Breaking the Myths: What Religious OCD Really Means

Religious OCD is the form of OCD that people know the least about. It is centred by the kind of intrusive fears of sin, morality or spiritual failure. This is not a sign of religion or ethics but it is the symptom of OCD. To sort out the most popular misconceptions, we might have a closer look at them.

Myth 1: Religious OCD is extreme plenty of religion.

The fact is that Religious OCD is not a special level of worship and faith. It is a mental disorder when an individual feels constrained by inappropriate thoughts and apprehensions about defiling his/her religion/morality code. Another person might come off as being very religious, but most of the religious activities that they perform are out of anxiety and not spiritual practices.

Myth 2: It is not a serious issue and it is only additional prayers or rituals.

Religious OCD may even dominate the life of a person. People can waste hours repeating prayers, confession or assurance to assuage their fears. Not only is it not harmless, but it may result in exhaustion, guilt, and inability to focus on the daily tasks.

Myth 3: Religious OCD occurs only in very religious individuals.

Religious OCD does not rely on the piety of a person. It may touch individuals of any religion, and even those who are not very religious yet strongly self-ethical. The disorder fixates on the most important thing to that person.

Myth 4: Willpower with more prayer will be able to beat it.

It is not weak faith and a lack of discipline. It is a disease which need to be treated. Whether it is more praying or more rituals, this usually increases the cycle. Therapy methods which are effective e.g. the Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and other evidence-based therapies that disrupt the cycle of obsession and compulsions.