Sexual minorities with OCD are more likely to have intrusive thoughts that carry internal and external shame and stigma when compared to the heterosexual population. As sexual minorities are already vulnerable to social shame and stigma due to minority stress, these unacceptable intrusive thoughts may hold more importance due to the fear of further negative attention.

Shame and Stigma Surrounding Obsessive Thoughts in Sexual Minorities with OCD

Sexual minorities, when compared to heterosexual individuals with OCD, are more likely to have unacceptable/intrusive thoughts related to violence, sex, and/or religion, and may be less concerned with contamination and germs.

Cleveland State University

The Diathesis-Stress Model of OCD posits that adverse life events contribute to the likelihood of an individual to develop OCD. As sexual minorities often encounter traumatic incidents and experience minority stress, they may be at elevated risk of developing obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Diathesis-Stress Model of OCD in Sexual Minorities

Pinciotti, C. M., & Orcutt, H. K. (2021). Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in sexual minorities. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 8(4), 487–495. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000437 

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in sexual minorities

Sexual minorities who have experienced trauma related to their identity may engage in compulsions in an attempt to avoid threats of harm, despite the internal stress caused by compulsions. A link between trauma exposure and the development of OCD symptoms has been found, and compulsions may serve as a coping mechanism that inhibits affective processing and promotes avoidance of anxiety-provoking stimuli. Avoidance may serve to reduce distress and to give the illusion that future threats may be prevented- for example, someone who has experienced traumatic victimization may engage in compulsive checking of locks to seemingly prevent it happening again.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After