Does anyone know anything about religious OCD?

[Cowbells]

I am getting a bit concerned that one of my sons has it. He has always been Christian - more devout than anyone else in the family. But in his teens he started collecting icons and he can't leave or enter a room without crossing himself several times. I recently bought him a Book of Hours which he was delighted with. But now I'm doubting whether i should have. It seems to be setting a pattern for regular prayers several times a day. He has taken a voluntary job at his church and speaks frequently with the pastor on daily walks. I am concerned that all these self-imposed rules and duties will impact on his life and that they are replacing a proper, happy connection with the world. (He is at uni and has been affected by the lockdowns.)

All this is absolutely fine by me if he is just exploring faith, but I am worried that it is a form of OCD - all the praying and crossing himself is quite intrusive and socially it's a bit disconcerting when he does it several times even if just leaving his bedroom to make a cup of coffee.

I want to talk to him about it but don't know how to approach it without sounding judgemental.

Does anyone have any advice?

Do you see it in any other part of his life? Teenagers can get very obsessed with things and it fades as they get older. Has anything major happened in his life that might indicate that this is some sort of copying mechanism? On the other hand it might be an early sign of vocation and if it is then getting out and volunteering at the sharp and pointy end of ministry with the homeless, food bank, refugee support or whatever is in place locally will test that rather than the precise ordering of prayers and rituals.

Coping not copying. Autocarrot fail.

@mostlydrinkstea - thank you for your post. The biggest shift in his life is that he's gone to uni during lockdown and that has not been an easy start at all. I agree entirely that the 'sharp and pointy end of ministry' (beautifully put) would be very good for him.

There are a few minor OCD things he does in other areas, such as the TV remote volume needs to be a round number ending in 0 or 5 rather than just the right volume. His brother teases him for this and we try not to indulge it. There may be more that I'm not aware of.

That does like it might be tending towards scrupulosity. There isn't really any particular religious reason to be crossing himself every time he leaves or enters a room so if he can't stop and it's becoming intrusive then it might be a problem.

Is it something he recognises and could talk to his pastor about?

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay - good idea to discuss this with his pastor. I think that would be a more beneficial conversation than one with me . I'd probably end up saying that it seemed OCD and he should try and ease up on it. The pastor would probably make more sense of it.

I would second talking to the pastor (assuming this is a reputable church). I have experienced intrusive thoughts relating to religion and felt I had to repeat certain prayers. Personally I was healed by prayer but I certainly don't think that my experience is standard and I know my vicar advises people to seek mental health support where she feels it's necessary.

That sounds tricky. I would imagine it's going to be difficult to unpick this. From my own experience, I remember when I was young I went through a period of needing to pray for everyone in my family every night or they would die. I had to name each one. Looking back I can see this was an obsession and probably got sparked off when I started to be more conscious of death. However I do remember the fear evoked if I didn't do it 'right'. I wish you and your son all the best as you unravel this and I also hope you find him some robust, realistic support.

I agree about talking to a trustworthy pastor. There is also a website / ministry run by the Redemptorists (a catholic order) called Scrupulous Anonymous which might give you some information. Best wishes

Thank you all for your help. @Ursamama I will take a look at that - it sounds very useful.