The Truth About OCD, PTSD, and How They're Related | AKA ep.137

Ask Kati Anything ep. 137 | Your mental health podcast, with Kati Morton, LMFT This week Kati talks about all things OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). She explains what it is, what Pure O OCD is, and how it links to PTSD, perfectionism, and eating disorders. She also explains how the treatment may differ depending on where our OCD comes from, and why mentally rehearsing things over and over again isn’t healthy for us. She discusses the fact that OCD is an anxiety disorder, and what that means for its symptoms. Finally, she talks about the best ways we can support those in our life with OCD, and why it’s up to them to tell us what’s best for them. This and so much more in this week’s episode. AUDIENCE QUESTIONS Can you talk about how OCD may present itself alongside PTSD? For example, most of my obsessions and compulsions are checking and also trauma-related, ex. "Is the door locked?" "Did somebody text me?" "Is my grandmother breathing?", etc.. I have a tendency to mentally rehearse my day over and over again in my head as if I have a running checklist in my head of everything I need to get done that day until I have accomplished everything. In a way this calms me as I feel... Could intrusive harm thoughts be a sign of OCD? Most of my harmful thoughts are around sharp objects. I experienced these thoughts during a tough time in my life for 3 months and then they went away. They come back every... How best to support someone with OCD? My friend recently told me she has OCD, she’s not yet felt comfortable enough to tell me what her OCD looks like for her which I totally understand, but just wondered how... (How) are OCD and perfectionism intertwined? Could the addictive behavior in eating disorders be a part of OCD? Is OCD all about controlling? And why is it so satisfactory to control? How can you tell the difference between pure O OCD and just anxious thoughts? (COMMENT: And if it is pure O OCD, where do you draw the line between an obsession and a compulsion?) What’s up with needing everything to be right? I am in constant search for the right answers in everything I do. If I feel I didn’t do something right, then I get really down on myself and become very frustrated... My ocd is very much linked to health anxiety (that i started developing around covid). How can we stop our ocd behavior when it actually is something that also helps us feel like we are fighting the risks to catch a disease... How do you know when it’s time to stop ERP (Exposure and response prevention therapy)? When is it time to see if you can just focus on other things for a while? Isn’t the ultimate goal of treatment to get to... ---- KATI'S BOOKS Traumatized https://geni.us/Bfak0j Are u ok? http://bit.ly/2s0mULy ---- ONLINE THERAPY While Kati does not currently offer online therapy, her sponsor Betterhelp will connect you with a licensed, online counselor. Visit https://betterhelp.com/kati PATREON: this podcast is made possible through the generous support of patrons like you. https://www.patreon.com/katimorton BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Linnea Toney [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices