Is it possible to have POCD and be a pedophile at the same time? I have fought with many highly skilled OCD clinicians about this and I still don’t know what to do. I don’t hang around kids of course, but it seems to be due to the attraction instead of the OCD type rumination with some of my other thought content (extreme violence, etc). I’m aware that OCD can affect every area of thinking so there may be some cross-pollination going on. It’s just that I keep getting directed to these communities when I feel like I don’t fully belong because I genuinely have pedophilic fantasies. What do? Thanks!

Hi Katie, thank you for replying. I guess my simple answer would be that those people don’t live with OCD themselves. They are trained observers. I would also say that even when I was participating in a longer outpatient program, I was still spending much of the day “unsupervised”. So it may be hard for even a professional to have a complete assessment of someone they only see for a few hours at a time. I don’t know. Sorry if I came across as antagonistic, I have just felt unheard in my treatment process regarding this issue.

@Mattie I didn't interpret your question as antagonistic :) I'm just trying to sort out whether you're looking for reassurance. Ultimately, I don't think your question is answerable, at least not with the certainty you're looking for

@NOCD Advocate - Katie Thanks for responding. I’m not looking for reassurance, I just don’t feel like the “About” section of this area is reflective of where I’m at. I am curious if other people might have a similar experience.

@Mattie It sounds like your OCD is coming up with reasons why the people who give answers which either don't confirm your beliefs, or which leave you having to face uncertainty, are untrustworthy. The truth is that you shouldn't be looking for absolute answers about this from anyone, including your highly skilled therapists. Their job is to help guide you through recovery, not to engage with the content of your obsessions. And this is most definitely about the content of an obsession, not some kind of special-case question which is above and beyond OCD. It is your brain looking for more evidence to weigh up in order to know how to judge yourself in order to get a concrete answer about yourself, before you are willing to let yourself engage properly with treatment. All I know is that the answers will be much clearer to you once the OCD is dealt with. If it turns out you still have the fantasies once your OCD about it is *well and truly* overcome, that'll be something to deal with then. And you'll be strong enough to do so, too. Questioning it now is only a way of putting off sorting out the OCD. As far as I am concerned, if it turns out you're a pedophile then hey there are plenty of non-offending pedophiles in the world, yeah it's stigmatised but frankly it will still be a good thing that you treated your OCD. It is better for you to not have OCD. OCD is hellish. Put these concerns to one side, treat your OCD, and then deal with this issue, OCD-free, after you're better.