New York Center for Obsessive - Aggressive and Sexual Obsessions

Aggressive and Sexual Obsessions
Individuals with OCD who experience sexual and aggressive obsessive thoughts are burdened by fears that they might commit a sexually unacceptable act, such as molestation, or do physical harm to others. They not only fear that they will commit a dreadful act in the future but also that they have already committed such an act. Individuals usually encounter a feeling of embarrassment and/or shame about their thoughts and are reluctant to discuss them. Patients with these highly distressing obsessions frequently have checking and confession or reassurance rituals. Patients also may use excessive avoidance to prevent obsessions (e.g. removing all sharp implements, such as scissors and knives, from the house or avoiding all TV programs with references to violence, such as news).
 
John’s Story
John is a middle aged man who is happily married with four young children. For John, life has been good. He has a successful job, a loving wife and kids. But last year John started having intrusive thoughts that he has harmed or will harm individuals with his car. Whenever John drives to work he is hyper alert to his surroundings and makes sure that he drives with the radio off so he would not be distracted. John has been noticing that when is driving he has been very atune to bumps in the road. When John would drive he would experience intrusive thoughts that he might have hit someone. Especially, when John picked his kids up after school. Seeing all of the young school children running around made John very nervous. At times, he had to stop altogether until the crowd dissipated. John also started to make a habit out of reading the local paper to make sure no one was hit by a car.

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