Having intrusive thoughts about homosexuality and doubting one's own sexuality are the core symptoms of 'Homosexual Anxiety'. These Symptoms are Characteristic of a subtype of OCD, known as "H-OCD" or Homosexual OCD
Symptoms:
• Constant Recurring doubts about one's own sexuality
• Unwanted Intrusive thoughts about being homosexual
• Inability of getting rid of unwanted worries of being gay
• Seeing and meeting other members of the same sex produces anxiety about unwanted thoughts about being gay
• Avoiding places and instances of meeting other people of the same sex so as to avoid the anxiety that they feel (e.g. Locker Rooms, avoiding same sex friends who may get too close in proximity)
• Obsessive thoughts and worries about giving out signals to others that one may be gay
• Repeating trivial actions for fear of, that these actions may have been carried out in a "homosexual way" or that these actions may give others a hint of one being gay. For e.g., a Man with H-OCD, may get up after thinking that he is sitting in a very "gay like" manner. Which compels him to get up and sit down again, making sure he is sitting in a masculine way.
• Repeating such actions again and again to relieve one of the anxiety that they experience.
• One may feel that these intrusive thoughts are inappropriate and unacceptable.
• Homosexual thoughts are repulsive rather than arousing.
An Example of Homosexual Anxiety
This is an example of a high-school student who worries that others of the same sex might find him attractive.
There is one boy who works at the same place that I do. He always looks at me, always. I'll be talking to my friends and he'll walk past and look back at me. It's just really awkward. Of course then OCD kicks in with thoughts like, "Is this what I want?" Then my day is just filled with anxiety. There is a gay in my math class and he too kept looking at me. I always worry why they look, and then I worry that I look back. Then I start worrying why I'm nervous and my legs are shaky. I start to think that it means I’m gay.
This person’s surveillance of others may be causing them to stare back at him, creating the illusion that he is being observed. His anxiety about appearing gay results in physical symptoms, such as shaking, which is misinterpreted as physical attraction.
How will Counselling Help?
Anxiety in itself is quite distressful and debilitating. That coupled with engaging in compulsive ritualistic behaviors that stems from OCD. As well as having a fear of being in close proximity to people of your own sex. All these factors together creates quite a stressful situation for someone going through H-OCD. Psychotherapy and counselling helps one to examine their cognitions and obsessive thoughts. It aims to help people see the rationality and logic in those, and aims to change those into healthy beliefs. Counselling also helps in helping one to cope with Anxiety, and in turn helps in decreasing the compulsive behaviors. Homosexual Anxiety is very often confused with being Homosexual, and having anxiety about coming out of the closet. Very often people with H-OCD due to the anxiety seek for closure about their sexuality and the future of their sexual life.
Visit www.typathought.com for H-OCD related counselling
Symptoms:
• Constant Recurring doubts about one's own sexuality
• Unwanted Intrusive thoughts about being homosexual
• Inability of getting rid of unwanted worries of being gay
• Seeing and meeting other members of the same sex produces anxiety about unwanted thoughts about being gay
• Avoiding places and instances of meeting other people of the same sex so as to avoid the anxiety that they feel (e.g. Locker Rooms, avoiding same sex friends who may get too close in proximity)
• Obsessive thoughts and worries about giving out signals to others that one may be gay
• Repeating trivial actions for fear of, that these actions may have been carried out in a "homosexual way" or that these actions may give others a hint of one being gay. For e.g., a Man with H-OCD, may get up after thinking that he is sitting in a very "gay like" manner. Which compels him to get up and sit down again, making sure he is sitting in a masculine way.
• Repeating such actions again and again to relieve one of the anxiety that they experience.
• One may feel that these intrusive thoughts are inappropriate and unacceptable.
• Homosexual thoughts are repulsive rather than arousing.
An Example of Homosexual Anxiety
This is an example of a high-school student who worries that others of the same sex might find him attractive.
There is one boy who works at the same place that I do. He always looks at me, always. I'll be talking to my friends and he'll walk past and look back at me. It's just really awkward. Of course then OCD kicks in with thoughts like, "Is this what I want?" Then my day is just filled with anxiety. There is a gay in my math class and he too kept looking at me. I always worry why they look, and then I worry that I look back. Then I start worrying why I'm nervous and my legs are shaky. I start to think that it means I’m gay.
This person’s surveillance of others may be causing them to stare back at him, creating the illusion that he is being observed. His anxiety about appearing gay results in physical symptoms, such as shaking, which is misinterpreted as physical attraction.
How will Counselling Help?
Anxiety in itself is quite distressful and debilitating. That coupled with engaging in compulsive ritualistic behaviors that stems from OCD. As well as having a fear of being in close proximity to people of your own sex. All these factors together creates quite a stressful situation for someone going through H-OCD. Psychotherapy and counselling helps one to examine their cognitions and obsessive thoughts. It aims to help people see the rationality and logic in those, and aims to change those into healthy beliefs. Counselling also helps in helping one to cope with Anxiety, and in turn helps in decreasing the compulsive behaviors. Homosexual Anxiety is very often confused with being Homosexual, and having anxiety about coming out of the closet. Very often people with H-OCD due to the anxiety seek for closure about their sexuality and the future of their sexual life.
Visit www.typathought.com for H-OCD related counselling
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