Am I experiencing OCD or inappropriate feelings towards a minor?

Hi Martin1, always try to remember that you are not your intrusive thoughts. You did not ask to have them, nor do they define you. Everyone has intrusive thoughts, it’s just that those of us with OCD have a much harder time trying to ignore them and let them pass without interacting with them. The more you interact with these thoughts, the more emphasis they will have and the more your ocd and doubt will latch onto them. As hard as it seems, try not to entertain and interact with these thoughts. Try not to actively engage with them or try to prove/disprove them like your ocd bully wants you to, because it wants definitive answers, not uncertainty, only it will never believe anything you present as definitive so the best thing to do is not let the thoughts get trapped in your mind by focusing/ruminating on them.

Unfortunately that is what ocd does. It makes you think that you “like” those thoughts, but in reality you do not and you deep know it. Ocd likes to fool you with that uncertainty. I had a previous therapist tell that people have intrusive throughts and it is fine. The difference between people that have ocd and that do not, however, is the distress and guilt it causes. He also said that “weird” or uncommon to think that someone is good looking or attractive, but it is not like you are going to act on it or have any ill will. Such as I think that Britney Spears is pretty and attractive, but it is like I want to or would act on those thoughts.

Rationalizing is a compulsions, but i get the feeling! All i do is rationalize my thoughts…. I know how you are feeling and I have had similar thoughts I see it sounds a lot like ocd ducking with you

Also, I am 34 years old and work with students. I have a very similar experience as you thought wise. I thought was I sexually attracted to a student because of the her chest area being kind “out there”. It did not cause a lot of distress, however that thought cause me to sit on it and analyze it. It was confusing. I saying this to show that you are not the o my one. People with ocd and without have intrusive throughts, and thoughts that make people go “hmmm really”.

Thankyou Anna, my OCD is also reminding me of all the stupid things I've done in the past and making me feel bad, though I'm glad you responded to this one, I'm sure it's all my mind and OCD, it's a battlefield at times lol

Think they are attractive if they are 15 years old Anna and I turned 36 last month. That's what's getting to me and making me feel bad. Then the feeling of arousal started, and it freaked me out and made me feel so guilty, of course I tried to suppress the feelings straight away. I think I've thought she had nice legs and it's all got out of control in my mind, esp when I said to myself I won't look then I did many days then the intrusive thoughts which made me feel guilty and the arousal. I hate the whole thing and can't work out why it got like this.