Gay intrusive thoughts
by Fred Penzel, PhD
This article was initially published in the Winter edition of the OCD Newsletter.
OCD, as we comprehend, is largely about experiencing severe and unrelenting doubt. It can cause you to doubt even the most basic things about yourself – even your sexual orientation. A study published in the Journal of Sex Research set up that among a group of college students, 84% reported the occurrence of sexual intrusive thoughts (Byers, et al. ). In arrange to have doubts about one’s sexual identity, a sufferer need not ever have had a homo- or heterosexual experience, or any type of sexual experience at all. I have observed this symptom in young children, adolescents, and adults as skillfully. Interestingly Swedo, et al., , launch that approximately 4% of children with OCD experience obsessions concerned with forbidden aggressive or perverse sexual thoughts.
Although doubts about one’s hold sexual identity might seem pretty straightforward as a symptom, there are actually a number of variations. The most obvious form is where a sufferer experiences the consideration that they mig
hOCD — Symptoms & Treatment
Treatment for hOCD
People suffering from hOCD are encouraged to seek treatment from a mental health treatment source that specializes in the treatment of OCD. OCD specialists are equipped and prepared to treat a wide array of OCD subtypes, including hOCD. Appreciate all types of OCD, hOCD can be treated with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), specifically with treatment approaches called Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP), and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.
Mindful-Based CBT teaches patients that everyone experiences intrusive thoughts. Individuals will also learn that intrusive thoughts have no dominance over them and that by responding to their thoughts through compulsive behaviors, their thoughts are given more strength and credibility and their fears and obsessions are strengthened and reinforced. Mindfulness-Based CBT is a very effective OCD treatment, especially when together with ERP.
ERP exposes patients to situations related to their intrusive thoughts that cause them anxiety. The goal of this treatment is for the patient
Why am I afraid of my sexuality changing?
It’s completely normal to question your sexuality—many people do at some point in their lives. However, if you find yourself constantly obsessing over your sexuality, experiencing recurrent intrusive thoughts, and having intense anxiety, it could be a signal of a mental health condition. Excessive fears about your sexuality align with a common subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) acknowledged as sexual orientation OCD (SO-OCD).
SO-OCD is much alternative from genuinely exploring your sexuality and reflecting on who you are attracted to. With OCD, the brain seeks % certainty about who you’re attracted to—something that’s very unlikely to attain.
Keep reading to learn more about how SO-OCD differs from sound self-exploration and how to find the right support.
What is sexual orientation OCD?
SO-OCD is a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder focused on concerns about your sexual orientation. OCD is characterized by a cycle of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are repeated, unwanted intrusive thoughts, sensations, images, or feeli
'Homosexual OCD': Straight Men Who Suspect They Are Gay
Feb. 24, &#; -- Steven Brodsky, a psychologist who specializes in obsessive-compulsive disorder, says that at any one time he has a "handful" of clients who are unbent and suspect that they are gay.
Brodsky, who is the clinical director of his OCD and Panic Center of N.Y. and N.J., said he had one adult patient who was so crippled by obsessive thoughts about being gay that he was unable to live independently and had to move back in with his parents to cope. Brodsky said he determined his patient had OCD associated with homosexuality.
"He had a classic case," said Brodsky. "He had some sort of feeling that he was attracted to other guys."
This patient was straight, according to Brodsky, but he had intrusive thoughts that were not based on any hard reality in his behavior.
Brodsky said a previous therapist had misdiagnosed his patient as gay, and at the patient's request, sent him off to reparative therapy, a controversial method that has not been proven to be effective and can be