Sexual orientatn OCD (SO-OCD) is a subtype of OCD that is characterized by tsive thoughts and pulsive behavrs around a person’s sexual orientatn. It has been referred to as homosexual OCD (H-OCD); however, this term is creasgly disuraged due to s lack of sensivy. People wh SO-OCD experience tsive thoughts and urg around nial of or nfn about their te sexual orientatn. Someone wh SO-OCD may experience fears around beg perceived as havg a certa sexual orientatn, such as gay or straight. They might wonr if they have a sexual orientatn other than the one they thought. They may fear they are nial of their “te” sexual orientatn. Or, they might fear that their sexual orientatn uld abptly change (e.g., “turn” gay or straight) and what this change will mean for their life. (Will they have to leave their fay? Will their relatnship end when they disver they are not who they thk they are?)
Contents:
- HOCD – HOMOSEXUAL OCD OR THE FEAR OF BEG GAY
- 'HOMOSEXUAL OCD': STRAIGHT MEN WHO SPECT THEY ARE GAY
- YOU’RE NOT GAY: HOMOSEXUALY ANXIETY OCD
- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS KEV MAXEN BE FIRST PROFSNAL MALE ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY
HOCD – HOMOSEXUAL OCD OR THE FEAR OF BEG GAY
In the early 2000s, patients started reportg a new worry to their OCD therapists: what if I’m gay? This thought was often prefaced by patients clarg that they weren’t homophobic, but the fear was still there. The theme was dubbed homosexual OCD or HOCD. * ocd gay fears *
People who experience homosexual OCD may experience obssns surroundg the uncertaty of their attractn or potential attractn to people of their same genr. In the past, some have ed the term “Homosexual OCD” to refer to them wh Sexual Orientatn OCD that volve doubts or tsive thoughts about attractn to people of the same genr, ntrary to one’s own inty. People who experience homosexual them Sexual Orientatn OCD may experience obssns surroundg the uncertaty of their attractn or potential attractn to people of their same genr.
Homosexual OCD do not mean that someone is aaid of beg attracted to people of the same genr, but rather that they are aaid of the uncertaty they feel about their own inty and sir. Someone wh homosexual them Sexual Orientatn OCD is not necsarily aaid of havg one sexual orientatn or another; rather, their abily to feel sure of their own sexualy and inty signifint distrs. Guilt or shame n pop up for someone wh homosexual OCD if they are a heterosexual relatnship and feel rponsible for potentially wastg their partner’s time or g them grief if they e to the realizatn down the le they are fact gay, lbian, or queer.
Homosexual them Sexual Orientatn OCD n lead people to overanalyze unwanted physil sensatns they experience rponse to stimuli om the same genr, and terpretg this sensatn to be a “sign” that they actually are nial of their sexualy.
'HOMOSEXUAL OCD': STRAIGHT MEN WHO SPECT THEY ARE GAY
* ocd gay fears *
As wh tradnal OCD, people who are affected by this ternalized homophobia engage ruals to help them alleviate their anxiety and prove to themselv that they are tly straight. They might also perform washg ruals if they are around a gay person, may act overtly to assure themselv of their sexual orientatn, or may even blatantly act out agast gay people orr to prove they are straight. Addnally, HOCD sufferers might avoid physil ntact or beg alone wh gay people and may even rry this behavr to shunng same-sex public rtrooms or not eatg public se the food was prepared by a gay person.
If HOCD has left you stgglg wh relentls qutns about your sexual inty, HOCD: Everythg You Didn’t Know – A Primer for Unrstandg & Overg Homosexual Obssive Compulsive Disorr, a book by Dr. In my practice, I sometim enunter men who are so obssively worried they may be gay or bisexual that tak up such a signifint amount of their daily life and thoughts and them nearly cripplg anxiety. Such a man may nstantly thk about whether the way he walks is too “girly.” He may worry that he appears to be gay if cross his legs at the knee like a woman when stg down rather than havg the typil “man spread.” He may even avoid beg alone wh other men for fear of beg attracted to them.
YOU’RE NOT GAY: HOMOSEXUALY ANXIETY OCD
Kev Maxen, an associate strength ach wh the Jacksonville Jaguars, has bee the first male ach a major U.S.-based profsnal league to e out as gay. * ocd gay fears *
Like those wh Obssive-Compulsive Disorr (OCD), he may exhib the same kd of repet behavrs, such as stg and standg over and over aga to see if they may appear gay the way he do .
This may sound like ’s a set-up for a joke, or an ongog lgh le a s, but is a real disorr that some have labeled as Homosexual Obssive-Compulsive Disorr (HOCD), though the Diagnostic and Statistil Manual of Mental Disorrs, the “bible” of psychiatry, has yet to regnize .
HOCD n sudnly occur for some men who, for example, fd themselv beg h on by other gay or bisexual men, mistaken for beg a gay or bisexual man, fd themselv attracted to another man or stumble onto gay porn that exc them.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS KEV MAXEN BE FIRST PROFSNAL MALE ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
In my own clil experience workg wh the men, those who suffer om this may fd themselv obssively lookg at porn, eher gay or straight, to see if they bee sexually exced by eher.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY
They might nstantly check out others’ reactns to their gtur or nversatn to see if they get any strange looks or other signals that would imply homophobia.