10 Tips for Talking to Your Psychiatric Provider About OCD
Preparing for an OCD psychiatric evaluation? Learn what to share about family history, past treatment, medications, intrusive thoughts, and compulsions.
Why Do I Keep Googling My OCD Fears? When Research Becomes a Compulsion
Learn why repeated Googling and researching can become an OCD compulsion and how the search for certainty keeps the OCD cycle going.
Did I Commit the Unpardonable Sin? Understanding Scrupulosity OCD
Fear that you committed the unpardonable sin can become an OCD obsession. Learn how scrupulosity drives religious doubt, checking, and reassurance seeking.
Am I a Pedophile or Is This OCD? Understanding POCD and the Search for Certainty
POCD creates unwanted sexual obsessions about children and relentless doubt about what they mean. Learn about intrusive thoughts, compulsions, and treatment.
Why Does Reassurance Make OCD Feel Better, Then Come Back?
Reassurance can temporarily reduce OCD anxiety but lead to more doubt. Learn how reassurance seeking becomes part of the OCD cycle, and how treatment helps.
OCD Intrusive Thoughts: Why They Feel So Real and What Helps
OCD intrusive thoughts can feel convincing even when they conflict with your values. Learn why they feel real and how compulsions can reinforce doubt.
Responsibility OCD: When You Feel Responsible for Preventing Something Bad
Responsibility OCD can create an overwhelming fear of causing or failing to prevent harm. Learn the symptoms, compulsions, and treatment options.
Meta OCD: When You Become Obsessed With Whether You Have OCD
Meta OCD can make you obsess about whether you really have OCD. Learn the symptoms, compulsions, examples, and how specialized treatment can help.
Ego-Syntonic vs. Ego-Dystonic Thoughts: What They Mean
If you have ever experienced a thought that frightened you or made you wonder, “Why would I think that? That doesn’t feel like me,” two clinical terms can help explain that experience: ego-syntonic and ego-dystonic. Although the terms sound complicated, the underlying concept is relatively straightforward. They describe whether a thought feels consistent or inconsistent […]
GAD vs. OCD: Understanding the Difference Between Worry and Obsessions
GAD and OCD can both cause anxiety. Learn the difference between GAD and OCD, including worry, intrusive thoughts, obsessions, and compulsions.