Ari suffers from ‘harm OCD’ since childhood, experiencing intrusive and disturbing thoughts about causing physical or emotional harm to others. In an interview in Espejo Público, she shared how these obsessions affect his life, generating a state of constant anxiety.
“A person who obsesses with harm OCD obsesses over things like the thought or image of slashing or stabbing someone we love very much.” This is how the young woman describes the torment she experienced due to her anxiety.
Ari expressed her concerns about losing control at some point and committing acts with serious consequences, such as thinking, “What if I’m a murderer? What if I hurt my dog? What if I hurt my boyfriend?” he asked himself.
Ari emphasized that he can’t control other people’s actions, but he can control his own to avoid doing harm. Therefore, his compulsion includes moving away from situations or objects that may represent a risk.
He expressed his fear by imagining extreme situations, such as harming his family, but clarified that he has no desire to hurt anyone.
Ari is so worried about losing control and causing harm that she goes to extreme measures, such as setting up obstacles to avoid hurting others.
She explains that this type of OCD is not about having violent fantasies, but rather an overwhelming fear of losing control. “With this type of OCD, what you really want is for the people you care about to be safe and well,” she adds.
‘Harm OCD’ is a variant of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in which the obsessions and compulsions focus on causing harm to others in some way.
Sufferers of this type of OCD experience intrusive and disturbing thoughts about causing physical or emotional harm to others, even if they have no real intention to do so.
