Is It Possible My Tinnitus Is Part of My OCD...?

[josho771]

So basically I have had anxiety and OCD for a long time but it's been manageable, but ever since 3 month ago it got worse and I was always obsessing about stupid things and making my anxiety worse...

But here's the thing I started obsessing about a ringing in my ear and I started hearing it... and about a week ago I got a new obsession about something stupid and suddenly the ear ringing wasn't there anymore.

 

[threefirefour]

So basically I have had anxiety and OCD for a long time but it's been manageable, but ever since 3 month ago it got worse and I was always obsessing about stupid things and making my anxiety worse...

But here's the thing I started obsessing about a ringing in my ear and I started hearing it... and about a week ago I got a new obsession about something stupid and suddenly the ear ringing wasn't there anymore.

Wow you're so lucky. Great job. I hope it stays away.

 

[3ri0w]

Sooooo...what's your new obsession ?

 

[josho771]

@3ri0w well I'm not gonna say that sorry, all you need to know is that they are negative intrusive thoughts unfortunately, but I'm getting a therapist

 

[UpDownAround]

I subscribe to the unpopular theory that a lot of tinnitus is a mental health issue. I think it is unpopular mostly because of stigma. You are open about your OCD and I am open about my bipolar disorder, so for us the stigma ship has sailed. We are open to considering the possibility that this is happening in sensory processing rather than input. My T & H are both worse when I am depressed.

 

[josho771]

@UpDownAround yeah I understand that, I don't have depression, I just have bad anxiety at the minute and I get anxious many times a day and I have to calm myself down so I don't have a panic attack (which I don't want again) so in my theory I'm only hearing the ringing because I'm obsessing about it, but when I get a different obsession the ringing goes away lol

 

[UpDownAround]

I get that yours is different. I just meant that we are alike in being willing to accept that we may not have a physical cause.

 

[josho771]

@UpDownAround oh yeah definitely, I can't think of any way that would have caused me to get it physically

 

[Tinizzy]

Hi guys. I agree that it is also a mental issue, cause some people arent bothered by the sound whereas others are. But dont you think it really does have to be there to be able to experience it? I got mine after watching a movie bout someone with T. How absurd is that..

 

[RicoS]

I never had OCD in my life until I got T ... first I had to deal with T than I got S-OCD...(Sensorymotor - OCD) so I am consiously breathing, blinking, swallowing etc etc I had/have them all. But it is just anxiety and if you loose your fear about it your mind will let go.... So in that regard it is a lot like dealing with T. So perhaps more people who struggle with T have some sort of OCD.

 

[Oli]

I'm an OCD sufferer since childhood and got T at age 23 from an acoustic trauma
I'm also asking myself if theses 2 can have a correlation because OCD is intrusive obsession about something so if you hear your T once with OCD, it's hard to let go
Also, my acoustic trauma wasn't enormously high decibels like enough to do damage but my T is so horrible... I can't think that it's all of the story

 

[UpDownAround]

I think I have a little OCD in the mix with my bipolar disorder (as well as a bit of ADD). My hangups are little things. There are two switches to the lights in my hall at work. If I am the first one in (usually am) I will only turn them on by flipping up the switch that is down so that both are up. If I am not the first one in, I avoid looking at the switches because I am self conscious about changing them in the presence of others. I have a few other quirks like that. I have never sought diagnosis or treatment for it; it took me long enough to get over the stigma of bipolar. I still run across people who think I might turn into an axe murderer at any moment. You never know...

 

[josho771]

Yep, like I forgot all about the ringing today and for some reason I overheard people talking about tinnitus and once again I can hear the ringing lol, so now let's wait till I get a new obsession again

 

[Paulmanlike]

I also struggle with OCD.

It's a terrible mixture

OCD = Obsess over tinnitus = depression

And the cycle repeats itself

 

[Alue]

I subscribe to the unpopular theory that a lot of tinnitus is a mental health issue. I think it is unpopular mostly because of stigma. You are open about your OCD and I am open about my bipolar disorder, so for us the stigma ship has sailed. We are open to considering the possibility that this is happening in sensory processing rather than input. My T & H are both worse when I am depressed.

LOL. If you have zero ringing in your ears then a sudden blast of loud noise followed by muted hearing and a loud ringing that never goes away it isn't a mental health issue.

For some people that may be true, but for others it is a very physical issue. It's like chronic pain.

 

[josho771]

Short post here.

It seems I only hear my tinnitus when I think about it... but when I seem to get another obsession stuck in my head I forget about the tinnitus and can't hear it, as I have been diagnosed with OCD, the obsessive thoughts part. Thoughts?

 

[Paulmanlike]

Short post here.

It seems I only hear my tinnitus when I think about it... but when I seem to get another obsession stuck in my head I forget about the tinnitus and can't hear it, as I have been diagnosed with OCD, the obsessive thoughts part. Thoughts?

You need to go on an OCD forum, you don't suffer from tinnitus or have a very mild form of it. Forget about it and move on.

 

[Crook24]

Very possible. I have OCD and recently had a loud noise exposure that caused mine. However, I am wondering if my OCD is keeping it alive, but I don't know if that is even possible.

 

[josho771]

@Crook24 Yeah I get you, like the weird thing is I always thought about the T and one day I was watching Tv and it was a program about schizophrenia and I started to worry and obsess that I would get this mental illness and forgot about the T for a few weeks and then saw on the news about someone with T and started to obsess again...

 

[Crook24]

Incredible. The same has happened to me. I think that should tell you that if you work on the obsessing it may go away or at least it will get better

 

[josho771]

@Crook24 yeah I understand, I'm still waiting to hear back from the doctors for my therapist appointment unfortunately I'm on a waiting list this is to sort out my anxiety and OCD which I've had for years, but yeah what does your T sound like by the way?

 

[Crook24]

Crickets or a low ring

 

[josho771]

You need to go on an OCD forum, you don't suffer from tinnitus or have a very mild form of it. Forget about it and move on.

Thanks for that, if I could just move on from it I would.. it's not that easy having OCD and obsessing over everything what is negative and bad. Thanks though

 

[josho771]

@Crook24 mines like a ringing I guess, how loud would you say it is?

 

[Paulmanlike]

Thanks for that, if I could just move on from it I would.. it's not that easy having OCD and obsessing over everything what a negative and bad. Thanks though

I have it and I know how CBT (the treatment works). The more you come here when you evidently don't have tinnitus to a degree that causes distress, you are feeding the OCD dog and continuing the OCD cycle. Cut the chain and break the cycle. It's your fear of tinnitus and not actual tinnitus.

"Sometimes the fear of suffering is worse than the actual suffering itself"

 

[Crook24]

Medium. In silence or low sound environments that's all I can hear.

 

[josho771]

@Crook24 same. If I'm out down the town I can't hear it, if I'm in my quite home I can hear it

 

[josho771]

I have it and I know how CBT (the treatment works). The more you come here when you evidently don't have tinnitus to a degree that causes distress, you are feeding the OCD dog and continuing the OCD cycle. Cut the chain and break the cycle. It's your fear of tinnitus and not actual tinnitus.

"Sometimes the fear of suffering is worse than the actual suffering itself"

That kinda makes sense because when I'm on this site I'm thinking about it, hmmm thanks that actually makes sense

 

[Tinker Bell]

"Sometimes the fear of suffering is worse than the actual suffering itself"

Wow. That is very true.