Fear of Making Mistakes: Could It Be OCD?

Most people don’t love making mistakes. It’s normal to feel a little embarrassed if you forget something at work, mix up plans with a friend, or blurt out something awkward at the wrong moment. Learning from mistakes is part of being human, and most people can shrug off small errors without too much stress. But for people with obsessive‑compulsive disorder (OCD), the fear of making mistakes doesn’t just sting—it can feel catastrophic. Suddenly, a tiny slip‑up feels like evidence of being irresponsible or immoral, or like proof that something terrible will happen.

This difference—between everyday worry about mistakes and the intense fear driven by OCD—isn’t just a matter of degree. It can change a person’s daily functioning, decision‑making, and relationships (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). For many people with OCD, mistakes aren’t just inconvenient—they feel like threats.

Understanding why this happens and how it affects behavior is the first step toward meaningful change.

Normal Fear of Mistakes vs. OCD Fear

Everyone experiences fear of making mistakes. In school, you might worry about a poor grade. At work, you might double‑check your report before submitting it. In relationships, you may think twice before saying something that could unintentionally upset someone.

That kind of anxiety is normal—it motivates us to act responsibly and consider consequences. And once the risk is passed, most people can move on without ruminating.

But in OCD, the brain takes this normal fear and turns up the volume. A minor error can trigger catastrophic interpretations. A typo might feel like professional incompetence. Forgetting to text back might feel like you’ve damaged a relationship beyond repair. Minor misunderstandings can feel like permanent failures.

People with OCD sometimes describe it like this:

“It’s not that the mistake itself is huge. It’s that my brain tells me the consequences will be.”

Instead of thinking, “Oops, my bad,” an OCD brain tends to ask:

• “What if this ruined everything?”
• “What if I’m a terrible person for doing that?”
• “What if someone gets hurt because of my error?”
• “What if this defines who I am?”

And the more someone tries to reason with those thoughts, the stronger the fear becomes.

Researchers describe this as part of a broader cognitive vulnerability in OCD called intolerance of uncertainty, where not knowing whether a feared outcome will happen leads to distress and drives compulsive behaviors aimed at reducing that distress (Jacoby, Abramowitz, Buck, Sharpe, & Timpano, 2017; Paul, Gentes, & Ruscio, 2024). This is different from average worry—it’s a pattern that keeps the fear cycle going.

What OCD‑Driven Fear of Mistakes Looks Like in Daily Life

This fear isn’t always dramatic. To someone outside the experience, it might just look like perfectionism, excessive caution, or overthinking. But inside, it’s often a mix of panic, self‑doubt, shame, and catastrophic interpretation.

For someone with mistake‑focused OCD, everyday decisions can be hijacked by anxiety:

• Hours spent rereading texts or emails to make sure they “sound right”
• Avoidance of leading roles or responsibilities due to fear of messing up
• Apologizing long after a minor issue has passed
• Repeated reassurance‑seeking—“Are you mad? Is this okay?”

Even small choices become fraught:

• “What if I pick the wrong dinner and inconvenience someone?”
• “What if this message comes across badly?”
• “What if I submit my assignment and they think I’m incompetent?”

This is where it becomes clear that the underlying issue isn’t just nervousness—it’s a deep discomfort with uncertainty and fear of negative outcomes, which fuels compulsive checking, reassurance seeking, and avoidance.

Studies suggest that dysfunctional beliefs such as perfectionism and intolerance of uncertainty are closely linked with OCD symptoms and may even predict how severe OCD becomes over time (Olivares‑Olivares, Rosa‑Alcázar, Martínez‑Esparza, & Rosa‑Alcázar, 2022; Jacoby et al., 2017).

How Fear of Mistakes Affects Relationships and Social Life

Mistakes are everywhere—in friendships, at work, and in family life. But when someone fears making mistakes intensely, even simple interactions can feel risky.

Over‑Apologizing and Self‑Doubt

Someone with mistake‑focused OCD might apologize so often that friends feel awkward or confused. Often, these apologies aren’t about genuine regret—they’re attempts to reduce anxiety triggered by the possibility of having made a misstep.

Fear of Speaking Honestly

Many people with this form of OCD hesitate to express their needs or opinions. They worry that saying something honest might offend someone, so they stay quiet or agree when they don’t actually mean to.

People‑Pleasing

When mistakes feel catastrophic, keeping everyone happy can seem like the safest strategy. But always prioritizing others’ comfort can lead to exhaustion, resentment, and one‑sided relationships.

Misunderstandings and Isolation

Loved ones might interpret these behaviors as insecurity or neediness. But underneath, it’s often anxiety driven by belief patterns that overestimate the significance of potential errors.

Over time, avoidance becomes a “survival strategy.” When interactions feel risky, withdrawing feels easier than facing possible mistakes. This gradual retreat can lead to loneliness and a sense of disconnect.

Signs You May Be Dealing With Mistake‑Focused OCD

You might be struggling with this form of OCD if you:

• Constantly replay conversations to check if you said something wrong
• Feel terrified of disappointing or upsetting others
• Reread or rewrite messages repeatedly
• Seek reassurance that you didn’t mess up
• Apologize excessively
• Avoid tasks because you fear making an error
• Experience panic after minor mistakes
• Fixate on past errors long after they’re relevant
• Struggle to make decisions because you fear choosing incorrectly

These symptoms often stem from underlying beliefs that mistakes are morally or personally damaging, not just inconvenient.

Why This Fear Develops in OCD

There’s no single cause of OCD, but several cognitive factors often play a role:

Inflated Responsibility
Some people with OCD genuinely feel that they must prevent every bad thing from happening. It isn’t just “I don’t want bad outcomes”—it’s “If I don’t prevent this, I’m responsible for the harm” (Olivares‑Olivares et al., 2022).

Perfectionism as Protection
Many people grow up internalizing messages that perfection equals worthiness. In OCD, this turns into a belief that anything less than perfect is dangerous, which fuels repeated checking and corrections.

Intolerance of Uncertainty
Not being 100% sure that a feared outcome won’t happen is distressing for many people with OCD. This intolerance of uncertainty makes everyday ambiguity—like “What if I made a mistake?”—feel threatening and demanding of resolution (Jacoby et al., 2017; Paul et al., 2024).

All of these beliefs can transform routine decisions into anxiety‑provoking scenarios that feel like matters of identity, morality, or personal safety.

Best Practices for Treating Fear of Mistakes in OCD

The most effective treatment for OCD—especially when fear of mistakes fuels compulsive behavior—is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), a form of cognitive‑behavioral therapy (CBT) that helps people face feared situations without performing compulsions.

In ERP, a therapist helps you intentionally approach situations that trigger fear (like sending an email without rereading it or making a minor error on purpose) and resist the urge to correct or undo the mistake. Over time, the brain learns that these situations are manageable and that anxiety naturally decreases without compulsive action.

Research consistently supports ERP as a first‑line treatment for OCD, showing significant symptom improvement in many patients (Jacoby et al., 2017; Olivares‑Olivares et al., 2022).

In addition to ERP, therapists often work on building resilience around mistakes by reframing errors as neutral events rather than catastrophic ones and practicing strategies to manage anxious thinking.

Learning to tolerate uncertainty—like recognizing that “maybe I got the email slightly wrong and that’s okay” or “maybe this message isn’t perfect but people will understand”—is a huge part of recovery.

Moving Toward a Life Where Mistakes Are Just… Mistakes

If you’ve been living with fear of making mistakes for a long time, it might feel like every misstep is proof of failure or doom. But this is OCD amplifying ordinary thoughts and fears into overwhelming worry.

The truth is this: mistakes are part of being human. They’re normal, they’re survivable, and they’re part of learning and growing. You don’t have to live in fear of them.

With the right support—especially from therapists trained in OCD treatment—recovery is absolutely possible. You don’t have to apologize for every little thing, replay every conversation in your head, or avoid decisions because you fear being wrong.

If you’re ready to get support from clinicians who understand this exact fear and how to help you overcome it, reach out to the team at Stop OCD. You deserve help that actually works.

References

1. American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
2. Jacoby, R. J., Abramowitz, J. S., Buck, B. E., Sharpe, L., & Timpano, K. R. (2017). Intolerance of uncertainty across anxiety and obsessive‑compulsive disorders: An examination of differential effects and processes. In Oxford library of psychology: Anxiety and related disorders (pp. 237–260). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780190228163.003.0017
3. Olivares‑Olivares, P. J., Rosa‑Alcázar, Á., Martínez‑Esparza, I. C., & Rosa‑Alcázar, A. I. (2022). Obsessive beliefs and uncertainty in obsessive‑compulsive and related patients. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 22, 100316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2022.100316
4. Paul, S., Gentes, E. L., & Ruscio, A. M. (2024). Intolerance of uncertainty as a cognitive vulnerability and maintenance factor in obsessive‑compulsive disorder. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 48, 854–865. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-024-10491-z