One of the most challenging and distressing forms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is referred to as primarily obsessional OCD. For people suffering from this condition, there are only a few observable compulsions than those seen with common forms of OCD. This type of disorder often shows horrific intrusive thoughts that points to a violent or distressing nature.
People with this type of disorder often have unsolicited or disturbing thoughts frequently popping into their mind. Basically, their thoughts will be typically focused on a fear that they will do something that is not under their nature. For instance, they will think about potentially fatal deed that can be done to oneself or to others.
Primarily obsessional OCD clients have varied nature and type, but they have a common experience of some emerging intrusive question or thought, unsolicited or inappropriate image in mind, or some frightening impulses that will induce extreme anxiety to the person. Fears that often associated with this type of disorder are far more terrifying and personal for the patient compared to those suffering from traditional OCD.
Common Themes with Intrusive Thoughts or Obsessions
1. Health
People under this condition will commonly have fears related to health, such as contracting diseases. Even under impossible circumstances, he or she still believes that there is some truth into it, even ignoring or mistrusting diagnostic reports.
2. Religiosity
Patients suffering from primarily obsessional OCD will have some manifestations of intrusive impulses or thoughts that surround sacrilegious and blasphemous themes.
3. Responsibility
Persons with this disorder will have excessive concerns over the well-being of someone marked by built in the belief that they might harm or have harmed someone in an inadvertent or purposeful manner.
4. Sexuality
A person suffering from this type of condition will have recurring doubts over the sexual orientation of somebody. Consequently, they often have very varied symptoms compared to those experiencing actual sexuality crisis. The difference of primarily obsessional OCD with homosexual OCD is that people with HOCD are more attracted sexually to the opposite sex before the beginning of HOCD, while homosexuals have already had some same-sex attractions.
5. Relationship obsessions
It is the nature of some people with primarily obsessional OCD to have an endless reaction to ascertain being or remaining in a particular relationship. In this behavior, they have obsessive thoughts such as whether they have found real love, how to determine if he or she is already the one, and uncertainties if they are attracted enough to that particular person or not. Their effort to come up with certainty will lead to the endless and intense cycle of anxiety as it would be difficult to arrive with the definitive answer.
People suffering from this condition should appear high-functioning and normal. However, they will spend a huge amount of time pondering and trying to answer or solve any of the questions causing them distress. More often than not, they suffer from dealing with considerable anxiety and guilt. Some of their pondering moments will include thinking about something rightfully attempting to alleviate the distress.