Knowra Obsessions Obsessions Obsessions are recurrent, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that cause distress and are difficult to dismiss. They are a defining feature of obsessive-compulsive disorder, though intrusive thoughts can occur without that diagnosis.
Thought suppression : The deliberate attempt to prevent or eliminate particular thoughts. Attempts to suppress an obsession can make it return more readily.
Intrusive thought : An unwanted thought, image, or impulse that enters awareness without deliberate intention. Obsessions are persistent, distressing forms of intrusive mental experience.
Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale : A clinician-rated scale measuring the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. It assesses time, distress, interference, resistance, and control associated with obsessions.
Contamination OCD : An obsessive-compulsive disorder presentation involving contamination fears and related rituals or avoidance. Contamination fears are a familiar example of obsessional content.
Delusion : A fixed false belief that persists despite strong contrary evidence and is not explained by cultural context. Obsessions are typically experienced as intrusive thoughts, not fixed beliefs accepted as true.
Thought-action fusion : The belief that thinking about an action makes it more likely or morally equivalent to performing it. This appraisal can make an intrusive thought feel dangerous or blameworthy.
Rumination : Repetitive thinking that dwells on distress, its causes, or its consequences. Rumination can accompany obsessions but may focus on analyzing rather than neutralizing them.
Cognitive behavioral therapy : A structured psychotherapy that targets patterns of thinking and behavior linked to distress. It provides the broader therapeutic framework for treating obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
Harm OCD : An obsessive-compulsive disorder presentation involving intrusive fears of causing harm. Unwanted violent thoughts can be mistaken for evidence of dangerous intent.
Hallucination : A perception-like experience occurring without an external stimulus. Obsessions are thoughts, images, or urges rather than perceptions attributed to an external source.
Show all 27