Partially adapted from work in Hebrew by Yoetzet Halacha Sarit-Chen Krotaryo, BSW. Available here.*
OCD affects roughly 1-3% of the population. Some women experience OCD in a range of contexts, while others experience it only with respect to taharat hamishpacha.
A man may also experience OCD related to taharat hamishpacha (for example, repeated doubts about whether his wife might be in niddah).
In this article, we define the disorder and discuss some of its common implications for niddah observance. Sometimes, doubts and related behaviors that don’t meet the diagnostic criteria for OCD can still lead to undue stress and pressure when observing the laws of niddah. Women who find that any aspect of their niddah observance leads to stress, anxiety, or self-doubt should not hesitate to turn to a halachic authority for advice.
Obsessions are frequent and involuntary thoughts, urges, images, or physical sensations that often lead to anxiety or to emotional distress. They can also cause self-doubt. When the obsessions in OCD center around religious matters, it is called Scrupulosity.
Obsessions around the laws of niddah are relatively common. Everyone who observes halacha meticulously will sometimes have questions. If, however, these questions become constant and intrusive doubts, then they may be signs of obsessions. Some common examples include obsessions about:
- Becoming niddah. A woman may experience repeated doubts about stains, even those that present no halachic issue (e.g., stains on colored surfaces, or red threads that are clearly not blood). Or she may repeatedly ask herself whether she might have glimpsed something in the toilet before flushing, or whether she might have felt a hargashah (sensation of menses).
- Becoming tehorah. A woman may repeatedly worry about slight discolorations on bedikot, or second-guess whether she remembered to perform a bedikah.
- Mikveh. A woman may frequently second-guess whether her immersion was valid, either suspecting that she omitted some required preparation or finding an item after mikveh and worrying that it was there beforehand and was a chatzitzah.
A Compulsion is a behavior, thought, or mental activity that a person feels compelled to perform in response to an obsession. In many cases, the person tries to ignore, suppress, or neutralize obsessions and doubts through alternative thoughts or actions. Often, a compulsion includes seeking external validation for one’s actions.
In the context of niddah, there are women who perform extra bedikot, regularly spend especially long periods of time (in excess of ninety minutes) in preparations for immersion, immerse again and again, or continuously turn to halachic authorities for reassurance regarding their doubts.
Avoidance of situations that might arouse obsessive thoughts or sensations is also typical among those with OCD. For example, some women regularly choose to push off performing bedikot or having relations, or declare themselves niddah rather than having to cope with halachic uncertainty.
