Sexual OCD

Questions and discussion about sexual or other abuse or assault, and support and help for survivors.
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This area of the boards is expressly for support and help for those who are currently in or have survived abuse or assault. It is also for those seeking information or discussion about abuse or assault. Please make every effort in this space to be supportive and sensitive. Posts in this area may or do describe abuse or assault explicitly.

This area of the boards is also not an area where those who are themselves abusing anyone or who have abused or assaulted someone may post about doing that or seek support. We are not qualified to provide that kind of help, and that also would make a space like this feel profoundly unsafe for those who are being or who have been abused. If you have both been abused and are abusing, we can only discuss harm done to you: we cannot discuss you yourself doing harm to others. If you are someone engaging in abuse who would like help, you can start by seeking out a mental healthcare provider.
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UnicornKitty
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Sexual OCD

Unread post by UnicornKitty »

How common is sexual OCD in those who have been sexually abused/assaulted?
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Sam W
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Re: Sexual OCD

Unread post by Sam W »

Hi UnicornKitty,

Do you mean OCD that tends to focus on sex as the thing it attaches obsessive thoughts to? Or are you referring more to the idea that sexual assault can lead to compulsive sexual behavior later on?
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UnicornKitty
not a newbie
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2023 10:18 pm
Age: 26
Pronouns: She/her
Location: Melbourne

Re: Sexual OCD

Unread post by UnicornKitty »

I’m referring to sexual thoughts and feelings that are unwanted and horrifying to the individual
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Sam W
scarleteen staff/volunteer
Posts: 9883
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2014 9:06 am
Age: 33
Awesomeness Quotient: I raise carnivorous plants
Primary language: english
Pronouns: she/her
Sexual identity: queer
Location: Desert

Re: Sexual OCD

Unread post by Sam W »

Got it. So, those are for sure things that survivors of sexual assault can experience. Not only can assault result in a person having things like flashbacks or unwanted recollections of what happened, it can also create complicated, conflicting, or negative reactions to sexual thoughts or feelings the individual has later on. It really depends on the individual and how they react to and cope with the assault and any resulting trauma.

Now, whether those thoughts are a component of OCD is a bit trickier to say, because OCD has two components; the obsessive thought and the compulsive action the person does without really wanting to, often as a means of dealing with or soothing the obsessive thought. What you're describing sounds like it might be closer to something like an intrusive thought, which are by definition unwanted and often upsetting to the person who has them (they can appear along with or as part of various mental health issues like anxiety disorders or OCD).
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UnicornKitty
not a newbie
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2023 10:18 pm
Age: 26
Pronouns: She/her
Location: Melbourne

Re: Sexual OCD

Unread post by UnicornKitty »

Ok, thank you so much for your input! Much appreciated!
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