Existential OCD is a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder involving repetitive, distressing questions about existence, reality, consciousness, identity, or the meaning of life. The problem is typically not philosophical curiosity itself, but the compulsive need to reach certainty, resolution, or complete understanding.

People with existential OCD may become stuck in repetitive mental loops involving questions such as:

• What if nothing is real?

• What if life has no meaning?

• How do I know other people truly exist?

• What if I can never feel certain about reality?

• What if consciousness itself is dangerous or unstable?

These thoughts are often experienced as intrusive, distressing, difficult to disengage from, and highly repetitive.