The Four Types of OCD - Part 4b - Intrusive Thought OCD
I hope you all had a good week and, if you live in Oregon (where I live) it’s nice to finally be getting some sunshine! Another friendly reminder about the International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation (IOCDF) annual conference this summer in Seattle. It’s on the West Coast this year so for those of us who live in the West, it’s much more convenient and affordable. If you or someone you care about has OCD this is a great conference to attend. Unlike some other conferences this one welcomes everyone and when my clients in the past have attended they have always found it helpful.
The Four Types of OCD - Part 4b - Intrusive Thoughts
This is the second part of my writing about Intrusive Thought OCD (here is the link to the first part). In this post I want to address an important question about intrusive harming and sexual thoughts that so often plague my clients. While, as I said in the first part of this two part post, none of my clients in 35 years of practice have ever acted on their thoughts, sadly we all know that in this world there are people who actually have acted on their thoughts and done the very things my clients fear they might do. How are you to know if you are at risk of acting on your thoughts?
In Part 4a of this two-part post I mentioned a book called The Imp of the Mind: Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts by Lee Baer and in Chapter 3 of that book I think he gives the best explanation I’ve seen so far of how to answer this question. Chapter 3 is entitled “How Can I Be Certain They’re Just Thoughts?” and if you’re concerned I’d strongly recommend reading , not only Chapter 3, but the entire book. At the end of Chapter 3 (pp.43-44) he summarizes his four major points under the heading “When Bad Thoughts Are Dangerous” and states: “Below are situations in which you should be concerned about your bad thoughts and seek professional treatment as soon as possible.”
“If you do not feel upset by the thoughts but instead find them pleasurable.” My clients with this type of OCD are horrified by their thoughts and never find them pleasurable at all. They ask themselves questions like “What’s wrong with me that I have thoughts like this?”, “How can I stop having these thoughts?”, “Oh no, what if I really do like these thoughts?”, etc. As Dr Baer says, “If...you do not feel guilty or distress due to your bad thoughts, you should talk to a mental health professional about your thoughts to make sure that you won’t one day act on them”.
“If you have ever acted on violent or sexual thoughts or urges in the past - either while sober or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.” None of my clients have ever acted on their thoughts/urges in the past, but, of course there are people who have acted on their thoughts/urges and if that is you, then seek help. Some people have impulse control issues and have a hard time controlling themselves.
“If you hear voices, think people are against you, or see things that others do not see.'' In the midst of a psychotic episode people fail to perceive reality correctly and if this is you then seek help. There are medications that can be very helpful for conditions like this.
“If you feel uncontrollable anger and find it hard to resist urges to act on your aggressive impulses.” There are people who have a hard time controlling their anger and, if this describes you then you should seek help.
I want to make it very clear that the vast majority of people who have this type of OCD are not the type of people who would ever act on their intrusive thoughts and are simply terrified that they might. I will talk more about the issue of doubt/uncertainty and how this maddening/frustrating aspect of OCD makes it difficult, if not impossible, for my Intrusive Thought clients to feel certain they won’t act on their thoughts, but a further discussion of this issue will have to wait for a future blog post.
These posts are intended to provide education about OCD only and are not intended as a substitute for treatment by a qualified professional. If you find yourself plagued by any form of OCD, I strongly recommend you seek the help of a qualified professional. If you are having trouble finding a therapist with whom you can work, I wrote a short ebook on how to find a therapist to treat your anxiety disorder, which you might find helpful.
Some of the above links are affiliate links and so if you click on any of the links and make a purchase from Amazon, I may receive a small portion of the price you pay. You will not be charged anything extra from Amazon.
I hope you find this post useful and let me know if you have any questions.
Best,
DrBob