OCD Chat Room support groups allow people to meet regularly with others who also have OCD. People with similar experiences can help each other at these meetings, which are considered safe places. It can help people feel less alone and more like a part of a group.
About the OCD Chat Room
More than 2% of people have a brain disorder called obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (1 out of 40 people). People with OCD do things repeatedly (compulsions) to temporarily eliminate the stress of having an unwanted thought or feeling (obsession).
Often, the person knows that their actions aren’t logical, but they still can’t stop doing them. Compulsions include washing your hands too much, counting, straightening, and checking. Symptoms usually start slowly and change over time.
Both psychotherapy and medicine have been shown to help people with OCD. In particular, most research has been done on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy. It’s normal to want to make sure the stove is off or worry about the well-being of others from time to time. But if you have too many of these thoughts or behaviors, which make it hard for you to live a normal life, it may be time to get help.
The Best Online Groups for People with Ocd
A quick look at the best online groups that help people with OCD
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Anxiety and Depression Association of America is the best for treating conditions that happen together.
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OCD Peers is the best for video-based meetings.
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Best for joining multiple support groups
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HealthUnlocked is the best online community.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition marked by uncontrollable obsessions that can lead to compulsive behaviors. In severe cases, OCD can get in the way of relationships and responsibilities, among other things.
Medication and therapy are the most common ways to treat OCD. Support groups, either in person or online, may also help them remember that they aren’t alone.
Read on to learn more about what support groups for people with OCD can do and if they would be a good choice for you.
7 Cups
People looking for free online help might find it on 7 Cups, a free service for emotional health where they can talk to a trained volunteer.
It’s free and easy to sign up. When you sign up, you can make your username or use one that the username generator gives you. It protects your privacy when you chat with trained listeners, join group chats, or post in the site’s communities.
OCD is one of the ways to connect with a trained listener. It lets the person you’re talking to know so that you can get direct support. You can also get help if you are lonely, have anxiety, depression, are LGBTQ+, or have other problems.
Even though 7 Cups offers many free services, it offers online therapy. Volunteers trained can listen to people and help them solve their problems by talking about them. However, they are not licensed, mental health professionals.
Best for People with More Than One Problem
When anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems like OCD happen at the same time, this is called having co-occurring conditions.
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) helps people with anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who also have anxiety or depression.
The ADAA provides mental health resources, such as a list of online support groups for different conditions. The International OCD Foundation is on the list. It offers online OCD camps for kids, online conferences on hoarding, online OCD support groups, and more.
Best for Video-Based Meetings
Below are some facts about the best way to hold a video-based meeting.
OCD Peers is a service that uses a HIPAA-compliant platform to offer virtual peer-support groups. You can choose between OCD Support Groups and Community Nights, the two main types of group meetings.
OCD Support Groups are smaller and more personal. There are usually between 6 and 10 people in each group, not including the group leaders, who come from many different places. These meetings have plans, but people are free to talk about anything.
There are up to 25 people at Community Nights, and they last longer. Each person is asked to share, and then the whole group talks about what they said.
When compared to other choices, OCD Peers isn’t as cheap. Instead of paying a monthly fee, people pay each time they meet with the group. The company doesn’t have any free support groups, either.
You have to sign up and pay for the meeting ahead of time if you want to attend, which can be hard for people who don’t have flexible schedules.
Best for Joining Multiple Support Groups
Support Groups is a free list of more than 220 online support groups. The popular OCD Support Group, which has more than 44,000 members, is one of these groups. People with OCD are welcome to join this network of people who have gone through similar things in a safe place.
When you join the group, you are asked to talk about how you’re doing. Users can show support by pressing the heart icon or leaving a comment to start a conversation. Peer support can also be done one-on-one through private messages.
Even though some online support groups are linked to bullying and harassment, Support Groups. ensures that each group is safe. Support Groups lets you block people who send you messages you don’t want.
The Best Online Group
HealthUnlocked is an online resource that people with similar health problems can use anytime or at night. There are online support groups on the platform, such as My OCD Community, which has tens of thousands of members. Millions of people visit the site every month, but some features can only be used by people who have signed up.
Members of My OCD Community can start a conversation by writing a post or asking a question, which usually gets a few answers from other members.
Users can also show support by “liking” other users’ posts.
The Community Guidelines say what users must do.
The International OCD Foundation and HealthUnlocked watch over the group to ensure everyone follows the rules.
Summary
Online OCD support groups provide video sessions and online discussions. You can join many online groups for free. People with OCD and other mental health problems may find comfort and support in safe online communities.
Should You Join an Ocd Support Group?
If you’ve been told you have OCD and want more help, you might want to join an OCD support group.
Some signs of OCD are:
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Obsessions
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Compulsions
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Hoarding
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Thoughts that bother you
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Worrying over and over
The National Institute of Mental Health says that about 2.3% of adults in the United States will have OCD at some point. More women than men have this condition.
Since talking in support groups isn’t always required, it can be helpful to hear what others have been through and how they feel. If a group leader is running the session, it can also be helpful to hear what they have to say about ways to deal with stress.
But an OCD support group shouldn’t be used instead of medicine or therapy. People who want extra help on top of their regular treatment will get the most out of online support groups.
OCD support groups do not provide a diagnosis. Talk to a licensed mental health professional to get a correct diagnosis and talk about possible treatments.
How We Decided?
To choose the best online OCD support groups, we thought about things like:
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Privacy.
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Accessibility.
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User-friendliness.
Usually, anyone can join and watch online support groups for free, so it’s important that people who want help can keep their privacy.
Psychosis and Ocd
I think that my OCD is becoming psychosis. I feel my brain is making up memories that don’t exist. Today, as I was leaving work, I didn’t even look at the big plant next to it, but my OCD told me there were bad things nearby. And I felt like I had to drive back to “check” that nothing horrible was there.
I feel like, deep down, there wasn’t anything there, and it was just a plant pot. However, my brain is telling me there was some horrible contaminant in there, and it felt so real that I’m having trouble telling real thoughts from fake ones. I feel like I’m going insane. But the other two people in the car said they saw nothing but a clean plant pot with flowers.
Summary
The NIMH says that 2.3% of people in the U.S. have OCD. Women are most likely to get this illness. In support groups, it can be helpful to hear about the feelings and experiences of other people. If a group leader leads the session, hearing how they deal with stress could be helpful.
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs
Here are the most important questions about this topic.
1 - Who Can Help Me with My Ocd?
Having OCD can be hard to deal with, but NAMI is here to help you and your family with support and information. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami if you have any questions about obsessive-compulsive disorders or need help finding support and resources.
2 - Can Ocd Be Cured for Good?
Treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder may not lead to a cure, but it can help keep symptoms in check, so they don’t take over your life. Depending on how bad their OCD is, some people may need treatment that lasts longer or is more intense.
3 - What Are the Four Things About Ocd?
Instead, the DOCS measures the severity of symptoms based on empirically supported parameters for each of the four dimensions: (a) time spent on obsessions and compulsions, (b) avoidance, (c) associated distress, (d) interference with function, and (e) stopping compulsions.
4 - Is Ocd a Disability?
Under the ADA, a disability is “a physical or mental impairment” that makes it hard for someone to do daily tasks. It says that OCD is a disability.
5 - Who Is Well-Known and Has Ocd?
Howie Mandel is one of the most famous people with OCD. He has been an entertainer, host, and comedian for a long time and has been very open about his struggles with the disorder over the years.
6 - Can Have Ocd Cause Schizophrenia?
People who have both schizophrenia and B.D. Often also have OCD. There is some evidence that a diagnosis of OCD may be linked to a higher risk of developing schizophrenia and B.D. in the future. However, the nature of the link between OCD and these other disorders is still unclear.
7 - Does Adhd Include Ocd?
ADHD and OCD can happen to the same person, and some evidence suggests that 11.8% of people with OCD also have ADHD. If a person has symptoms of both ADHD and OCD from a young age, they are more likely to have more severe OCD, keep having symptoms, and have a worse prognosis.
8 - Does Adderall Help Ocd?
Adderall may help people with OCD because it makes them more productive, helps them remember things, and makes it easier to focus. Adderall doesn’t make uncontrollable tics, repetitive movements, or sounds, worse for most people with tic disorders. It also doesn’t make people lose control of their bodies.
9 - What Is Ocd’s Main Fear?
According to the Deconstructing Anxiety model, the “core fear” is the single thought construct that causes all our problems. It is the most important way a child understands how dangerous life can be; it becomes how we see the world when we aren’t happy with our lives.
10 - Is Ocd in the Genes?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a serious mental illness affecting about 2% of children and adults. Family aggregation studies have shown that OCD runs in families, and twin studies have shown this partly because of genetic factors.
Conclusion
OCD Chat Room support groups often get together with other people with OCD. People who have had similar experiences may be able to help each other at these events. It brings people together and makes them feel less alone. The NIMH says that 2.3% of people in the U.S. have OCD.
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