OCD Therapy Going Nowhere?

Although any medical doctor can take your blood pressure, only a few can do heart surgery. Likewise, any therapist can help someone who is feeling a bit blue, but only a few can effectively treat OCD. OCD treatment is a type of therapy that requires a specialized protocol called Exposure and Ritual Prevention (ERP or EX/RP). Learn about the Top Mistakes Made by OCD Therapists.

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... 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. Learn more about sexual obsessions in OCD.

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

Religious Obsessions

Religious obsessions are sometimes called scrupulocity, which means an obsession with always doing the morally correct thing. Such people may worry for a long period of time if they have done the right thing or angered God in some way. They may obsess about having received a nickel extra in change from a cashier, or if they have accidentally omitted any loved ones from their prayers.

It may be easy to assume that people with these types of worries are from very religious or strict traditions. However, these worries can strike the very orthodox, non-religious people, or even atheists. Scrupulocity should not be confused with being obsessed with religion or being very devout. People with this type of OCD do not feel more spiritual or fulfilled by performance of OCD-related rituals, which may include repeating prayers, seeking reassurance, or mental rituals.

Common concerns may include

  • Concerned with sacrilege or blasphemy: For example, someone might worry that they have inadvertently offended God or even accidentally worshiped the devil.
  • Excess concern with right/wrong, morality: For example, someone may worry about always doing the morally right thing, in every circumstance.
  • Performing a religious task or ritual in the wrong way