Scrupulosity

Scrupulosity, also known as religious obsessive-compulsive disorder, is a mental disorder defined by intrusive thoughts about moral or religious ideas, pathological feelings of guilt, and compulsions aimed at mitigating those thoughts, and is widely understood as a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Common obsessions include fear of blasphemous thoughts, unwittingly committing immoral actions, being condemned to hell, or improperly performing religious obligations, while compulsions often take the form of excessive prayer, obsessive study of religious doctrine, or avoidance of religious obligations and objects; sufferers often exhibit paralyzing doubt about whether they fully understand their own moral principles, leading to rumination, and have difficulty recognizing that their thoughts and behaviors are irrationally motivated. Scrupulosity is generally treated with psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure and response prevention, with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors sometimes prescribed for severe symptoms, though these appear less effective for scrupulosity than for OCD generally.