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OCD: What's the difference between worrying and obsessing?
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Default OCD: What's the difference between worrying and obsessing? - 12-22-2008, 07:57 AM

According to the manual, worries are about real life situations - but people with cleanliness related OCD worry about dirt and germs - surely that's got roots in real life, even though with OCD it gets out of hand...
   
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Default 12-25-2008, 11:29 AM

The difference is very subtle and it doesn't really have to do with reality based or not (for the exact reason you are citing- every obsession has some, even if remote, basis in life).The main difference is the *level* of worry. With a typical"worry"a person is usually able to stop thinking about it after a while or is able to use techniques, such as distraction, to lessen the anxiety associated with the worry. An obsession is a ruminative, repetative, thought that evokes intense anxiety. With an obsession, the person is unable to stop thinking about the thought. Compulsions are thus developed as ways to rid the person of their anxiety-producing thoughts or at least control it better (e.g. you can't stop worrying about germs, so you wash your hands for hours).
   
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Default 12-25-2008, 11:39 PM

OCD gets in the way of every day life activities. Worrying is normally temporary (but can be longer lasting depending on the thing you're stressed about), but will not keep you from functioning as a normal human being.
   
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Default 01-01-2009, 11:18 PM

The difference is in the negative effects the behavior has on ones life.
   
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Default 05-22-2009, 08:55 AM

I have OCD, so I know what it feels like to obsess, and then have the"compulsion"so that my"obsession"won't happen. i.e. - touch a door knob four times is the compulsion, which will prevent someone in my family from getting hurt. I know that it doesn't make sense, and if I didn't have OCD I would think it sounded nuts. Obsessing is like worrying that won't go away, a black cloud hanging over your head. Worrying is something that bothers you, but usually you can put it out of your mind or resolve it in a shorter amount of time.
   
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