In my last post, I identified several idiosyncratic feared outcomes in OCD that are associated with contamination/health-related obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Obsessions are intrusive, recurrent, and distressing thoughts, impulses, or images related to these feared outcomes. Today, I’ll discuss the function of compulsions.
Why do people with OCD do rituals?
Compulsions, or rituals, are the … (read more)
In my last post, I identified several types of obsessions that are associated with contamination/health-related obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). These include the fear of:
- Germs and getting sick.
- Making others sick.
- Developing an incurable illness in the future.
- Experiencing extreme and uncontrollable disgust or distress.
- Other unwanted negative outcomes related to the spread of germs, contaminants,
What are common obsessions in contamination/disease/illness/health-focused OCD?
OCD: Fear of Getting Sick
Contamination- or health-related OCD is associated with persistent worries about one’s health or the health of loved ones. Common obsessions in contamination-related OCD include the fear of getting sick with a serious illness like rabies, ebola, H1N1 (swine flu), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow … (read more)
Question: I’m a teenager and keep having OCD symptoms related to impulse control. I often worry that I’ll lose control and scream or blurt out obscenities. I am especially triggered in quiet public places like classrooms, churches, and movie theaters. I have never actually acted on my impulses and cursed in public, but I still … (read more)
Anxiety Principle of the Day: Non-Avoidance is not equivalent to exposure.
Although exposure is predicated upon the purposeful non-avoidance of anxiety-related stimuli, non-avoidance of anxiety triggers is not equivalent to exposure.
What is non-avoidance?
I liken non-avoidance to being in a particular place at a particular time. Essentially, it involves being in a situation in … (read more)
Question: I know about ERP, and I understand that OCD symptoms can be reduced by resisting rituals and then habituating to the anxiety brought on by obsessive thoughts. However…what if an obsessional thought requires no ritual? Confused!
Great question. I think that in all cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), there is some type of ongoing … (read more)
Many people have an incomplete understanding of exposure therapy…
…be it exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD, intentional mistake practice for social anxiety, or interoceptive exposures for panic disorder…
This is true for exposure newbies, seasoned exposure veterans, and even some good CBT therapists.
This limited understanding is based on the following flawed … (read more)
Reader Question: For the past year, I have been dealing with OCD-related sensorimotor obsessions focused on swallowing. My symptoms started during a class discussion in which I noticed myself swallow. Since then, whenever I am in a lecture or quiet place surrounded by people, I become deeply focused on my own swallowing and worry that … (read more)
OCD Support Groups – Palm Beach Gardens|Jupiter|West Palm Beach|Florida
Attention all South Florida residents with OCD in Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, Juno, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Delray Beach, Pompano Beach, Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, Greenacres, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale.
I am pleased to announce that … (read more)
This post is the last in a series of posts discussing body-focused obsessions and compulsions (aka, sensorimotor, somatosensory, or somatic obsessions and compulsions) in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This series was inspired by an original article written by Dr. David Keuler for OCDchicago.org. You can access Dr. Keuler’s excellent article here.
