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Do you know what pure-OCD is?

Hey everybody!

I suffer from a type of OCD nicknamed pure-OCD by the OCD community. It's called pure-OCD/pure-O/POCD as to the naked eye, I have no compulsions such as hand washing, tapping or counting. Instead, I obsess about things in my head and go through covert, often mental, rituals to make myself feel better. This means pure-OCD sufferers are not purely-obsessive and do have compulsions, but the name has stuck! The obsessions of pure-OCD sufferers are different from those of more conventional OCD sufferers. The type of obsession determines the type of OCD though, not the other way around. Here is a comparison of the two subtypes:

A) OCD (conventional)

- Trigger: person becomes ill from food poisoning. From this point on they fear all their food is contaminated.

- Obsession: 'If someone else prepares my food, they might not have cooked the meat properly. If the meat is infected, I might die.'

- Compulsion: Avoids eating anywhere else apart from their own house. Preparing all food themselves with a set ritual to reduce fear of poisoning.

B) OCD (pure-OCD)

- Trigger: person watches a documentary about a serial killer. The description of the killer as a child sounds like them as a child- quiet, intelligent, small circle of close friends. From this point on they fear that they will become a serial killer.

- Obsession: 'If I watch CSI, the theme of murder is entertainment. This might feed my obsession with murder, and I might be more likely to commit it.'

-Compulsion: Avoids watching anything that involves murder or violence. Avoids being around knives, guns (if in the US), ropes or any other potentially dangerous object to reduce fear of committing a serious crime. Mental compulsions include retracing past events to prove that you are not murderous, e.g. trying to remember all the times you showed compassion.

As you can see, the pure-OCD obsession is a little more complex to grasp. If you find it strange, think of it this way: a lot of pure-OCD sufferers obsess over things that would cause disaster if they actually happened. For example, a teen with pure-OCD from a strict Catholic household may obsess over becoming homosexual, as their family may disapprove and shun them. Compulsion wise, they may avoid changing rooms so they don't see their own sex without clothes incase they are attracted. You wouldn't suspect that someone avoids going swimming or to the gym because they have OCD, would you? This is why people mistake pure-OCD as purely obsessional because compulsions such as avoidance can be passed off as nothing. Mental compulsions such as reassessing memories are impossible to notice, too. Often, because of the disastrous theme of the thoughts people with pure-OCD are having, the sufferers are scared to explain their fears to a doctor seek treatment for their condition too.

Anyway, I wanted to post this on the forum to shed a little light on OCD and its strains. I had no idea that I had OCD until a year ago as most media only addresses OCD stereotypes. Here's a funny article on the condition to prove it's not all doom and gloom:http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/31/pure-ocd-the-naked-truth

If anybody has OCD or any questions about it fire away :smile:
I've never heard about this before and I've only heard about OCD and OCPD, I don't suffer from them and I don't actually know anyone who does. It was interesting to learn about since I've never heard about this type of OCD before. If you don't mind me asking but does it annoy or upset you when people use the term OCD lightly? Such as when someone says they have OCD because they like things to be organised? I know a lot of mental health terms are used lightly to describe just normal behaviours or emotions so I've always wondered if people who have them are bothered when they are used in that way.
Reply 2
It is estimated 2-3% of the population has some form of OCD, so I'm sure you will meet someone with the condition at some point! And yes, it does annoy me when people say they're 'a bit OCD' because they are an organised person or a clean freak. I don't think they understand how devestating the condition can be for people- it's much more than having all of your felt tips colours in order! Saying this, I don't think i've ever pulled someone up on saying 'they're a bit OCD', mostly because they would wonder what my authority was saying that. 'How would you know?' This is because apart from my close friends, I don't tell people I have the condition, as then i'd have to explain what I obsess over.

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