Does HOCD cause arousal?

[Tedsanders]

I have suffered with OCD all my life and in recent years HOCD. I have conquered it once before, but it has made it's way into my life once again by being triggered by the thought of potentially being gay. I went to an extreme I know I should not have and feel very ashamed of it now... (Graphic) I started watching gay pornography and could not become erect. I wanted to continue to build my safety net of being sure I wasn't gay (OCD has it's way of poking at you) by stroking my groin to prove I still wouldn't become erect. However, I was able to become aroused after touching myself and could finish. I feel nothing but confused and disgust with myself now. I know I should have never went back and performed a ritual for my OCD. I guess my question now is does HOCD cause false arousal or was I aroused simply because I started to touch myself and not because of the material I was watching? Please, do not poke fun at me. I have never identified as being gay and this is one of the hardest things I have ever done writing this.

[Paxiled]

First, this is a subject a lot of people have written in about on this forum.  It usually stems from a fear, and therefore a bias, about being gay.  Many young people go through this.  You also say you have suffered OCD your whole life, but this isn't a disorder usually found when you're very young, and a lot of people falsely diagnose themselves with this disorder or are falsely diagnosed with it by mental health professionals.  It matters because the treatment for OCD is different than the treatment for other types of anxiety, and if it's really not your problem you can waste a lot of time treating it.  I was falsely diagnosed with it, but was smart enough to ignore the psychiatrist.  But then I later really did get it as part of withdrawal from a medication, and I know how different it is and what a bear it is to get rid of.  In my opinion, and many others on here disagree so you make up your own mind, there's no such thing as HOCD.  It's a label with no practical use.  Thinking thoughts you don't like is a symptom of all mental disorders, and putting labels on yourself can lead to you defining yourself as being ill when in fact you're just going through something so many young people do, which is trying to understand your sexuality.  It happened to me once in my life after a breakup where the woman had cheated on me, and I was lucky to find a therapist who reassured me that it was just normal thinking that usually goes away with time or resolving whatever it is that's really bothering you and making you insecure about your sexuality.  If you have a chronic anxiety problem, I hope you are seeing a psychologist who specializes in anxiety treatment so you can give yourself a chance to get past this.  Peace.

[Paxiled]

Oh, and you got aroused because people get aroused from all kinds of things.  Touching yourself is one way.  Feeling a cool breeze is another.  There are a million things that arouse us out there in the naked city.

[Tedsanders]

I have been diagnosed with OCD and I really don't feel like I'm struggling with my sexuality in terms of really trying to figure myself out. I know what this is, I was just very confused and wanted some explanation.

[Tedsanders]

I also want to thank you for your input. I knew I wasn't aroused because I was gay. I have never been concerned about it, and I only do obsess when my OCD is triggered by some sort of anxiety or fear. I guess I needed to hear it from someone else so I wasn't running a hundred miles per hour in my head.