Catherine’s OCD is…
· Intrusive thoughts of harming herself (which she has done before so how does she know it won’t happen again) or harming others (which she has never done)
· Intrusive thoughts of immorally unacceptable things like incest, pedophilia, or bestiality
· Fears she will contract an STD or pass one on to someone else
· Fears she will become pregnant
· Avoidance of certain “problem” foods like certain cheeses, mustard, and mayonnaise. Avoidance of saran wrap and garbage that carry “germs”
· Confessing her “sins” to her parents, therapist, and boyfriend
· Apologizing compulsively
· Ruminating on possible contamination
· Checking and rechecking to make sure things are safe or in order
· Difficulty maintaining a relationship (also known as “relationship OCD”. I will be doing a special entry on this)
Catherine’s OCD is not…
· Cute/ quirky/ endearing/ adorable
· Being neat and organized
· Washing her hands multiple times
· Enjoyable/ aspired to
· An adjective/ personality trait
· Something you grow out of (it’s a lifelong battle)
· Easy
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