In OCD, failing to engage in ritual causes what experience?

• A. No effect.
• B. A feeling of dread.
• C. A burst of energy and luck.
• D. A temporary relief.

Answer: (B)

In OCD, rituals are performed to reduce the intense anxiety produced by intrusive thoughts. When someone does not engage in the ritual, the relief from that anxiety isn’t achieved, so the distress resurges and often intensifies, commonly felt as a growing sense of dread or fear that something bad will happen if the ritual isn’t done. This is why failing to perform the ritual leads to a dread-like experience—the anxiety returns and escalates because the attempted safety signal (the ritual) is unavailable. The temporary relief only comes after completing the ritual, not when skipping it.