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Anxiety over false scenario of getting stabbed with a needle by a sex worker

Hello all,

Brief intro - im 30, male, living in Singapore. diagnosed with OCD in apr 2013. on effexor 75mg and zoloft 50 mg/day since diagnosis. condition has become better but still spikes once in a while.

I was in a club friday night, was very drunk. the club is in the red light district in singapore and populated with sex workers from eastern europe and russia. i was speaking to a girl who was aggressively trying to get me to take her home for paid sex. Although i was very drunk, i refused her and broke free from her grasp (she was literally clinging on to me) and went to another side of the bar to have a seat.

The girl was PISSED. at one time, she was walking past me and purposefully stepped on my foot. Seeing how angry she was scares me, and the next day a thought came into my mind what if she stabbed me with a needle and i didnt realize it? As you can tell, all of a sudden i started feeling "pain" in my back.. as if someone indeed did stab me there.

I know deep down that this is just my OCD and my anxiety playing its games on me. I have a very very bad history for testing for HIV over non-exposure events and finally with meds i've been able to break free of the cycle of testing.

Please advise how i can overcome this particular situation?

Thank you so much!!!!!

God bless

Dave
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Avatar universal
Ma'am ,

Thank you so much for the reply.

Indeed! When I was first diagnosed with this condition, I thought that it was just like a cold or a cough and would "go away" after a while. I now know better that it's a lifelong thing and I really need to be careful.

I didn't know much about this disease until recently when I sat myself down and told myself I need to learn more about it. I read a few books - personal accounts - on OCD and realized that I'm not an outlier, there are people with this condition that have it much, much worse than me.

I understand from your profile that you have been suffering from OCD for a very long time now! The fact that you have been able to face your fears and are here helping others gives me great hope, a hope that yes, no matter what my mind is trying to do to me, I can still be a functioning, productive member of society.

Regards,
Dave
Helpful - 0
1699033 tn?1514113133
Hi Dave.  You overcome this one just like you did the others.  Your post even says "false scenario."  You have already answered your own question.  It didn't happen.  You need to fall back on past positive experiences.  You need to self-coach yourself.  When the thought comes into your head, immediately get rid of it with statements of fact.  Don't let it go on and on.  

Remember, OCD is a disorder that does not go away.  We learn to manage it and in doing so we live very good lives that are pretty much OCD free.  You need to recognize your own trap and get out of it as soon as you can before it takes over.  
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Avatar universal
It's been 12 hours since my post and thankfully, I am feeling a little better now. However I do not know how I'll feel when I wake up tomorrow morning! Normally I get these occurrences which spike and then die down after a few days. I have not had any ERP therapy thus far, and only have been on pills. Is there even a way to have ERP for needle stick fears? Granted I should not have been drunk. I used to drink heavily but now I drink about once every 2 months, but EVERY SINGLE TIME to excess and every single time I wake up with fears like these. I'm working on the drinking part, but I'm hoping someone can comment on my post above and give me some insights! My journey with OCD began last year in April when, after having suicidal thoughts over a HIV fear, I decided to finally seek some help. However, while I am feeling much better today vs least year, I am still searching for the unattainable state of pure bliss - to put these worries out of my mind nice and for all!
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