What is Scrupulosity?

 I’m going to divert from telling stories about myself in this entry and write about Scrupulosity, which is what I suffered from until my spiritual quest. Scrupulosity is a relatively rare subtype of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  Traditionally a Catholic concept, scrupulosity is the obsessive concern with one's own sins, frequently focusing on acts or thoughts not usually considered sins within one's religious tradition (Ciarrocchi, 1995; Santa, 1999).  OCD in general occurs in an estimated 1-3% of the American population, and its causes appear to be biological (some say genetic and environmental factors are also important) (Dunkel, 2005).  Usually medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are used to treat OCD, including the scrupulosity subtype (Watkins, 2004).  Medication is most often administered by a psychiatrist, and the CBT by a psychologist or therapist.  I had access to both forms of treatment.  For me, the medication has helped a lot (though I have been to a number of psychiatrists, and tried a lot of different medicines until I found the best one).  The CBT I experienced was only somewhat successful.

People of various faiths deal with scrupulosity, however, in America one might hear most often about Jews and Catholic or Protestant Christians.  Some notable religious historical figures such as: John Bunyan, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and St. Alphonsus Liguori dealt with scrupulosity and included some of their sufferings in their writings (Ciarrocchi, 1995; Santa, 1999).  Therefore, it is not only a modern phenomenon, but has occurred for many centuries. 

OCD in general manifests itself in obsessions (with a particular fear or fears), and compulsions, which are usually actions that one takes to reduce the anxiety caused by one's fear(s).  These actions are often an attempt at preventing one's fears from happening (IOCDF, 2010).  An example of scrupulosity might be: the fear of displeasing God (the obsession), and constant ritualistic praying (the compulsion) (Ferguson, 2019). This was true for myself.

References

Ciarrocchi, J. W. (1995). The doubting disease: Help for scrupulosity and religious

            compulsions. Paulist Press.

Dunkel, T. (2005, September 9). OCD sufferers consumed by religion. The Baltimore

Sun. Retrieved from http://www.anxietyandstress.com/sys-tmpl/ocdreligionscrupulosity/ 

Ferguson, S. (2019, September 18). Scrupulosity: When religious or moral beliefs become OCD.

Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/scrupulosity-moral-ocd#1

IOCDF. (2010). Scrupulosity fact sheet. International OCD Foundation. https://iocdf.org/wp-

content/uploads/2014/10/IOCDF-Scrupulosity-Fact-Sheet.pdf 

Santa, T. M. (1999). Understanding scrupulosity: Helpful answers for those who

            experience nagging questions and doubts. Liguori/Triumph

            Publications.

Watkins, C. E. (2004). Scrupulosity: Religious obsessions and compulsions. Retrieved

            from http://www.ncpamd.com/scrup.htm