From Distractor to Intrusive Thought

It has been noted that obsessional patients appear to be equally sensitive to ideas regarding the possibility that they may cause harm by both their actions and by their failure to act (i.e., omission). This observation is discrepant with findings in non-clinical populations. The cognitive theory of obsessive-compulsive disorder suggests that it is the very occurrence of intrusive thoughts about potential harm that mediates this effect. In this study, 22 obsessional patients and 30 non-clinical participants were provided with details of ambiguous situations and either a negative or neutral intrusive thought pertaining to this situation. Behavioural and emotional responses to these situations were rated using self-reported measures. It was found that situations including an intrusive thought about harm were associated with higher intensity behavioural and emotional responses compared with the same situation when the intrusion was neutral. Obsessional participants scored higher overall; only on the rating of perceived responsibility was there an interaction between group and item type. These results are consistent with the idea that the occurrence of an intrusion about harm modifies both obsessional and non-clinical participants' reactions in ways that suggest obsessionality, and support cognitive theories that emphasize that obsessional experiences arise from normal processes.

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Cognitive Therapy for OCD – Beyond ERP

Bengal Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.51332/bjp.2016.v21.i2.25 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 23-26

Author(s):

Bidita Bhattacharya

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Cognitive Processes ◽

Behavioural Therapy ◽

Intrusive Thought ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Detailed Understanding ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Cognitive Behavioural ◽

The Difference ◽

Obsessional Thought

Delivering cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) for obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) requires a detailed understanding of the phenomenology and the mechanism by which specific cognitive processes and behaviours maintain the symptoms of the disorder. A cognitive–behavioural model of OCD begins with the observation that intrusive thoughts, doubts or images are almost universal in the general population and their content is indistinguishable from that of clinical obsessions(1). The difference between a normal intrusive thought and an obsessional thought lies both in the meaning that individuals with OCD attach to the occurrence or content of the intrusions and in their response to the thought or image.

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Excessive Need for Thought Control, Cognitive Self-Consciousness, and Obsessions: The Mediational Role of Intrusive-Thought-Focused Coping Strategies

The Korean Journal of Clinical Psychology ◽

10.15842/kjcp.2008.27.4.001 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 789-804

Author(s):

이서정 ◽

Kyung-Ja Oh

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Intrusive Thought ◽

Thought Control ◽

Mediational Role

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Attention Training in the Reduction and Reappraisal of Intrusive Thoughts

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy ◽

10.1017/s1352465807003773 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 61-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Chris Watson ◽

Christine Purdon

Keyword(s):

Intrusive Thoughts ◽

Auditory Attention ◽

Attention Training ◽

Intrusive Thought ◽

Stream Of Consciousness ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms ◽

Processing Characteristic ◽

Perceived Success ◽

To Receive

AbstractAttention Training (ATT) is an auditory attention-focusing technique that attempts to reduce the perseverative self-focused processing characteristic of anxiety and mood disorders. The present study investigated the effects of one session of ATT in the reduction and reappraisal of intrusive thoughts in a university sample reporting high levels of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. One-hundred and eight participants identified their most distressing intrusive thought and spent 7 minutes monitoring their stream of consciousness while recording occurrences of the identified thought. They then rated the unpleasantness of the intrusive thought, their attempts to dismiss the thought from consciousness, and their perceived success in reducing the frequency of the thought. Participants were then randomly assigned to receive one session of ATT, thought replacement instructions (TR), distraction instructions (DI), or no intervention (CONT). Participants then repeated the thought monitoring interval and ratings. ATT was expected to be the most effective in decreasing the frequency and unpleasantness of intrusive thoughts. However, contrary to hypotheses, all groups reported similar decreases across intervals. Implications of these findings are discussed.

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WHY ARE CERTAIN INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS MORE UPSETTING THAN OTHERS?

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy ◽

10.1017/s1352465803001024 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

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.

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