It’s nearly Halloween, and kids around the country are digging through dusty closets and plundering the aisles of local Halloween shops in search of the perfect costume.

Halloween is the one night of the year when we give ourselves permission to be silly, scary, or fantastical. We can act a little weird, and nobody will …  (read more)

Parents brace themselves for many changes when a new baby comes home. As new routines replace old, life quickly becomes a confusing jumble of cherished memories, bottles, and dirty diapers.

Parenting can be joyful, but it can also be terrifying.

Parenting comes with many important responsibilities, and it can be intimidating–if not downright frightening–to be …  (read more)

Fear of Being Gay (Homosexual OCD / HOCD)

Emerging sexuality can be confusing for any teen or young adult, and gay teens face a variety of unique challenges over the course of adolescence.

In addition to learning to understand their own sexuality, gay teens must navigate complex situations and pressures that may not be relevant …  (read more)

Sexual obsessions in OCD are recurrent unwanted sexual thoughts, such as the fear of being attracted to something unwanted, taboo, or morally “unacceptable” based on one’s particular worldview.  Although all forms of OCD can be debilitating, sexual obsessions can be especially confusing and disabling for sufferers because sexual obsessions target one’s fundamental identity as a …  (read more)

What is Scrupulosity?

Scrupulosity is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) characterized by religious and/or moral obsessions. Scrupulosity can sometimes be difficult to recognize because even within a single faith community, religious beliefs and practices vary widely. There is no singular belief or behavior that is diagnostic for scrupulosity.

Instead, scrupulosity is best regarded as …  (read more)

Question: I have scrupulosity (religious/moral obsessive-compulsive disorder), and I am triggered by religious posts on Facebook.

When I see a religious post, I feel like I have to repost it or God will be mad at me. I also worry about what other people think about these reposts, which then leads me to fear that …  (read more)

In my post about the treatment of sensorimotor OCD, a reader asked about the ultimate goal of treatment. Should the goal of treatment be to never notice an unwanted thought or symptom?

Suppressing Unwanted Thoughts & Sensations in Pure-O & Sensorimotor OCD

Let’s explore this idea in detail. Suppose I adopt the goal of …  (read more)

OCD & Thought Control

Can I learn to eliminate my OCD thoughts?

I hear this question all the time from new patients who are searching for ways to suppress their unwanted thoughts. When I answer this question with a resounding “no”, there is often much surprise and grief. After all, this is why they’re …  (read more)

Although contamination OCD and washing rituals often go hand-in-hand, many rituals in this domain do not actually involve cleaning or disinfecting. These more subtle rituals are often based around reassurance seeking behaviors that become ingrained in everyday habit. In the context of exposure and response prevention (ERP), reassurance seeking OCD rituals are just as …  (read more)

Question: I’m a teenager and keep having OCD symptoms related to impulse control. I often worry that I’ll lose control and scream or blurt out obscenities. I am especially triggered in quiet public places like classrooms, churches, and movie theaters. I have never actually acted on my impulses and cursed in public, but I still …  (read more)