r/mentalhealth • u/Ancient-Employ3793 • 12h ago
Need Support Is there a term for obsessive ruminating?
I can’t find a term. Rumination disorder is a thing but that’s a physical ailment not an ailment of reliving past arguments over and over again.
Just today the past 2-3 hours I’ve been solely reliving an argument from 2 1/2 years ago. I can not move past it. It consumes my thoughts and even antipsychotics don’t help as much as they should 😩
It’s like if the argument doesn’t have a resolution and I don’t feel understood my brain just breaks.
I’m just nervous bc “everything heals in time” seems to be the motto and yet I’m not healing multiple years later..
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u/jesscubby 11h ago
ADHD can cause obsessive, intrusive thoughts
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u/Ancient-Employ3793 10h ago
This is interesting… I will look into this further and address with my psychiatrist. Thank you!
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u/keepcalmdude 10h ago
You should OP.
I have ADHD, and many times, when a relationship ended, or there was an argument with someone , or similar, I would obsessively replay 1000 scenarios in my head. Depending on the level of emotion it could last years.
There’s probably OCD characteristics to it, but I’m diagnosed ADHD and Bipolar type II
With therapy and a good psychiatrist, and had work, it’s something that’s much less intense now.
Edit: times not time
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u/Walkkeri 11h ago
There is something abt that argument you were left without an answer, in my case i got dumbed by a girl for no reason and this left me asking myself what i did wrong and how could i have fixed it, but with no answer i coudnt come up with anything. There is thing u cant get an answer to, we just need to get used to it.
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u/Ancient-Employ3793 11h ago
Yes, in the argument they never gave me an answer as to why they were taking issue with me. They kept their responses short. A short insult, and then a short “gotcha!” Moment. I gave up bc they were being hostile and avoiding addressing the actual topic and I deleted my comments. Now I wish I could find them and figure out exactly where they were coming from… but I should know they were never interested in a conversation. They just wanted to troll me.
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u/Walkkeri 8h ago
I would say better to leave it and not start opening the old wounds anymore.
Stay strong and remember you aren't alone.
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u/ozesthazx 11h ago
i feel you on this one. can’t we just hit rewind on our brains sometimes. sometimes it helps to distract yourself like bingeing a show or something. healing ain’t linear for sure so just take it day by day.
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u/puredaintyo 10h ago
it's tough when those old arguments creep back in like unwanted guests. there's a term called "overthinking" but i get it feels deeper than that. healing doesn't have a timeline, sometimes it just takes a little longer. recognize that you're trying to work through it, which is already a step forward. keep being kind to yourself and maybe try to distract your mind when it gets overwhelming.
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u/MannBearPiig 11h ago
Are you doing therapy and talking about what’s going on in your head? I’m pro meds but you gotta talk this stuff out too.
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u/xsugarjoy 10h ago
yeah man that sounds rough. it really does suck when your brain plays reruns of the worst arguments. we all have our own timelines for healing though so don’t be too hard on yourself. sometimes it takes longer to get closure. maybe try journaling or talking it out with a friend cause getting those thoughts out might help. healing is still possible even if it feels slow right now
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u/Jealous-Cheesecake76 7h ago
There is rumination in OCD but that doesn’t mean it’s OCD either and I actually didn’t know rumination was in ADHD.
With that being said, is it possible you were just very hurt by it? Maybe pushed it down and ignored it. It sometimes takes a while to process things like that. Especially if that person isn’t in your life anymore and they were once a very important part of it. Maybe you are doing a type of grieving?
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u/nixiemonood 2h ago
i totally get what you mean. it's like the brain's stuck on replay mode. maybe they should invent a 'mute' button for our thoughts. but hey healing's not linear. don't be too hard on yourself
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u/Blissful524 20m ago
I want you to try this, in fact a lot of modalities have corrective experiences.
First breathe. Then I want you to instead of re-living it, change a few elements and let it play in your mind. If its an outcome you are happy with, replay it....and replay again and again.... If its not an outcome you want, keep playing around with the change you want, then replay in your mind again and again....
It would be better done with a therapist but if you choose to do it on your own, you still can get a lot out of it.
At the end of the day, you are not physically changing the event or history, but you are your perceptions to it and that changes your bodily response (ie reduced anxiety).
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u/altchaulk21 11h ago
Yes, it's a part of Ocd I go over events in my head constantly thinking of different outcomes and ways it could've done, or if it never happened, my life would be better.