So I’ve gone to four panels at this OCD Conference now and holy shit I have learned SO MUCH!
I didn’t know OCD is also associated with sensory dysregulation! Like what?
Also, the panel about Queer folks with OCD was SO FUCKING GOOD!!!
They covered a variety of topics on it, but my fave highlights were (and I am paraphrasing):
A significant portion of people with OCD are also queer. I was looking for stats on that after and found this article that says sexual minority people are 9x more likely than heterosexual folks to be diagnosed with OCD! The body of research about this is also growing!
There are certain types of OCD/obsessions that are more common among certain demographics that have ties to trauma/discrimination experienced by those groups.
Political climate/movements can impact obsessions for those with OCD. One example given was about how someone with Sexual Orientation OCD could develop a fear of unintentionally insulting someone while seeking treatment. Stuff like that is brought to the forefront of peoples’ minds by news coverage, laws being passed, etc.
It can be a fine line to walk sometimes for clinicians when trying to help queer clients navigate obsessions with fears about their personal safety, especially in the US right now. A lot of it seems to involve trying to reduce that fear down to something that doesn’t control the person’s life while also validating their very real/valid concerns.
It can be particularly hard for queer folks with Faith Based OCD to reconcile their identity with their religion and religious teachings. By being true to themselves, they may have to cut ties to their communities and families and it’s important to help them find new communities and a sense of belonging. This one hit home for me because tbh the only thing I really miss about church (aside from the music) is the sense of community/purpose/belonging it once brought me.
Don’t belittle a queer person’s struggles/concerns just because they live in a blue state/area. One of the panelists shared his experience being jumped in CA, which is considered one of the safer states in the US for queer folks.
I know I’m forgetting some stuff, but I didn’t take notes so that’s all I have haha.
Oh, but def one of my favorite parts was the panelist who went out of her way to make various Pride Flags with her bar charts. I took screenshots haha.
On seeing her charts, one of the other panelists yelled “AND THE HETEROSEXUALS GET NOTHING, ONLY ONE COLOR JUST LIKE THEY DESERVE I’m so glad you never gave the straights anything else. It feels right in my soul.”
That was mostly in regard to one of the earlier charts that just had rainbow bars and plain blue bars, BUT STILL!!! Haha!!! I was DYING.
She later debuted the gray bar for questioning individuals, since it was an in between sort of color.
But god, fucking fantastic so far. Planning to go to at least another 1-2 tomorrow.
