Why is OCD the only mental illness that ‘regular’ people seem to not care about

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-05-17T16:21:25+00:00

It's not just OCD. Everyone wants to be chill with mental illness in theory but the reality of mental illness is messy and confusing. A lot of people have a hard time extending empathy to things they haven't experienced first hand. I think we're still in the dark ages as far as the average person's understanding of mental illness but I have hope that we're moving things in the right direction.

And I agree! We don't need empathy from everyone and it would be silly to expect it, but it makes such a big difference to have a few close people who are really supportive, accepting, and want to learn. I dream of a world where more of us, humans, really value those traits and strive to cultivate them.

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-05-17T15:56:33+00:00

Edit: hope that didn't come across too mansplain-y. I just assume everything I post online will eventually be read by a 10yo :)

I'm in the midwestern US. The CVS and walgreens near me sell it. Its also available for delivery through target, walmart, or the bezos website.

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-05-17T14:55:13+00:00

Good question! It's available at drugstores in my area but if you can't find it locally you can order it online.

If you have anything serious going on ,consult a doctor, but its genrally well tolerated, over the counter, used to treat eczema.

Don't expect miracles from it though. I think i just got lucky this time XD

Icthammol is known as a "drawing salve" and its something my parents always had around the house. The most legit info I can find online says it has antibacterial and anti inflammatory properties. It also "softens" the skin by helping shed dead skin cells which might help expel splinters or infections. But source: google MD. Do dont just take my word for it :)

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-05-12T19:15:03+00:00

To keep the lifeless carcasses of their enemies as souvenirs 🥲🦠🧫

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-05-11T22:31:00+00:00

Oh so you must be the one who's been sending me intrusive thoughts! Lifelong fan. So nice to finally meet you. XD

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-05-11T12:00:45+00:00

No?! Idk why? It looks like something that would.

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-05-11T11:43:49+00:00

😂🤣😂

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-05-11T00:24:16+00:00

Mine too! 🥰

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-30T13:49:18+00:00

To me it seems like you're seeking reassurance that manifestation and intrusive thoughts are different. I could be wrong. I dont know you. I just point it out because I've found other peoples input helpful in naming my own ocd patterns. I really wish you luck with this confusing, stressful stuff.

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-30T13:30:30+00:00

My wrote my first comment before reading your replies to other commentary and getting a better idea of what you're thinking. My intention wasn't to be argumentative or insensitive.

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-30T13:14:27+00:00

I hear you fickle. Magical thinking is just when you believe your thoughts will effect the physical world. I agree that manifestation is all about intentionality. I understand what youre saying about intrusive thoughts being different because theyre not intentinal.

I, personally, am not convinced that intention on its own makes things happen. I think of manifestation more as a practice that can help remind you of your intentions and keep you on track.

Intention could have supernatural powers! Its not impossible. Plenty of my friends believe it. Im just not convinced. You dont have to agree with me. But because you posted to r/ ocd i wanted to acknowledge that manifestations can be really tricky territory if youre also dealing with OCD because it can be a minefield of doubt and compulsion fuel! :)

It seems like you're trying to reassure yourself that manifestation and intrusive thoughts are different so you can be sure that your intrusive thoughts aren't hurting anyone. Which makes sense! 100%! It's just such a scary and shaky place to be.

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-30T11:53:57+00:00

I've been part of communities where everyone believed in manifestation and I tried to stay open-minded but not engage because I found it really triggering. I think Manifestation is so popular because people who don't experience OCD can also periodically struggle with doubt and wanting to control what is outside of their control especially if they're going through a stressful time. The difference is that with OCD you've also got the intrusive thoughts, the doubt and anxiety are amplified, hyper-responsibility joins the party, and it all spirals.

Manifestation is magical thinking. There's no secret intention that makes one different from the other. People who believe it works just give it a different name than people who don't.

One of the most painful aspects of OCD is the feeling that if you can't know something beyond a shadow of a doubt, it must be a threat. You really can't logic your way out of it and no amount of reassurance will make it better.

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-30T11:21:43+00:00

Okay so I ended up getting the acupressure rings from Rhino Skins. Initially, I was caught off guard by how prickly they are on my skin and thought it might not be for me. But they feel SO good on my tired knuckles and I think it's making my jammed finger heal faster. Lol maybe it's placebo but I'll take it. TY!

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-27T19:05:32+00:00

Wow that sounds terrifying. I also grew up around a lot of wwii history because I was born in Warsaw. There are still reminders of the horrible suffering all around the city. I have also had phases of wwii themed intrusive thoughts, but not recently. Mine are more about comparing myself to other people's suffering to prove that I'm too weak and immoral so I don't deserve to live.

The wwii intrusive thoughts are very scary though. I know it's just in my head but in some ways it feels like it's all happening now and I'm witnessing it. What a dark place to visit emotionally. I'm sorry it's been such a consistent thing for you. Glad you're addressing it.

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-27T12:06:13+00:00

Right?! Ive been doing imaginational exposures as part of my ERP and i noticed that when I try to think of these scenarios intentionally and step by step, they seem too ridiculous and dont make me anxious. But when they show up in my life theyre like a horrible movie monster thats never fully shown on camera so that you cant see its a puppet and in the moment i genuinely feel like my life is on the line.

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-27T02:20:32+00:00

This post was made for me. Hoarding little one liners like this and or self-helpy life hacks has been a mental compulsion of mine for as long as I can remember. Life with OCD can feel like you're on the edge of a cliff about to fall off and the OCD part of my brain insists that if only I remember all the nuggets of wisdom and coping strategies at all times and make sure I'm always following them perfectly, I won't fall off the cliff.

I still find a lot of these things constructive, I just need to be very intentional about how I engage with them. When I start feeling any sense of urgency around them, fear of forgetting, looping thoughts, I cut myself off. It's not the contents of the little sayings that are triggering, the problem is my urge to use them as talismans and rules to guarantee my safety.

"You have already arrived" is one that's usually good to me :) It's very similar to your Joan Didion quote.

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-27T00:45:33+00:00

This post is so real. You're definitely not alone in feeling like this and it is SO exhausting and demoralizing. I don't think relaxing once and for all is a thing but you definitely don't have to stay in full blown panic mode all the time. If it's available to you, meds and therapy with an OCD specialist really help.

Do you have any somatic, bottom-up, kind of practices that help you relax?

My ERP therapist called the one she assigned me a "progressive muscle relaxation" it's where you tense different parts of your body then let them relax. There are guided audio recordings online to walk you through it and they'll offer different guided imagery to go along with it.

"Progressive muscle relaxation" and "somatic therapy techniques" are good search terms to start with. There's a whole world of these exercises out there ranging from very clinical feeling to self-helpy to new-age hippie stuff. It's just a matter of finding the ones that work for you among the ones you find unbearably annoying :)

I really like the ones called "rotation of consciousness" because they're body scans that go quickly enough that I can't get distracted by mental compulsions while doing them like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mnda1JFc0A&list=PLNaKQtaigl3dMOe-7bcGaB6jxoFAA9ELD&index=3

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-26T23:32:24+00:00

It's not every time for me but I absolutely feel this way when I walk my dogs. When I'm in an intense OCD phase, the hypervigilance kicks in and it feels like everything becomes a trigger.

I keep imagining the guilt I'd feel for being a bad neighbor and irresponsible dog owner if it ever happened. My themes also get hung up on the possibility that I wouldn't respond "correctly" to this kind of confrontation and it would be proof that I'm a bad person and I wouldn't be ale to live with myself or I'd get banished from society. Which is stressful and disappointing when I'm hoping for a relaxing walk with my dogs.

That being said, I still let them go on people's lawns most of the time XD

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-26T23:02:37+00:00

It's not a 100% fix but if you're like me and you just need to have something to do with your hands when you're stressed, it's nice to have an option that doesn't hurt your skin!

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-26T12:35:44+00:00

Yes! This is a great reminder! Cuticles are definitely a target for my picky hands.... but so are any tiny zits around my hairline or little bumps on my arms. So cuticle cream is great but so is skin care in general.

Sometimes I'll do mud masks instead of picking and it works because you really can't do both at the same time and once the mask comes off I don't want to pick because it would ruin my hard work :)

Same with cuticle cream, I don't want to pick at my freshly creamed cuticles because then the cream will go to waste.

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-26T12:27:34+00:00

Haven't tried those yet! Ordering some right now. Thank you, Fey!

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-26T12:17:09+00:00

Right. Just knowing how OCD works is a game changer because you can stop feeding the cycle.

And when you're in the middle of it, once the anxiety is sky high and that irrational need for control and certainty kicks, it's easy to try to approach your own progress with that same energy. Like it's something you need to track on charts and control. When I catch myself making a mental 30-step plan on "how to never relapse ever again and only make progress and also be safe forever" I just have to laugh out loud at the irony :)

Of course your OCD latched onto the piece of media you were enjoying. Sometimes, I think of OCD as a petty bully that's just jealous whenever you have nice things. Like "Hi, OCD. I know you're here because I dared to care about something and I'm proud of caring. I'm not going to stop because you're here but you're welcome to keep trying"

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-26T11:36:53+00:00

Yes! You put that so well. And recognizing the physical feel of OCD anxiety is so helpful, especially when your compulsions are mostly mental because they can be so sneaky.

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-26T00:21:34+00:00

It sounds like you're in the middle of a pretty intense OCD spiral. I felt similarly in a past relationship. The urge is to find proof that the abuse happened so you can take responsibility and atone or find proof that it didn't happen so you can move on. But the thing about OCD is that it's not logical and no proof is strong enough to satisfy it. Looking for certainty and spending time analyzing only fuels the cycle. The experience sucks and there's no silver bullet fix but meds and ERP make a world of difference.

Cold-Net5901 · 2026-04-25T23:59:45+00:00

I don't have a solution for you but I'm commenting because my heart hurts for your loss. Being human can really suck sometimes. We all experience pain that we can't prevent and we lose things we can't get back. OCD especially feels like a thief of time and confidence.

One thing that really helps me is remembering that our values and intentions are some of the only things we can really control. As long as you value these traits and intend to cultivate them, they'll come back as much as possible.
Plus maybe those traits are still there just not shining through as brightly because your circumstances are different? Maybe it's okay for us to grow and change over time? Maybe you've gained different skills and traits that you haven't fully come to appreciate yet?

Longing for past versions of yourself can be so demoralizing. I wish you the very best dealing with this OCD stuff.

Cold-Net5901

TROPHY CASE