Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Support Group

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder, more specifically, an anxiety disorder. OCD is manifested in a variety of forms, but is most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive (repetitive, distressing, intrusive) thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or rituals) which attempt to neutralize the obsessions.

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Religious OCD

xbrando7
xbrando7
Yesterday and today I started to experience terrible thoughts and feelings on my religious beliefs. I have always been a christian, and I want to be one, but the doubt that causes OCD thoughts is so powerful over me, and I'm having trouble believing, and that scares me. It scares me very much because one of my OCD fears is giving people food or drinks. I feel like if I have certain thoughts I can "taint" the food with demons or the devil or something, its really awful. My compulsion in the past was to simply pray and bless the food so that it can't cause anyone harm. But no with these doubts, I feel like if I have a thought that "taints" food, there's nothing I can do, and whoever eats it will die! Today I had to give my father a glass of tea, and I had these thoughts. I fear that the tea had been tainted. Then I grabbed it before he could drink any, saying it needed some ice. I did what I could to in my mind "cleanse" the tea. Even afterwards, I had thoughts of re-tainting the tea again, and then I would have to mentally cleanse it, I feel like a psycho! I have to remind myself that this is OCD though, its extremely distressing. Does anyone else ever have trouble with religious doubt and OCD?
Asics
Asics
Geez man that sounds painful!!! Wow just hearing your story reminds me my early experiences with this illness. I would get phrases from hymns and twist them up and end up sexualizing words causing me much distress. You are not psycho you are just OCD like you said. Magical thinking is a sure sign of OCD when you have those thoughts the only thing that seems to work is to write them down and do some CBT on them. Thanks for letting me provide input into your life. You are helping me out of my depression. Religious doubt constantly fills my mind when I'm at church. God loves me just as I am and feels my pain because he once lived on this earth and can identify with us. I don't think Jesus was obsessive compulsive though, the whole foot washing thing and all...... :)
deleted_user
deleted_user
Hi,

I also have religious doubts and it scares me, too. My pastor did tell me that everyone's faith has stronger and weaker phases. Hang in there.
deleted_user
deleted_user
yes that sounds very stressful if you have to go through that every day.

I'm a roman catholic, and I sometimes have religious thoughts when dealing with my OCD, but they are never to that extreme because our religion is more strict in order.

Do you take any medication?
deleted_user
deleted_user
I am a Christian as well, and I deal with OCD intrusive thoughts. I sometimes think that my own food is "tinted" with evil stuff, too. (I don't cook much for other people, so I don't have too many thoughts about food harming other people). But it's like I sometimes have bad thoughts about my food or drinks, thinking that there is something evil in it. I pray to ask God to take it away.
I also DO know how it is to have thoughts of other people getting hurt, just not with food stuff. I stress a lot about bad things happening to my family (whom I love and would never do anything to harm them). Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you are NOT alone!!!