Is this OCD- and does it sound familiar to anyone?

[esthergreenwood]

Hi everyone,

Well, I know I have OCD and am in treatment for it.

But I have a friend who has also struggled with anxiety and is trying to find the right therpaist, but she isn't sure what she has. She deifnitely has GAD, but I am wondering if she has OCD too, but I have never heard of this particular obsession and wondered if anyoen ehre could relate.

My friend used to have an extremely small chest and it bothered her excessively where she felt she didn't look normal, so she got implants. Before she got the implants she thought about how she didn't look normal all the time. Now that she ahs the implants her confidence that she looks normal has impoved, but she has a new problem. Whenever she has a bra on, she is excessively aware of the fact that she has a bra on. Like, it is all she can think about. And she doesn't want to not wear one because supposedly that is not good for your implants over time. I am wondering if this is lingering feelings of anxiety about feeling like she used to look abnormal (even though to me she never did look abnormal), or OCd, or body dysmorphia, or some combination.

Any advice? I guess this is very different from my own OCD which revolves around bad thins happening, and fear of contamination, etc., where there is a bad end result. But with my friend, I can't figure out if it is OCD since I don't see what is upsetting about wearing a bra.

Thoughts?

[ocdengineer]

Sounds like an obsession with her body or appearance.  This doesn't really fit into the OC Spectrum of Disorders until it starts having a negative impact on her life.  For instance, I could be completely obsessed with football, but it wouldn't be considered a disorder until I started missing family functions due to games, or couldn't leave my house while a game is on, or found I was anxious when the football was not on.  People can have obsessive personalities and not be Obsessive Compulsive.  Many times this is the case.  I do think your friend has a poor self image though.  Most people who get their body surgically altered do it because they are upset about how they look.  This is sometimes a legitimate and perfectly acceptable thing to do, however, some people find that the change doesn't solve their poor self image.  the most beautiful people in the world can have this problem.  It is probably best served by emotional support from friends and family and potentially counseling depending on how bad the self image is.

It could also be a lingering fear of going back to the way things were.  Sometimes poor self images are hard to get rid of and when they are fixed, people tend to fear a return to their previous state.

It could be many different things, the important thing to note is that she probably doesn't have OCD unless it is causing emotional turmoil in her life.  In many cases this includes panic and anxiety as well.

Take care,
OE