"Because of the distress that people with scrupulosity feel, they often turn to others for reassurance and help. While seeking out support and talking to others about our problems is quite healthy in most cases, for a person with OCD/scrupulosity,
reassurance seeking is a compulsion and makes the obsessions worse.
Remember how the obsessive-compulsive cycle works: obsessions make anxiety go up (e.g., worrying that one has blasphemed the Holy Spirit) and compulsions (e.g., confessing and seeking reassurance from others) bring anxiety down. Unfortunately, many of the people trying to help scrupulous individuals become part of the problem instead of being part of the cure.
Because, on the surface, scrupulosity looks like a spiritual problem, it is all too easy for Elders/ministers, friends, and family to give advice and recommend Bible verses, prayers, etc. in a way that actually accelerates the OCD/scrupulosity and causes more distress to the person.
While the scrupulous person may get
momentary relief from getting reassurance, in the long run, reassurance makes the obsessions stronger and more distressing. It is
very important that people trying to help a scrupulous person be educated about OCD/scrupulosity in order to learn how to best provide support and help to the person." -
The ‘Overactive Conscience’ Part 3- Dealing With It – ACCFS (accounseling.org)
The more you feed the OCD by playing into it, the worse it gets, or it stays as bad as it already is. It's kind of like if a person had OCD about their appearance. They would feel better for a moment to ask someone and hear them say they look good. But really, they are letting that insecurity grow/maintain its size by letting it be the center of their conversations. Now when they see that person again, they are likely to think, "Oh, yeah, I asked them if my style was okay yesterday. They said it was fine. My hair isn't the same today though. I could look awful. I better ask them to get their opinion." It creates a cycle.
