Is there a worse theme? POCD oh my!
No joke pedophilia themed OCD one of the suckiest OCD themes to struggle with due to how taboo these sorts of thoughts are in society. Sadly, many people do not seek help when they struggle with these thoughts due to shame, stigma and the worry that their worst fears will be confirmed by a provider. This is why it is so important for providers and sufferers to have an understanding of this OCD subtype. Providers can inadvertedly cause harm to sufferers if they do not understand this OCD subtype and sufferers may not reach out for help if they believe they will not be understood or shamed.
What is POCD
POCD is surprisingly a common subtype of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) whereby a person experiences intrusive, unwanted thought content related to being a pedophile. These thoughts usually trigger an intense amount of emotional discomfort (anxiety; shame; guilt; disgust) which the individual attempts to neutralize through either avoidance or internal and external rituals.
For example, an individual might be playing with their 3 year old niece who then jumps on to their lap and suddenly they have the thought “oh my god, my niece just touched my private parts!”. The individual is now suddenly aware of their private parts in the context of a child and immediately questions what it means that they had this thought. “I must be a pedophile or some sicko for having these thoughts around children!”.
Internal compulsions: Mentally reviewing past events for evidence of sexual preference for children; mentally reassuring oneself they are not a pedophile; checking the body for signs of arousal; praying; ruminating
External compulsions: Google searching phrases such as “how do you know you are a pedophile”; google searching famous pedophiles and comparing self; asking loved ones or friends for reassurance; avoiding places such as schools, playgrounds, libraries, or museums
Groinal Response: In many cases sufferers with POCD as a part of their symptoms can have or feel groinal response which is a movement, tingle, swelling or warming in genital area. For many clients this is “proof” that they are a “pedophile” and can cause considerable confusion! It is important to note that this is totally normal.
The great news is that with proper treatment (ERP) people can get better and recover.
What is POCD not?
POCD should not be confused with people who are or are at risk of sex offending: It is important to know that the diagnosis of pedophilia has nothing to do with the diagnosis of POCD. For individuals with OCD, intrusive thoughts are usually seen as being ego dystonic. Meaning that the thoughts generally go against a person’s belief system.
POCD is not “proof” of underlying sexual trauma: OCD is a biological illness. While trauma can certainly play a role in the manifestation of some mental illness, it is by no means a precursor. Digging to find trauma and analyzing what it means just leads a person down the OCD rabbit hole and is likely to make them worse.
POCD is not the result of toxic metals and can’t be cured with a juice cleanse: There is no credible scientific evidence for this. If there was, folks with OCD would have been cured a long time ago. Don’t buy the kool aid.
POCD does not make you a bad person: Every person on the face of the earth experiences sadistic, violent, awful, and disgusting thoughts from time to time. They do not make you a bad person. The OCD sufferer is just more aware of the thoughts.
POCD content is not any more relevant than any other OCD subtypes: While the content of POCD can make you feel like your OCD is on another planet, at the end of the day the content is irrelevant and what we focus on is reducing what we do about the content.
What sort of treatment helps?
Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is the gold standard for treatment of OCD. Thankfully this is an OCD subtype we have ALOT of experience in treating. It is super common! Please reach out to our practice if you believe you might be struggling with POCD or find a provider trained in ERP.