Quiz: Do You Have Pure 'O' OCD?

Pure Obsessional OCD (otherwise known as Pure 'O' OCD) is different to traditional OCD as the physical compulsions that make up a large part of OCD are not present. It is easy to get confused between the two types of OCD as there is a certain amount of overlap, but sufferers of Pure 'O' OCD will display slightly different symptoms and characteristics. Take our quiz to see if your OCD symptoms are indicative of Pure 'O' OCD.

1. Do you engage in physical compulsions such as repeatedly touching objects?

A. Yes

B. No

2. Are you experiencing OCD symptoms that are purely in your mind, such as obsessions that create mental anguish, followed by compulsions that are intended to relieve this?

A. Yes

B. No

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3. Are you experiencing distressing and intrusive blasphemous and/or inappropriate sexual thoughts that you cannot shake from your mind?

A. Yes

B. No

4. Have you ever experienced thoughts about harming your family, which becomes an obsession that you cannot get out of your mind?

A. Yes

B. No

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5. If you answered “yes” to either or both of the last two questions, do these intrusive thoughts or images cause you a significant amount of distress (as opposed to you being able to put them out of your mind and move on from them fairly easily)?

A. Yes

B. No

Verdict

Give yourself an overall score according to your answers, and read on to see the verdict.

1. A = 0, B= 1

2. A = 1, B= 0

3. A = 1, B= 0

4. A = 1, B= 0

5. A = 1, B= 0

0-2: Based on your answers, it seems unlikely that you are suffering from Pure 'O' OCD as your symptoms do not match the typical characteristics of this type of OCD. You may be suffering from traditional OCD that involves mental compulsions and obsessions to a greater extent than physical obsessions and compulsions, but your answers do not suggest that your OCD is purely a mental thing – and this is the basis of Pure 'O' OCD.

3-4: Your answers indicate that you could be suffering from Pure 'O' OCD. Based on the fact that only some of your symptoms are indicative of this type of OCD, it is more likely that you are suffering from traditional OCD (which often involves both physical and mental obsessions and compulsions, whereas Pure 'O' OCD is purely in the mind). However, if you are experiencing distressing mental obsessions, compulsions or intrusions, it is best to seek professional help and support.

5: Your answers are a strong indication that you are suffering from Pure 'O' OCD. While the symptoms of Pure 'O' OCD are highly distressing, it is important to realise that the vast majority of sufferers never act on the intrusive thoughts (known as “spikes”) that can repeatedly enter the mind and become obsessions. Despite this, your symptoms are obviously causing you a lot of anxiety and stress, and it is worth seeking help and support from a mental health professional to help you regain control of your mind.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Exposure Therapy Hierarchy Builder lets you create a personalized hierarchy of feared situations ranked by difficulty for gradual exposure therapy. Try it now →