Pure OCD is a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder that involves obsessive thoughts and cognitive compulsions, rather than observable behaviors. It can manifest in various themes, such as relationship anxiety, sexual orientation, health concerns, and guilt. Behavioral therapy is the primary treatment, and medication can also be helpful.
Pure OCD or purely obsessive OCD is a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Like all types of OCD, it has components of obsession – thinking about things beyond what is reasonable – and coercion. The obsessive aspect of purely obsessive OCD is often lost because people with the condition are forced to think, research, or imagine compulsively in addition to dealing with repetitive and disturbing thoughts. In other words, the compulsion is often cognitive rather than a series of observable and unusual behaviors such as obsessive hand washing. Sometimes this type of OCD looks like extreme worry or generalized anxiety disorder, and even experienced doctors have failed to diagnose it appropriately at first.
There are many obsessive themes that could be the focus of someone with pure OCD. An affected person may constantly check the status of a relationship. He may spend hours worrying about whether he is in love and loved, and repeatedly wondering if the relationship is appropriate or worthwhile. Other times people worry about their sexual orientation and constantly wonder if they are heterosexual or homosexual. Some obsessive thoughts can manifest along religious lines, where despite strong religious feelings, sacrilegious ideas could constantly intrude.
Additional sources of obsession could occur in a person with pure OCD. Some sufferers of this condition worry endlessly that they might hurt themselves or hurt others. Another common theme is a strong sense of guilt over what the sufferer thinks are failures. In other cases, a person may be more concerned about developing specific health problems or medical conditions.
When obsessive thoughts occur, the person with pure OCD may spend hours or days tortured by the thoughts, making a significant effort to try to understand and get rid of them. Freeing the self of these thoughts could take a variety of forms. People may endlessly wonder about the truth of what they think, they may question others or repeatedly ask for forgiveness, they may ask for tests that prove or disprove the thoughts (more common with pure medical OCD), or they may read and research for determine if what they think is plausible. Someone with pure OCD who is obsessed with avoiding pregnancy might take pregnancy tests again and again after sexual encounters, even if they have evidence from several negative tests and are practicing safe sex.
It is easy to understand from these descriptions why pure OCD is not always diagnosed right away. People may appear overly anxious and preoccupied, but hopefully continued therapy would demonstrate that compulsive behaviors are a feature of the disease. Given the right diagnosis, there are a variety of ways to treat this condition.
Pure OCD often responds well to behavioral therapies, and some people also benefit from medications. Behavior therapy is almost always the first requirement of treatment because through it, people can learn ways to minimize negative thought patterns and compulsive responding. This can eventually lead to freedom from the condition or a pronounced reduction in symptoms.
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