Harm OCD is a common subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that causes intrusive unwanted thoughts, images or urges to harm oneself or others. Thoughts of harm should always be taken seriously, which can make symptoms of harm OCD especially frightening.
Common Compulsions of Harm OCD
Compulsively checking yourself and others to ensure you didn't hurt anyone. Avoiding people or situations that may trigger your obsessions. Asking others to ensure that you did not perform any harm. Mentally reviewing your memories to ensure you did not hurt anyone.
People who live with harm OCD have thoughts about various ways they could hurt other people. They feel upset and guilty about having these thoughts and worry about the possibility of acting upon them. Many people have thoughts about inflicting damage on themselves or others.
Many Harm OCD thoughts are connected to internal physical and emotional states that trigger concern about the unwanted violent thoughts. For example, feeling angry or over-stimulated may make you feel less controlled, and this sense of reduced control may trigger your obsessive fear of acting violently.
Ultimately, the thoughts, images and urges associated with harm OCD are insignificant and do not reflect on character. In fact, a closer look suggests that people with harm OCD are quite unlikely to act on these thoughts.
The condition of harm OCD is terrifying and painful but fundamentally different from actual violence: It is driven by a concern to protect oneself and others, rather than to harm them. A mental health professional who specializes in OCD will be able to make an accurate diagnosis.
People with OCD experience obsessions (unwanted, upsetting, intrusive thoughts and images) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors that aim to neutralize or get rid of the obsessions). Although the causes of OCD have not been established, traumatic experiences — including childhood trauma — might trigger OCD.
If a person has Harm OCD, they may have intrusive thoughts about harming someone with a knife. Then, in response, they may take this as a sign that they are “inherently evil” or “bad” because only someone with flawed morals or values would have these thoughts.
The therapist will likely refer you to a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner who can prescribe the appropriate type and dose. Clomipramine (Anafranil), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), and sertraline (Zoloft) are all approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of OCD.
The bottom line
OCD can manifest in four main ways: contamination/washing, doubt/checking, ordering/arranging, and unacceptable/taboo thoughts. Obsessions and compulsions that revolve about contamination and germs are the most common type of OCD, but OCD can cover a wide range of topics.
OCD Treatment can be done without any drugs with treatments like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and psychotherapy. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a behavioral issue that is associated with compulsions and obsessions.
Unfortunately, OCD doesn't just go away. There is no “cure” for the condition. Thoughts are intrusive by nature, and it's not possible to eliminate them entirely. However, people with OCD can learn to acknowledge their obsessions and find relief without acting on their compulsions.
Harm OCD Symptoms
Be terrified that they will hurt someone (or themselves) on impulse – whether intentionally or not. Worry they are hiding their true nature from themselves and others and that they are really a vicious, aggressive person who will act out someday because they will lose control.
Harm OCD is a common subset of OCD in which sufferers are constantly worried about causing harm to others. These thoughts are so common that 85% of the non-OCD population admits to having unwanted violent thoughts, including thoughts about harming themselves and loved ones.
Primarily obsessional OCD has been called "one of the most distressing and challenging forms of OCD." People with this form of OCD have "distressing and unwanted thoughts pop into [their] head frequently," and the thoughts "typically center on a fear that you may do something totally uncharacteristic of yourself, ...
Because symptoms usually worsen with age, people may have difficulty remembering when OCD began, but can sometimes recall when they first noticed that the symptoms were disrupting their lives.
Harm OCD. Harm OCD causes people to be deeply disturbed by the violent thoughts that just about everyone has experienced. While most people are able to shrug off these thoughts, those with harm OCD can become completely overwhelmed by them.
OCD can start at any time from preschool to adulthood. Although OCD does occur at earlier ages, there are generally two age ranges when OCD first appears: Between ages 10 and 12 and between the late teens and early adulthood.
What happens if OCD is left untreated? Left untreated, the recurring thoughts and urges of OCD can interfere with your thinking and decrease concentration and short-term memory. Intense compulsions can drain your physical and mental energy and consume valuable time.
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You may also feel like you have no one to turn to, especially if you're worried that you may be judged for your intrusive thoughts. Like many other subtypes of OCD, however, harm OCD can be treated effectively so that you can regain control of your life.
They include a fear of being condemned, banished from their family, or dying from an incurable illness.