male2581

Hello, I have OCD or obsessions with mental compulsions only, or as some refer to it is as pure-o. That is, I have no outward or observable compulsions. The rituals that I perform are done in my head such as counter imaging, and neutralizing thoughts. I recently decided to stop refering to my type of OCD as pure-o, and now adress it as OCD with mental compulsions. This is actually quite significant because implying that someone has pure o means that only obssesions are present, and nothing is done mentally or physically to releive the anxiety of the tormenting thought. It has been medically documented that all OCD'ers have some form of mental compulsions or it is not OCD. I had always been under the impression that the term pure-o was used universally in the mental health field for those with only M/Compulsions, until I emailed an OCD specialist and to my surprise I got a response. He completly understood the condition I used to call pure o, and was extremly familiar with it. Though he knew about my mental compulsions, he stressed that it was incorrect to refer to anyone who has OCD as having pure-o, because if it's OCD then there are always compulsions whether they be mental or physical. Since mental compulsions are usually accompanied in those who have obsessions about violence, and sex, I think that at one time, since mental compulstions were not observable, and likely not talked about as much, that the phrase pure-o may have originated. I encourage others to refer to our type of OCD as "OCD w/mental compulsions," as the term pure-o is incorrect and I feel it does little to benfit the forward movement of treating OCD sufferers.