Experts explain how one form of OCD can cause fear of being a 'bad person'

Do you think you’re a bad person? If you have this type of OCD, you’ll think you are one, and it’s a common feature with this sub-type of the condition.

When you think you’re not-so-nice, it could be because of having done something wrong, but it could also be because of having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

According to Joshua Curtiss, an assistant professor at Northeastern University in Boston, says this is a common indicator of Moral OCD.

He told Buzzfeed that it’s ‘a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder that’s characterized by really intense, intrusive thoughts of being immoral, bad or unethical in some way.’

Essentially, it’s fearing being a bad person deep down, and it can even lead to compulsions such as repeated thoughts that you’re not a good person, or that you need to act out certain things to ensure you’re not ‘bad’.

This type of OCD is linked to fears of being bad (Getty Stock Images)

“And the compulsions are designed to neutralize or undo these types of thoughts or fears about being ‘bad,’” Curtiss told the outlet.

Or, he said it can look like taking on new routines or tasks to ‘undo’ the bad and replace it with the good.

Like volunteering with a charity – something that might be seen as having good Karma.

Erin Venker, the founder and executive director of the OCD and Anxiety Center of Minnesota further explained that it can look like putting yourself on trial and overanalyzing your every thought, and move to assess if you’re a bad person.

But all in all, it seems to be rooted in the fear of being cast out.

“Humans are wired to care about belonging, safety, morality, social acceptance, all of those things,” Venker said.

It’s also linked to being worried about ‘rejection, shame, or even just losing one’s identity as being a good person’.

Moral OCD causes some to try to prove they are good, as they believe they are just bad people (Getty Stock Images)

But before you think this is a normal worry to have, it’s not. This is because, the main difference here is the constant-ness of it all.

“The difference is, OCD is a neurological condition... it’s like our brains are almost stuck on a highway loop, and they can’t get off the highway,” Venker said.

“People with OCD, they don’t get the all-clear signal, and so they feel like they have to obsessively try to figure out or make the right decisions in order to prove they are a good person or to find certainty that they are a good person,” Venker added.

According to NOCD, the OCD type is often based on the idea of ‘values, ethics, or personal moral codes’, or religion, such as 'recurring fears about sinning, angering God, or otherwise going against their religion’s rules.’

However, religious OCD is a different category on its own, which isn’t always linked to being good or not.

All-in-all, if you feel like you connect with these signs, seeking out professional help is the best thing to go to be diagnosed, and supported.