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Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) is a lesser known disorder that is related to obsessive-compulsive disorder. ORS is the obsessional and inaccurate belief that one is emitting a foul odor leading to embarrassment or concern about offending others, excessive hygiene behaviors, and social avoidance that significantly interferes with daily functioning. Although ORS is rare, it is challenging to diagnose. ORS-sufferers first seek treatment from non-psychiatric providers (e.g., dermatologists, dentists.) to alleviate the perceived odor, which frequently leads to misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatments. Additionally, because ORS-sufferers can have limited insight and ideas of reference, they can be misdiagnosed as having a psychotic or delusional disorder. We present a case report of a 42-year-old woman with ORS, and how the correct diagnosis of ORS provided with psychiatric treatment led to significant improvement in her daily functioning. We provide a literature review on the disorder as well as a short screener to assess ORS.

Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) is a lesser known disorder that is related to obsessive-compulsive disorder. ORS is the obsessional and inaccurate belief that one is emitting a foul odor leading to embarrassment or concern about offending others, excessive hygiene behaviors, and social avoidance that significantly interferes with daily functioning. Although ORS is rare, it is challenging to diagnose. ORS-sufferers first seek treatment from non-psychiatric providers (e.g., dermatologists, dentists.) to alleviate the perceived odor, which frequently leads to misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatments. Additionally, because ORS-sufferers can have limited insight and ideas of reference, they can be misdiagnosed as having a psychotic or delusional disorder. We present a case report of a 42-year-old woman with ORS, and how the correct diagnosis of ORS provided with psychiatric treatment led to significant improvement in her daily functioning. We provide a literature review on the disorder as well as a short screener to assess ORS.

Men are more likely to be blamed more for intimate partner violence (IPV) than are women who commit the same offense. However, because men are typically stronger and perceived as more physically aggressive than women are, perpetrator sex is confounded with masculinity and the ability to arouse fear in the victim. This study disentangled the construct of gender in understanding bystanders’ attributions of blame in IPV. Participants ( N = 639) read a scenario in which the perpetrator’s sex (male/female) and gender identity (masculine/feminine), and the victim’s sex (male/female) were manipulated and rated how much they blamed the perpetrator and the perpetrator’s ability to arouse fear of injury in the victim. Results showed that male perpetrators (regardless of gender identity) who assaulted a female victim were attributed the most blame and were perceived as having the greatest ability to arouse victim fear. In contrast, feminine female perpetrators were attributed the least blame and perceived as arousing the least victim fear regardless of the victim’s gender. Furthermore, controlling for the perpetrator’s ability to arouse fear in the victim resulted in the elimination of the interaction effects for blame. This finding suggests that perpetrators’ ability to arouse fear is an underlying factor in bystanders’ attributions of blame.