OCD Therapy

Moral scrupulosity OCD presents as an obsession with being a good person, being universally kind, or always following the rules.  

Moral scrupulosity goes beyond simple ethical behavior.  Those who experience it are constantly questioning whether or not they are good enough and get stuck with overthinking any missteps.  Those with the religious presentation of moral scrupulosity may face the constant fear that they are not faithful enough or are offending God.  

This form of OCD usually involves many compulsions around kindness such as over-apologizing, over-generosity, and repeated checking with loved ones for reassurance that they are behaving well.  

Harm OCD is a fear that harm or death will befall ourselves or our loved ones, and/or that we will be the cause of this harm.  

Harm OCD is usually accompanied by intrusive thoughts – sudden words or images that often horrify the person with OCD.  People may experience intrusive thoughts about running over a pedestrian with their carl, sexually assaulting a minor, or stabbing their loved one.  

This form of OCD is considered by many to be the most painful, because sufferers cannot control these intrusive thoughts and they represent the polar opposite of the person’s morality.  People who suffer from harm OCD do not actually want to harm anyone.  In fact, the opposite is true.  They care so deeply about others that their brain is using the idea of harm to stoke fear.  

Order/Symmetry OCD can lead a person to touch or tap, count, rearrange, or change something until it is “just right.” 

Order/Symmetry OCD is usually not as torturous a presentation of OCD, but it can be incredibly time consuming.  While sometimes beginning as positive, the fastidiousness and constant correcting of Order/Symmetry OCD can also create significant paralysis in everyday life.  For example, a client may be constantly late for work because the house must be left “just right” and their OCD does not give them any clear end point for this rightness.  

In all forms of OCD, a person cannot control these thoughts or the related behaviors.  

People can usually see that what they are doing is excessive (at least 1 hour a day on these thoughts or behaviors is the rule of thumb for diagnosis of OCD).  However, this self-awareness rarely leads to self-control without treatment. 

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