Many of the compulsions typically take the form of cognitive compulsions, specifically mental reviewing to check the presence or absence of feelings of attractiveness or arousal, reassurance seeking, self-observation to see if one “looks”, talks, walks, or gestures like someone who is gay or straight, and avoidance of situations that might trigger fears. Another factor that might impact entering appropriate treatment is that many of the individuals who struggle with this type of OCD have very few observable compulsions, which can prevent it from being recognized and properly diagnosed. Individuals with SO-OCD typically experience confusion and shame, which may unfortunately deter them from seeking appropriate treatment. In SO-OCD, ego-dystonic intrusive thoughts are cognitions that are inconsistent with the individual’s fundamental desires, wants, and sexual history. As clinicians, it is important to thoroughly assess if their client’s intrusive thoughts are ego-dystonic.
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For example, an individual coming to understand that they are gay may feel anxious about coming out or about the potential changes this will bring to their lifestyle. SO-OCD is very different from ordinary doubts and anxieties that are experienced by individuals attempting to discern their sexual orientation. A person may have only one of these concerns or some combination.
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SO-OCD is characterized by recurrent distress-producing doubts about whether one is gay or straight, fears of becoming homosexual (or becoming straight if their sexual orientation is homosexual), or fears that others might perceive the individual having the undesired sexual orientation. Referred to as sexual orientation- obsessive compulsive disorder (SO-OCD). Although this scenario is fictional, it is an all-too common manifestation of a form of obsessive compulsive disorder.
#Am i gay or do i have hocd movie#
One night while watching a movie together, he notices the thought in his mind, “Gee, that Matt Damon is a good looking guy!” He then is suddenly flooded with a wave of panic and fear that perhaps the presence of this thought means he is gay and his whole marriage is a sham.
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Kyle has been happily married to his wife Joanne for 5 years. By Nicole Bosse, PsyD, Lindner Center of HOPE, Staff Psychologist