What is Harm OCD?
Harm Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (Harm OCD) is a subtype of OCD that involves intrusive thoughts, images, or urges about accidentally leaving a stove on and causing a fire, gas leak or explosion. These thoughts are distressing, leading to intense anxiety and attempts to neutralize or avoid the thoughts and uncertainty. People with Harm OCD focused on stoves often experience extreme guilt and fear over their perceived responsibility, worrying that a mistake could lead to disaster.
Sequence of Harm OCD
Triggers: Harm OCD related to stoves can be triggered by situations involving cooking, leaving the house, or feeling unsure about whether appliances were turned off. For example:
Cooking a meal and worrying the stove was left on.
Leaving the house and fearing an unchecked stove could cause a fire.
Recalling an image of the stove burner and questioning if it was turned off properly.
Core Fears: Individuals with stove-related Harm OCD may have core fears such as:
Fear of being responsible for a fire that causes injury or death.
Fear of unbearable suffering due to uncertainty about whether the stove is off.
Fear of their home or others’ homes being ruined.
Fear of being a bad or careless person for failing to ensure safety.
Compulsions / Safety Behaviours: To cope with these fears, people engage in compulsions—repetitive behaviors or mental rituals aimed at reducing anxiety or preventing harm. Examples include:
Repeatedly checking the stove knobs and burners.
Taking pictures of the stove to review later for reassurance.
Asking others to confirm the stove is off.
Mentally reviewing cooking routines to confirm nothing was left on.
Avoiding cooking altogether to eliminate the risk.
These compulsions provide temporary relief but reinforce the obsession, trapping individuals in a cycle of fear and rituals.
What Causes Harm OCD?
The exact cause of Harm OCD related to stoves is unknown, but several factors may contribute:
Genetics: Family history of OCD or anxiety disorders can increase risk.
Brain Chemistry: Abnormalities in serotonin levels and hyperactivity in areas of the brain associated with threat detection and decision-making.
Environmental Factors: Stressful life events, trauma, or childhood experiences involving high levels of responsibility or fear of accidents.
Learned Behaviors: Modeling parental anxiety about safety or responsibility can influence patterns of worry and checking behaviors.
How Do You Treat Harm OCD?
Harm OCD related to stoves is highly treatable, and the most effective approach is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), specifically Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).
ERP Therapy: ERP gradually exposes individuals to situations that trigger intrusive thoughts while preventing compulsive behaviors. For example:
Leaving the house without checking the stove multiple times.
Walking away from the stove after visually confirming it’s off once.
Writing scripts about feared outcomes (e.g., "What if I left the stove on and a fire started?") to confront and desensitize anxieties.
ERP helps individuals tolerate uncertainty and anxiety without relying on rituals. Over time, this retrains the brain to stop overreacting to intrusive thoughts.
Cognitive Therapy: This approach targets unhelpful beliefs about thoughts (e.g., "I must be 100% sure the stove is off") and teaches individuals to tolerate uncertainty.
Mindfulness Techniques: Mindfulness can complement ERP by helping individuals observe thoughts without judgment, reducing reactivity and fostering acceptance.
Medication: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are often prescribed to reduce anxiety and obsessive thinking, enabling patients to better engage in therapy.
Summary
Harm OCD related to stoves involves intrusive fears about accidentally leaving the stove on and causing harm. This leads to distress and compulsive checking behaviors aimed at preventing fires, gas leaks or explosions. Despite their fears, people with this type of OCD are not careless or dangerous but are trapped in cycles of anxiety and rituals driven by a need for certainty. Treatments like ERP and CBT help individuals break free from these patterns by teaching them to tolerate uncertainty and reduce compulsive behaviors. With the right approach, recovery is possible, and individuals can regain control of their lives.