WHY ARE CERTAIN INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS MORE UPSETTING THAN OTHERS?

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Rowa ◽  
Christine Purdon
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Intrusive Thoughts ◽  
Intrusive Thought ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Value System ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Self Consistent

Recent cognitive behavioural models of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) suggest that the misinterpretation of the meaning of intrusive thoughts plays a pivotal role in the escalation of these thoughts to clinical obsessions, but less attention has been paid to why only certain intrusive thoughts become the focus of these misappraisals. Theoretical speculation suggests that thoughts that have relevance for an individual's value system or sense of self may be particularly salient and upsetting for people. The role of thought appraisal and contradiction of valued aspects of self were examined in a nonclinical population. It was hypothesized that participants reporting on upsetting intrusive thoughts would appraise these thoughts negatively and would report that these thoughts contradict important aspects of self to a greater degree than participants reporting on less upsetting intrusive thoughts. Participants (N = 64) were randomly assigned to report on either the most or least upsetting intrusive thought they had experienced. They completed questionnaires on appraisals of these thoughts, valued aspects of self, and contradiction of self. Consistent with predictions, participants reporting on more upsetting thoughts appraised these thoughts in a more negative manner and reported that these thoughts contradicted valued aspects of self to a greater degree than participants in the least upsetting thought group. These results support Salkovskis' (1985) and Rachman's (1997, 1998) cognitive behavioural models of OCD, and suggest that the degree of contradiction of self may help us understand why some obsessional thoughts are much more upsetting than others.

scholarly journals Effects of rumination on unwanted intrusive thoughts: A replication and extension

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 204380872091258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Kollárik ◽  
Marcel van den Hout ◽  
Carlotta V. Heinzel ◽  
Patrizia D. Hofer ◽  
Roselind Lieb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Intrusive Thoughts ◽  
Intrusive Thought ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Car Accident ◽  
Previous Experimental Study

Studies indicate that rumination might play a role in obsessive–compulsive disorder. In a previous experimental study, rumination about an unwanted intrusive thought (UIT) maintained the urge to neutralize this thought. We sought to replicate and extend these findings with measures of behavioral and mental neutralizing. Additionally, we investigated possible mechanisms that might be involved in the effects of rumination on the UIT. We activated a UIT by asking students ( N = 105) to write down a sentence stating that they wished a loved person would die in a car accident. Participants were randomly allocated to rumination about the UIT, rumination about negative mood, or distraction. As predicted, rumination about the UIT maintained the urge to neutralize the UIT, relative to rumination about negative mood and distraction. In addition, rumination about the UIT also maintained distress associated with the UIT compared to rumination about negative mood and distraction. The effects of rumination did not extend to behavioral or mental neutralizing. UIT frequency and vividness were unaffected by rumination. The present findings strengthen the confidence that rumination contributes to the maintenance of UITs.

Pupil with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-25
Author(s):  
Karolina Diallo
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
School Performance ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Detrimental Effect ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The Past ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact

Pupil with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Over the past twenty years childhood OCD has received more attention than any other anxiety disorder that occurs in the childhood. The increasing interest and research in this area have led to increasing number of diagnoses of OCD in children and adolescents, which affects both specialists and teachers. Depending on the severity of symptoms OCD has a detrimental effect upon child's school performance, which can lead almost to the impossibility to concentrate on school and associated duties. This article is devoted to the obsessive-compulsive disorder and its specifics in children, focusing on the impact of this disorder on behaviour, experience and performance of the child in the school environment. It mentions how important is the role of the teacher in whose class the pupil with this diagnosis is and it points out that it is necessary to increase teachers' competence to identify children with OCD symptoms, to take the disease into the account, to adapt the course of teaching and to introduce such measures that could help children reduce the anxiety and maintain (or increase) the school performance within and in accordance with the school regulations and curriculum.

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