Does porn addiction really cause OCD?

Let me say something as intrroduction, Every person somewhere suffers with OCD. now the important point to be taken care of is the "level".
Porn actually act as a catalyst in lifting your OCD level.
for example, after pmo, due to guilt people ppledge not to repeat again and most of them turn towards Spirituality,meditation,journal entry etc. But after few days they return back and the trauma continues due to continuous failure, that means more n more thinking, analysis, planning , scheduling...................ultimately more severe OCD.
Therefore, they presume it a psychic disorder and step towards meds,doctors,therapist n all.
Anyone I've met here were mostly somewhere mentally stuck,especially ladies. They lose patience and instead of getting better collapse completly.

 

Hi

I can't really answer your question supported by scientific evidence but research suggest PMO addiction affects parts of the brain that are involved in rationality and decision making. Could there be a link with OCD? I think so. I myself developed OCD (checking locks and stuff like that) when I was 14, not long after I discovered pornography online. I grew out of that fortunately, only to develop an eating disorder the year after.

The best thing you can do is to just stay away from pornography at all costs. It's not worth it. You may or you may not develop OCD but in the end PMO addiction, even if mild, will always trigger symptoms.

 

What I feel porn does, is because it desensitizes your brain to dopamine you start to get really rough generalized anxiety about just about anything really. Generalized anxiety can cause you to excessively worry about your NoFap progress and focus too much of your attention on it. I'd argue it's a mimicry of OCD because it's not really true OCD, rather OCD-like symptoms and thought processes that are the results of anxiety and overthinking.

Basically like SMK described, after every cycle of relapsing and starting again, you start to worry and stress more, and fall into a habit of excessive overthinking, analysis, routine planning, even social avoidance, and you start to revolve your life around this notion of "self-improvement" to such an extent it becomes more of a detriment than something that's helpful.

That's definitely been happening to me lately. Sometimes I'd spend hours at coffee shops just writing plans on how I'm going to fix my life, write forum and journal posts, and I'd literally drive myself crazy which in many occasions has led me to relapse, repeating the process, and often times making my symptoms worse.

Unfortunately, with things like addiction, while journal writing, analysis, planning, and some sense of routine are important, it can become really excessive to the point where it turns into something really OCD-like. It sounds like new age guru BS, but it's true that in order to really succeed at something like NoFap you have to let go of your uncertainty of the future, and release the need to control. Just relax and take things one day at a time and control urges as they come. Easier said than done but so far that's what's been helping me the most.

 

OCD can be a pain in the ass and I know it isn't easy to just get over it. In my opinion just like HOCD it's probably because you overstimulate yourself because of porn use. You start questioning everything and become obsessive about a lot of things even about your own sexuality sometimes. That would be the most logical explanation. I'd say there's a pretty fair chance that you'll get rid of the obsessive thoughts once you get rid of porn. Porn is the worst man I don't think for example that it's a coincidence that I developed OCD symptoms at the same time that I started watching it. If you think about it all you are constantly stimulating the nervous system which simply cannot be good. People underestimate this.

 

GUYS a scientist needs to take over this and publish an official paper on the subject. I had OCD twice in my life for a few months. Once when I was 14, 1 year after starting watching porn and masturbating daily and once when I was 21, also 1 year after starting watching porn again. I have just discovered that this was the reason. New generations must know about the destructiveness of porn and masturbation.

 

I agree I was at the point that rebooting ruled my every waking thought. But you do have to be strict or else you'll say "fuck it"

 

If you break OCD down to its meaning 'Obsessive Compulsive Disorder' I think it becomes easier to understand. For something to be a disorder it has to have a negative impact on your life, whether that's physical health or emotional/mental health, if your actions lead to self harm or the harm of others then it is probably a disorder. The compulsion is the result of a thought which is then acted upon, seemingly with some kind of overbearing force ie: 'I just have to do it' 'I can't help myself' and the obsession which leads to the compulsion to act is an overactive thought process which may be linked to different environmental triggers or poor ways of managing your emotions. OCD is all about repetition, the thing is, addiction and OCD are two separate disorders with different pathology although are closely linked and generally speaking both are related to how we as humans cope with our emotions, environment, traumatic experiences. Whether the repeated use of pornography is OCD or Addiction is still hotly contested and overall it doesn't really matter what label you put on your problem, the real challenge is learning to accept that it's a problem for you and find ways to overcome it

 

I have OCD and my OCD symptoms exarcebated with PMO. I thought that rebooting would help with overcoming OCD but nothing's really changed.

 

The same thing happened to me

 

I know 2 guys personally who had an incest- relationship (one with a guy one with a girl). Both masturbated to it when they were older and both were afraid they would be in love with that person.

 

Hey guys my ocd keeps getting stronger everytime I find away to accept the thoughts. When I was at work I got butterflies like a crush and weird feelings for talking to one of my co workers. Then these other feelings start to come in a compulsion to check him out and more. Its like I'm living in a gay body now. I try to ignore but I get so much anxiety from it now. I talk to myself telling me wtf is wrong with me. When I have those thoughts I still have the straight thoughts and feelings coming into like these are my brothers. We be still talking about females so Idk what this is. Any man can admit that another man is good looking. Its apart of the competition to see who gets the lady so I'm not caring about the feeling of when you see a good looking dude. I'm talking about the ocd feelings. It feels like you're in a gay body. Any advice on how to help me fight against this anxiety demon known as OCD? Please comment because I been ignoring it for a while but sometimes it hits me out of no where. I'm thinking and feeling like a gay person would. Its giving me everything a gay person would have and its scary. I know its all not true and that its ocd but its hard for me to ignore it.

 

The memoryI had in high school helps me the most when my coach made me stare at all the cheer leaders because I kept looking at them during practice. I would like more advice and tips though.

 

Great insight and positive example. Best to you and all of us.

 

Hello evrybody ,
this is my story ,

i used to Pmo since 13 YO , was PMOing even 4 times day , i tryed to stop but i couldn't evry time i go back to PMO ,

when i had 19 YO i was sobber for 20 days
but suddenly a HOCD thoughst appeard and
and i had extream anxeity about it for weeks , i never thoughts about Withrawals so i went to psychologist after 4 months suffring from HOCD that time i did not recongnize what is happning and i was just masturbating ,
so the psychologist doctor gave me medicines and diagnosed me with OCD ( knowing that i did not talk about PMO with hime )
after weeks of antidepressants i felt good and i went back to PMO and i statted gaining weight a lot ! after that doctor start reducing medicines and i start having other thems of OCD + HOCD ,
days after days and still suffring for 5 years after that from OCD and PMOING at same time a things going made , ( depression anxiety , brain fog , lack of motivation ... )

i came across NOFAP and i anderstood that i might be misdiagnosed and that days when hocd poped up was only withrawals ,

today is 141 Days of nofap , and things got worse , ocd quardupaled , depression as hell no motivations , horrible thoughts and im waiting to see light at the end of the tunnel

NB : i was a heavy PMOer , min 3 times a day

plllzz help me if im in the right direction .

 

Hello,
I am a person who is worst affected by ocd.so I am bold to comfort you by the comfort I have received from my father Jesus Christ. Believe me,only the love of Christ can set you free. You might wonder what an idiot I am....please read the whole lines before you quit.

I was only 10 when I first came across x in internet.I had ocd even before that.but it was only mild and I started to talk to god asking him questions(it was ocd).But after this watching, it worsened. Satan’s greatest weapon that he uses against the young generation is porn. Whether you watched it on will or by accident,it doesn’t matter; what matters is satan starts to fill up your mind with discouragement,fear,guilt..... this is really a spiritual warfare. If you are a born again(believe that Jesus died for your sins and become a child of God) like I am now, satan will work against you even more and with much effort. I drowned in depression and my good times were all turned to nightmares. But in all these times the lord comforted me and taught me how to fight against the destroyer.
OCD is really a blessing. I will tell you how to turn it into a blessing...... just imagine how beautiful ocd would be if it compels you to think about the love of Jesus and heaven and joy and peace.....wonderful. Believe in Jesus Christ today and become a child of God, and simply ask God to help you by his spirit and fill your thought about the love of Jesus AND TALK TO GOD ABOUT LOVE,JOY,.......definitely the Holy Spirit of God will keep your mind in perfect peace and flood your thought with love,joy (for he is not a God who doesn’t k.....only Love of Jesus can set you free....ocd on the Love of Jesus(don’t get dishearted when ocd compels you to think vulgar about God;it is the Satan’s trick to move you to guilty feeling) meditate on how Jesus suffered for your sins and start reading bible to help help you fill your thoughts with even more things of heaven and godly things......as bible says “our weapons of war are not physical but weapons of spirit,strong to pull down fortress and to capsize thoughts that rise against the love of Christ”.....ONLY JESUS CAN SET YOU FREE. feel free to contact me if you want more help on this matter.......God Bless You...