Top Seven Myths About OCD

One stereotype is that people with OCD are neat and tidy to a fault. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. Although many people with OCD wash because they are concerned about dirt and germs, being tidy is actually not a typical symptom of the disorder. Almost two-thirds of people with OCD are also hoarders of junk... Learn more about the Top Myths about OCD.

Homosexual Fears in OCD

Sexuality Concerns in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

There are many people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who have sexual obsessions surrounding homosexuality. Homosexuality anxiety is a recognized symptom of OCD, sometimes referred to as "HOCD."

HOCD includes the following:

  • the obsessive fear of being or becoming homosexual
  • the experience of intrusive, unwanted mental images of homosexual behavior, and/or
  • the obsessive fear that others may believe one is homosexual.

A person may have only one of these facets of the disorder or a combination.

To learn more about HOCD, read the following articles: Gay or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?, I'm Gay and You're Not: Understanding Homosexuality Fears, and Homosexuality Anxiety. Also see the HOCD PowerPoint slide show from a talk by an OCD specialist at the New Jersey OCF Meeting.

Take The OCD Self Test

The OCI-R is a short, reliable, scientific test of common obsessive-compulsive symptoms. This measure was developed by OCD experts. Take our OCD Self Test.

About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

About OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a brain-based anxiety disorder that causes considerable suffering and impairment.

What's an Obsession?

Obsessions are ideas, thoughts, impulses, or images that keep coming back. They are not enjoyable, rather obsessions are unwanted and upsetting, causing severe anxiety or distress. The content of these obsessions is sometimes grouped into six different areas, including: aggression (fears of harming others), contamination (fears of being dirty), sex, collecting, religion, and exactness. What separates OCD obsessions from normal obsessions experienced by everyone are the frequency, intensity, and discomfort. OCD sufferers attach much greater meaning and threat to these thoughts than others. The obsessions won't just "go away."

What's a Compulsion?

In order to cope with the obsessions, people with OCD engage in repeated behaviors or thoughts, known as compulsions, to make themselves feel safer. Compulsions are rituals that the person believes reduce the risk of the obsessions coming true, or at least reduce the anxiety they produce. However, the compulsions are not really useful. They do not prevent the feared consequence or are clearly excessive. Compulsions or rituals take up so much time that they get in the way of work, school, and family obligations.

Common OCD Types

Percent of OCD Cases by Symptom
Checking 79.3
Hoarding 62.3
Ordering 57.0
Morality 43.0
Sexual/Religious 30.2
Contamination/Washing 25.7
Harming/Aggression 24.2
Illness 14.3
Other 19.0

Researchers have identified two types of obsessions: autogenous and reactive. Autogenous obsessions are experienced as involuntary, guilt-provoking thoughts without an identifiable trigger (e.g., spontaneous unacceptable sexual thoughts). Reactive obsessions are caused by external events and tend to be related to concerns about contamination, accidents (e.g., seeing glass on the floor leads to thoughts of being responsible for someone being injured), and/or a need for perfection.

There are many types of OCD that fall within each of these two categories, as shown in the table above. And many people with OCD have more than one OCD type.

The Impact of OCD

It is estimated that between 2 and 3 million people are suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder in the United States. About one in fifty people have had symptoms of OCD at some point in their lives, with 1% suffering within the last year. OCD afflicts people of all races, faiths, nationalities, and ethnic groups.

OCD causes great suffering to patients and their families, as up to 10 hours per day may be devoted to performing rituals. OCD has been classified by the World Health Organization as one the top ten causes of disability worldwide.