#But the obsessive thoughts. The mental compulsions.

[cripplecharacters]

Hi. I have OCD (and various other mental illnesses) and have a character who has OCD. However, this character lives in a setting with aliens who are basically psychic with extra steps (they communicate via electromagnetic fields and can identify and interact with humans brain's electrical impulses.) What I'm wondering is should I make it so these aliens can like, easily distinguish some types of neurodiversity. i.e. they can easily recognize OCD character because his thought/brain patterns are more "repetitive?"

Personally I'm very torn on this. On one hand it feels validating because like a sort of "proof" that the difference is there and to ignore it is foolish. But at the same time it feels reductive to be, even indirectly, identified primarily by disability.

Possibly relevant, I don't think all neurodiversity should be easily identifiable by this species. Like I don't think autism could be identified (too much variation) but maybe something like DID could (parts of the brain field are somewhat "segregated")

Thank you for your ask! I think if the aliens have had contact with humans (or similar alien species) before, they might have some knowledge on what conditions are associated with certain thought patterns. If the aliens haven’t specifically spoken to humans on the matter they might make their own classifications which would probably look a lot different than ours (especially with how wide symptoms vary in one condition and how many symptoms overlap in so many conditions).

Your character doesn’t have to be only identified by their OCD, that may be what stands out at first to the aliens but if your character is well rounded they can be identified by their other traits. For example, when you first meet someone you might think of them as ‘the person with the interesting fashion sense,’ but as time goes on and you learn more about them you associate them with more traits.

Have a nice day!

Mod Rot

Hi!

I think that it's an interesting idea! I feel that it would make sense for an alien psychic creature to recognize that there are some "thinking patterns" that some humans sometimes have. As an example, I can see how they would pick up that certain people have a very specific Pure O pattern just from psychic-ing various people.

Depending on if/how the topic of mental health/neurodiversity exists in the alien society, they might not even necessarily consider it as such. If they don't recognize the pattern as a disorder, they might just think of it as a type of thinking that humans just have, like how they can perceive that some humans have brown hair while others are redheads (while readers would probably pick up on what is implied if they know anything about OCD). The alien aspect gives you a lot of possibilities!

As someone with OCD, I don't see it as "reducing" at all. It's true that his thoughts happen in a different manner than most peoples', but there's still content in them, right? His OCD is just affecting them, which is just how that works. The only exception here is that his OCD process itself is a part of the story - unless you decided to put his entire character's focus on how Weird and Exotic that is, you should be perfectly fine. I think it's an interesting part of worldbuilding to add!

If you are really worried about him being "identifiable" by his OCD, you can always make it so that different OCD types are seen as distinct (or, from an alien's perspective, perhaps even unrelated). For example, someone who's thought process is occupied with visual intrusive thoughts, versus one who is mainly having a specific compulsion-obsession pattern over and over, etc. - this will show OCD as the wide range that it is, and definitely not as "a label" that someone could just be instantly identified with. You can also make sure to show that every person's thought patterns are different to some degree (even if they're as neurotypical as it's humanly possible), and perhaps those with OCD's patterns are just hyperspecific enough to be recognized as more different; a "genre" of thought patterns of sorts. Because at the end of the day, they will also be people who don't have OCD who might share a few of these "OCD patterns" (and who don't fully get read as having it, maybe as adjacent at best), as well as two people who do have it and whose brain patterns don't match at any point, who still do get read as having OCD despite all that. It's a spectrum, afterall, so the brain patterns would be too!

I think that if you have OCD yourself, you can do basically anything you want with this. As I said, you have an interesting concept that you can tackle from a bunch of different angles, and I would love to see a take on it by an author with OCD! :-)

mod Sasza

[autopsyfreak]

‘letting my intrusive thoughts win’

shut the fuck up.

you’re referring to impulsive thoughts, intrusive thoughts are undesirable and often horrific for the person experiencing them. you dying your hair randomly is not an intrusive thought.

if i let my intrusive thoughts dictate my actions, id be in jail for a long fucking time.

[bog-bitch]

consider: intrusive thoughts described like shitty Buzzfeed articles

“Top 10 Reasons Why You’re Actually a Pedophile”

“People Are Sharing the Best Slurs to Scream at the Top of Your Lungs and Honestly I Am So Here For It”

“Tell Me Your Favorite Color and I’ll Tell You You Can Jump In Front of A Moving Train Right Now”

“You’ve Heard of [Normal Activity], But Have You Heard of All the Horrible Ways You Can Die While Doing It???!!”

“This Quiz Will RevealWhich Hand You Could Hypothetically Stick in a Blender!”

[neurodivergenttales]

Just a reminder that OCD is not a homogenous experience

Not everyone with OCD has contamination OCD

Not everyone with OCD washes their hands obsessively

Not everyone with OCD has observable compulsions

Not everyone with OCD feels the need to be neat and have symmetry

Not everyone with OCD worries about germs

Not everyone with OCD feels able to talk about their rituals, compulsions or intrusive thoughts

[anaaxiety]

[helpforintrusivethoughts]

I’m having a particularly bad episode of OCD today and wanted to remind everyone as well as myself.

Your intrusive thoughts and urges do not reflect who you are as a person.

Your intrusive thoughts and urges do not make you sick or evil.

Your intrusive thoughts and urges do not mean you are a despicable human being.

They do not mean any of the above, or any of the other lies your brain might conjure. (You’re twisted. You’re perverted. You deserve death. You deserve to never be happy. To always be alone. To always feel guilty. And the list goes on).

What your intrusive thoughts and urges do mean is that you’re struggling, and it’s hard, and sometimes you want to give up and disappear forever.

But your intrusive thoughts and urges do not define you. They do not have control over you, they do not have charge of your brain. They are not going to drag you under for the rest of your life, even if it feels like that right now. You will overcome this, and you will pound those stupid thoughts into the earth, no matter how long it takes.

You are not your intrusive thoughts.

Your intrusive thoughts are not you.

[martha-autie]

I'm upset with tiktok. Particularly the mental health aspect of tiktok. It's so inaccurate most of the time but people act like it's not. You shouldn't take mental advice from tiktok. Tiktok is partially responsible for setting back the public's perception of OCD, we were gaining traction in helping people understand that intrusive thoughts don't make us, killers, creeps, or dangerous.

Now we've got tiktok people telling everyone that intrusive thoughts are about wanting to eat too much candy, or poke a Llama in the face because it's so cute. No those are just thoughts, normal thoughts, impulsive thoughts.

They are likely not ego dystonic. They likely do not clash with your sense of self, you most likely do not have a negative or anxious reaction to these thoughts. Intrusive thoughts are unwanted, scary, distressing thoughts that pop into your mind randomly and you don't want them.

People with ocd can't control their thoughts, but now we have people calling OCD people and people with other conditions monsters because they have real intrusive thoughts that follow a common theme, hurting others, doing something bad or perverted. Or something you don't want to do, it can even be thoughts about joining another religion or secretly being a sexuality and not knowing it.

Intrusive thoughts can be anything, but they are always unpleasant and unwanted, they are considered to be ego dystonic meaning they do not go along with a person's sense of self.

When I was younger I would have thoughts about pushing people into the street and them getting run over by cars, I hated those thoughts. I didn't want them, those were intrusive thoughts. Tiktok has harmed OCD acceptance and imagine what it's going to do to Autism, which I also have, if people keep taking advice from tiktok. Please don't take tiktok advice

[bl0w-m3]

All I can think about is what I don’t wanna think about. All I can do is try and get relief.

Relief never comes.

I’m walking around, not even real.

This all feels like a bad trip.

I can see it. I can hear it. I feels like it already happened.

I’m screaming for help. I’m begging and it feels like I’m in a soundproof box.

[charon-cries]

when OTHER people try to distract or comfort themselves, they call it "coping" and "self-soothing," but when i do it, it's a "mental compulsion" and "you have OCD"

[arcadialedger]

Okay but, despite being a KOTLC fan, the idea of Telepaths existing genuinely terrifies my “I have OCD and intrusive thoughts” mind.

Living in a world where people could listen to every single convoluted spiraling thought? That’s a hell no.

[dersandmannkommt]

when I mention that I have OCD and people think I mean I'm an organized perfectionist, but then they find out I'm actually constantly bordering on psychosis

[hum-tittle]

I have OCD, and I don’t think there are a lot of great media examples. So, I am going to post examples as I find them! Also, if you find any examples, please share!!

First it is important to understand what exactly OCD is. OCD is an anxiety disorder with a cycle. It starts with consistent intrusive/unwanted thoughts. (Everyone experiences intrusive thoughts but people with OCD it is much more intense and frequent. I personally have multiple a day.) Now intrusive thoughts are anxiety inducing thoughts. These thoughts are things you do not want to do/happen. People confuse intrusive thoughts with impulsive thoughts Impulsive thoughts are things you may have some desire to do and do not trigger anxiety. Both kinda “pop” in your head but are very different. Wanting to flip someone off for cutting you off is impulsive while running your car off a cliff is an intrusive thought.

Intrusive thoughts aren’t always a specific action either, it can sometimes just be a feeling or a memory. I deal with “impending doom” now and again, it is awful.

The next part is the fear and anxiety being too much from the intrusive thought and they keep thinking about it, or the obsession.

This is where we get to the visible part of the cycle, the compulsion. Compulsion can look so different and sometimes you can’t even tell. (Also everyone can have compulsions!). Someone double checking the door is locked seems totally normal to the outside, but in their mind if they don’t double check it someone will break in and kidnap their family and it will be all their fault because they didn’t double check the lock, even if they know they locked it, what if someone unlocked it, or the lock is broken, or they’re crazy and never locked it.

The compulsion does help self soothe but is usually temporary. If the obsession is still there, this can cause the compulsions to become more extreme. Getting really sick> intrusive thoughts of getting sick again> excessive hand washing (cleaning them to the point of bleeding)> relief> compulsion is no longer helping> agoraphobia (fear of leaving their home)

Here are some graphics to help understand!

Anyways I am also writing a musical about this and will share about it when it's closer to being done!

Graphic sources

https://www.ocddoodles.com/shop/p/the-ocd-cycle-digital-print-clinic-use

https://calocd.com/pure-o-ocd-2/

[wildfeather5002]

Me trying to reason with my intrusive thoughts and explain why they're wrong:

[crayonurchin]

A reminder to OCD folks that a trigger can come from something happy. I just got tickets to an event and I'm really excited, but it's triggered intrusive thoughts of being assaulted. I've gone from excited to nearly spiralling over thoughts of being hurt cuz triggers literally do not care where they come from and OCD will latch onto literally anything in the world.

And that's okay. It's okay that the happy thing is a bit shit right now. Don't engage with the thoughts, don't perform the compulsions. You can only get so upset and so anxious, and when you reach the maximum garbage feeling, it will have nowhere to go but back down.

Take some time to recover from the episode however you need- meditation, exercise, a comfort show, journalling, snacks etc. Just don't perform the compulsions.

OCD wants to make you miserable and even if it succeeds right now, it doesn't mean it'll succeed later.

No matter how shitty I feel today despite getting these tickets, when the time for the event comes, and I go despite my anxiety and intrusive nightmare thoughts, I'll be WAY WAY WAY happier for the experience of the show than I would be for avoiding it.

Everyone has a different experience and there will be always be nuance but for this?

OCD IS A BITCH AND YOU AIN'T A BITCH AND OCD WANTS TO MAKE YOU ITS BITCH BUT THE ONLY BITCH YOU ARE IS A

BAD BITCH

[helpforintrusivethoughts]

Resources 🌼

(Updated regularly)

🪷 Emergency resource: oh no I’m having a bad thought

🌻 Apps and Games

Finch: mental health app where you care for a little bird! Offers many features such as focus timers, rant zones, nature sounds, fun questions, and more! You can even make friends on it and send them encouragement :) (my friend code)

Adorable Home: a precious game in which you have a tiny spouse, cats, and a little house you can decorate! You can check in and enjoy peaceful music, different scenes, and upgrades through collecting tiny hearts you earn through easy tasks! A truly adorable and relaxing game!

Seashine: a game set underwater in which you guide a tiny luminescent jellyfish through the abyss. Beautiful, relaxing music and distant whale noises; some scary enemies, so if you have thalassophobia this might not be the one for you. Very calming otherwise though, and the creator is coming out with an enemy-free version soon in which you can just float around to the music!

Cat Snack Bar: an adorable app where you operate different business venues with the help of chubby, adorable cats! You check in periodically to collect money and update your venue, but otherwise it doesn't require much brain power. A very cute game to help you relax!

Webtoon: a comic app that allows you to browse thousands of creative and often relaxing webcomics! My personal favorite is Cursed Princess Club; it's a very clever and happy one with a lot of good messages!

1010!: a fun little game where you match up blocks. Fairly simple and satisfying, and you can update your backgrounds to fun designs!

Papa's Cupcakeria: a relaxing and satisfying game where you make cupcakes! And of course there’s a whole series of games in the Papa Louie universe to choose from that are fun and happy :)

🪸 Fun Websites

Neal.fun: features many creative pages you can visit such as— a stack of movable rocks, a page that shows how deep the ocean really goes, who was alive [insert year], draw logos from memory, and more!

WindowSwap: lets you go through windows around the world! You can log in and save your favorites, and make it fullscreen if you need to study and want a nice thing in the background to keep you from distractions.

mrdoob.com: a wacky website with lots of fun features you can draw and mess around with

boredbutton: for when you're bored out of your mind and want a pointless website to mess with!

theuselessweb.com: takes you to a completely useless website, such as a page where it rains corndogs or a page where you can create different forms of art.

ashortjourney.com: lets you take a small and beautifully drawn trip on a trolley and pick up/drop off tiny creatures!

Forestopia: allows you to explore images of forests and the things inside, with background forest noises!

boredpanda.com: full of memes, funny stories, and more!

listverse: contains many lists, some horrifying (so be warned for those) and some just fascinating!

🍄 Focus Sites and Playlists

rainymood.com: a site/app that lets you listen to rain for as long as you want!

asoftmurmur.com: lets you listen to a variety of sounds like rain, thunder, or a fire!

Open ocean: 10 hours of underwater videography of a spot in the ocean!

imissmycafe.com: site that lets you listen to the noises of a coffee shop! You can change the different noises too :)

Secret Forest Playlist: peaceful music; 2 hours

Rain on Leaves on a Forest Road in Autumn: rain in the woods; 10 hours

Haunted Village Halloween Ambience: eerie but quiet music; 3 hours

Relaxing Autumn/Fall Forest: sounds of wind, crows, songbirds, and creaking trees; 7 hours

Chill Beats for Worldbuilding and Writing: Fabulous lofi music; 1 hour

It's Just a Dream/Dreamcore: Very peaceful and ambient music; 4 hours

Autumn Acoustic: Autumn inspired songs; 5 hours

Sad Piano Music: beautiful piano pieces by Jurrivh; 6 hours

The Most Relaxing Waves Ever: beach noises; 8 hours

Rural Autumn Ambience and Music: gentle autumn-y music; 1 hour

Yanni: a playlist of beautiful word-free music by Yanni

pov- you're a pirate: a pirate-themed playlist for inspiration

Have your own recommendations? Drop a comment or ask!

[multifandomconfusion]

How I look every time someone says their "intrusive thoughts won" or they're "kinda ocd":