can control events and outcomes that are unrelated to you.

    For example, you may think that if you have a negative thought, something bad will happen to you. Or, you may think that if you don’t perform a certain ritual, something bad will happen.

    I am a sufferer of OCD, and my condition causes me to have what is known as magical thinking. This means that I often believe that my thoughts, actions, or words can influence events in the world around me in mysterious or supernatural ways.

    For example, I might believe that if I think about a certain person too much, I can make them have a car accident. Or, if I don’t perform a certain ritual just so, I might think that something bad will happen to me or my loved ones.

    I now know that my magical thinking can be extremely distressing and can cause me a great deal of anxiety.

    Stephan, Switzerland

    Here are five examples of magical thinking:

    1. Thinking that you can control the weather by thinking positive thoughts.

    2. Thinking that you can influence someone’s behavior by imagining doing something bad to them.

    3. Thinking that you can prevent accidents or illness by worrying about them.

    4. Thinking that you can control your destiny by making sure you don’t do anything that could jinx it.

    5. Thinking that you can influence other people’s thoughts and emotions by thinking about them in a certain way.

  • 5 CBT based techniques to help you with confidence

    5 CBT based techniques to help you with confidence

    Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave. It’s most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for other mental and physical health problems.

    CBT is based on the idea that our thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are all interconnected, and that negative thoughts and feelings can trap us in a vicious cycle.

    CBT can help us to break out of this cycle by identifying and challenging negative thoughts, and learning to react to situations in a more positive way. Here are five CBT techniques that can help you to boost your confidence and self-esteem, and approach challenges and decisions in a more positive way:

    1. Identify your negative thoughts

    The first step is to become aware of the negative thoughts that are holding you back. These might be thoughts such as “I’m not good enough”, “I’ll never be able to do this” or “I always make the wrong decisions”.

    2. Challenge your negative thoughts

    Once you’ve identified your negative thoughts, it’s time to start challenging them. Ask yourself whether your thoughts are really true, or whether there is another way of looking at the situation. For example, if you’re thinking “I’ll never be able to do this”, ask yourself “What evidence do I have for this?” or “What if I give it a try and it turns out better than I expect?”.

    3. Practice positive self-talk

    Start to counter your negative thoughts with positive self-talk. This might be something as simple as telling yourself “I can do this” or “I am good enough”. When you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, take a step back and reframe your thoughts in a more positive light.

    4. Set yourself realistic goals

    Setting yourself small, achievable goals can help you to start feeling more confident. When you achieve a goal, it will help to reinforce the positive message that you can do things and that you are capable. Start with something small, such as taking a different route to work, and then build up to bigger goals.

    5. Take action

    The final step is to take action and put your new-found confidence into practice. This might mean saying “no” to something you don’t want to do, or speaking up in a meeting. It’s important to remember that you might not get it right every time, but that’s OK – the important thing is that you’re taking action and making progress.

  • Can changing the way you think help you cope with OCD?

    Can changing the way you think help you cope with OCD?

    It is now well documented that negative thinking habits affect people’s ability to deal with mental challenges. Multiple studies in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy show that OCD symptoms can improve by working on appraisals and adaptive thinking.

    However, it is sometimes unclear what is the cause and what’s the effect: does OCD fuel negative thinking? or does negative thinking fuel OCD?

    Common belief looks at OCD as some kind of an entity with its own mind. Trying to battle and control this entity is tiring and often fruitless.

    One approach Cognitive Behavioral Therapy suggests is to look at OCD from a different angle – by dividing the cognitive process to two: controllable and uncontrollable thoughts.

    When dealing with OCD, we can have all kinds of thoughts – some disturbing or annoying. One useful approach is letting these uncontrollable thoughts go by, without trying to control or change them.

    There are two parts to this approach though: following these uncontrollable thoughts, we can have additional thoughts – that continue and build upon the negative story and strengthen it. These thoughts are actually something that we can control.

    To give an example: I had a disturbing thought about me doing something bad. This thought was uncontrollable. I’d better just let is go and forget all about it.

    Immediately after it, pop additional thoughts: maybe I’m a bad person? What if I did something bad? These thoughts seem as a logical progression from the original uncontrollable thought, but they are actually part of the story I’m telling myself.

    So how do I avoid getting into the story?

    Here we can use another technique. We give the story a name. Let’s name this story – “The story of me thinking disturbing thoughts and getting freaked out about being a bad person”. From now on, when I will have these thoughts, I will ask myself – “Do I want to tell myself the story of me thinking disturbing thoughts and getting freaked out about being a bad person?”

    Is the answer yes? then maybe I do actually want to get into this story. But I have to now know that this was my choice. It is not some kind of external or uncontrollable entity that caused me to get into the story. It was me!

    Is the answer no? Great, let’s try to not get into this story then. This was just a thought, and while it was disturbing and hard taking it in, I can cope with it.

    Obviously, these are just suggestions. There are many techniques. For example, by using our OCD app, we can learn to let go of negative thoughts, and offer alternative, more adaptive thoughts that can come instead and replace the negative thoughts.

    The main conclusion? Focus on the controllable, and make your new year helpful and supportive.

  • OCD vs. Anxiety: key differences

    OCD vs. Anxiety: key differences

    Mental diagnosis can be difficult, in part because the differences between individuals’ internal experiences can seem quite nuanced. Per community request, here are some of the key differences between OCD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

    OCDGeneral Anxiety
    Characterized by
    compulsive or ritualistic
    responses to…    		Compulsive, ritualistic
    coping mechanisms
    are not typical.
    neutralize, erase,
    replace, or stop…    		Characterized by
    worrisome attempts to
    problem-solve in
    multiple areas of life.
    unwanted and repetitive
    thoughts, images,
    and doubts (aka: obsessions)    		accompanied by
    physical symptoms.
    which are often
    hypothetical or
    unrealistic in nature.    		Worries focus on
    relatively realistic
    negative outcomes.

  • OCD test: to check or not to check?

    OCD test: to check or not to check?

    People who deal with OCD can often feel the urge to check. Constant checking can become a ritual.

    Checking comes in many forms: making sure the door is locked, checking body temperature, monitoring relationships and checking to see if harm was done to self or others.

    Due to the nature of constant checking, people who are diagnosed with OCD are advised to resist the urge to check. However, when treating OCD with CBT, or when self-managing OCD with a CBT based app, users are sometimes asked to take a self assessment that “tests their OCD” – in other words, take an OCD test.

    The question that arises is therefore: is it advised to take the self-assessment and “check” my OCD? Or does it have the potential to negatively affect our ability to deal with OCD and improve?

    Professor Guy Doron, co-founder of GGtude and the expert behind GG OCD app, says that it’s OK to take the assessment when advised by a professional psychologist. However, re-doing the OCD self assessment is unhelpful. “As a guide, just complete the assessment and go on to complete the daily exercises,” Prof. Doron adds.

    Living with OCD is challenging. But thankfully, it’s also a treatable disorder and professional help can be an effective way to reduce checking and checking urges. 

  • OCD Test: what it means about you?

    OCD Test: what it means about you?

    There are thousands of daily searches with the term “OCD test”, as people go online to seek help with their condition and try to assess their situation and diagnosis.

    One of the most commonly used assessment scales for OCD is Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI). It breaks up obsessive compulsive disorder into 42 items, that are divided to 7 parts: Washing, Checking, Doubting, Ordering, Obsessing Hoarding, and Mental Neutralising.

    OCI-R is a shorter OCD test, that uses just 18 questions instead of the original 42. There is also a newer, shorter version with just 4 questions (OCI-4).

    There are various tools online that use this scale as well as others.

    What your OCD test means about me?

    1. Assessments can be a good first step toward getting treatment.
    2. The score itself is just a number. It takes your subjective input and then, using data from previous research, outputs a score.
    3. A higher score means you are more likely to be suffering from OCD or related condition.
    4. This score can be used as a guide whether you should seek professional help for your condition.
    5. You can use the questions as a guide in order to better understand the condition you may be suffering from.

    What your OCD test doesn’t mean about me?

    1. Getting a certain result doesn’t mean you have OCD.
    2. Seeking help is recommended if you feel distressed, regardless of the test score.
    3. Never use self-assessment tools as medical advice. Always consult with you doctor.

    General information about OCD tests

    1. It’s not recommended to take tests too often. Try not to re-check your condition and focus on coping and recovery.
    2. Make sure whatever OCD test you take online, it has a privacy policy that clearly states that the information you provide is confidential.
    3. If you suffer from OCD, we strongly recommend that you seek help from a mental health professional in order to receive a proper diagnosis and support.

    Feel free to try our OCD Test and see for yourself.

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  • Can a mobile app help cope with OCD?

    Can a mobile app help cope with OCD?

    In the past, people coping with OCD who were looking for solutions had limited options. You could go see a psychiatrist, whose tools are psychotherapy and medicine. Later on, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) introduced new protocols that proved to be effective for OCD.

    Nowadays, the gold standard for OCD remains CBT therapy, however there are new tools that use this methodology remotely or digitally. More often than before, people who want to solve a problem often search for an app that solves this problem. For example, if you want to improve your physical fitness, you may use an app for that.

    Apps have great potential as e-learning and training tools, because they are accessible, immediate and relatively easy to form habits with.

    So, when looking for an app to help deal with OCD, what should you look for?

    The 4 OCD app “must haves”

    1. Evidence based

    There are many products that promise the world, but not many of them are researched using academic methods and peer reviews. You want your app to have at least some sort of research backing and credibility. If possible, it should have actual on-product studies that are published in well known academic journals.

    2. Beyond articles and videos

    The power of apps is that they “applications” – meaning that they actually do stuff and not just serve as a browser. We are bombarded by information, but apps have the ability to transform the most relevant information into practice using daily tasks and activities.

    3. Great user experience and customer support

    You don’t want an app that someone uploaded to the app store ages ago but doesn’t provide support for. Search for apps that are being updated regularly, that provide with easy to use and intuitive user interface and that help you do what needs to be done as quickly and efficiently as possible.

    4. Privacy minded

    The last thing we want is that someone will use our private information for any purpose other than help us improve our coping with OCD. That’s why it’s important to use apps that clearly label their use of user data and their tracking policy.

    Most credible mental health apps know that and respect user privacy, but it’s always a good idea to check out this information. By the way, if an app uses anonymized tracking codes to drive downloads via marketing channels, it isn’t necessarily a problem. What is important is that the data isn’t shared and no identifiable user information is being shared across apps and platforms.

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  • Body dissatisfaction and resilience

    Body dissatisfaction and resilience

    How our mental wellness app reduces negative body image for high risk female university students

    • Body dissatisfaction represents a prevalent condition in young women.
    • Daily training with our mobile app may reduce some forms of body dissatisfaction.
    • Medium-large effect size reductions emerged for BDD symptoms.
    • Effects of the intervention on eating disorder symptoms seem more limited.

    Body dissatisfaction is prevalent in young women and is associated with symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Eating Disorders (EDs).

    Prof. Guy Doron, co-founder of GGtude, together with a team of students and researchers, wanted to assess the positive effect of our mobile application, based on cognitive behavioral principles, in reducing body dissatisfaction and BDD/ED (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) symptoms in female university students, considered at high-risk of developing Body Image Disorders (BIDs). 

    How the study was conducted

    Fifty university students at high-risk of developing BIDs (using self-report questionnaires assessing BIDs and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Clinical Version) were assigned to two random groups: an immediate-use group (iApp group; n = 25) and a delayed-use group (dApp group; n = 25). The iApp group started using the app at baseline for 16 days (T0 to T1). The dApp group waited for 16 days before starting to use the app (T1 to T2). Participants completed questionnaires at baseline (T0), 16 days from baseline (T1), and 32 days from baseline (T2).

    The results

    Repeated measure Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) showed a Group interaction on BDD symptoms indicating medium effect size reductions in the iApp group compared to dApp group; post-intervention means for BDD symptoms were under the cut-off for extreme body dissatisfaction/BDD symptoms in both groups.

    Conclusion

    Training 3 minutes a day for 16 days with our OCD mobile app may lead to reductions in some forms of body dissatisfaction, including BDD symptoms in female university students at high-risk of developing BIDs.

    What does it mean for people who suffer from body image issues?

    The results show that it’s possible to reduce some forms of body dissatisfaction using the app for 16 days, 3 minutes every day.

    You are welcome to try the app for free and see for yourself.

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    Citations

    Cerea S., Ghisi, M., Bottesi, G., Manoli, E., Carraro., T., & Doron (in press). Short, Daily Cognitive behavioural Training Using a Mobile Application Reduces Body Image Related Symptoms in High Risk Female University Students: A Randomized Controlled Study. Behavior Therapy.

  • I have doubts about my relationship. Is it normal?

    I have doubts about my relationship. Is it normal?

    Doubt is a defensive mechanism. Its purpose is to warn and protect us from mistakes and danger. A good balance between confidence and doubt ensures we can operate in this world freely and happily, and maintain a healthy relationship.

    However, some people find it much more common to be unsure about things that for others can be more straightforward. For example, we can get preoccupied or obsessed about our partner, spouse or loved ones. This obsessive behaviour and thinking can prevent us from seeing clearly and making the right choices. Instead of protecting us, it can damage our relationships and our well being.

    How do I know if I have ROCD?

    Worrying, having doubts or even being preoccupied with a particular relationship does not automatically suggest a diagnosis of a relationship obsession.

    Like other OCD symptoms, relationship-related OCD symptoms require psychological intervention only when causing significant distress and are incapacitating. Assessing ROCD symptoms, however, is further complicated by the fact that such experiences, even if distressing, may still be a part of the normal course of a still developing relationship, mainly during the flirting and dating stages of a relationship, or reflect real life problems.

    ROCD and the OCD app

    When we developed the app, we decided to focus on beliefs as a catalyst for changing maladaptive behaviours. Beliefs are interesting: We often forget about them, but they sit there in the back of our minds and control us, making us respond in specific ways to various stimuli.

    Our app is focused on helping people improve their condition whether they have normal doubts or if they suffer from Relationship OCD.

    Research shows training for 3-5 minutes a day can benefit users by reducing symptoms and challenging beliefs that hinder judgement.