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Understanding Intrusive Thoughts
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David Carbonell, Ph.D.
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Apr 30, 2007 06:04 PDT
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THE ANXIETY COACH®
Helping People Thrive in an Anxious World
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Volume 8, Issue 4
IN THIS ISSUE
Dr. Carbonell writes about intrusive thoughts that people
experience of harming others, and how the publicity that
accompanies notorious crimes, such as the recent shootings
at Virginia Tech, often aggravates people's concerns.
CONSUMER ADVISORY: this article mentions specific examples
of such thoughts. If you do not want to be exposed to
such examples, read no further.
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INDEX
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1. Dave's Note
2. Understanding Intrusive Thoughts
3. About The Anxiety Coach®
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Dave's Note
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April 30, 2007
Dear Reader,
This month's article is about intrusive thoughts of murder and
mayhem. People who experience these kind of obsessive thoughts
will generally need to confront them as part of the recovery
process. However, some people feel so traumatized by these
thoughts that they do not wish to hear about them.
If this is your position, simply delete this issue, and I'll
see you next month.
If you're a professional therapist looking for training in the
treatment of anxiety disorders, you may be interested in my
upcoming workshop schedule. To see this schedule, visit:
http://www.anxietycoach.com/lectures.htm
And if you're looking to purchase a copy of my self help
book, Panic Attacks Workbook, you will find it at this link:
http://www.anxietycoach.com/book.htm
See you next month!
Dave Carbonell
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Understanding Intrusive Thoughts
by David A. Carbonell, Ph.D.
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In the weeks since the shootings at Virginia Tech, many people
have called and come to my office, afraid of their thoughts.
They read the stories about this terrible event and they
wonder "What if I did that? What prevents me from snapping
and committing horrible acts like that?"
The same thing happened after other terrible crimes, such
as the Columbine murders, the Jeffrey Dahmer murders, and
the Susan Smith murders, among others.
Hearing about such real-life tragedies is especially difficult
for people who have already been struggling with unwanted,
ugly thoughts of murder and mayhem. These are people whose
fearful imagination imposes horrible thoughts on them - about
tossing babies out windows, driving into oncoming traffic or
off bridges, running over pedestrians, stabbing loved ones,
and more, each thought more foul and upsetting than the last.
It's a terrible thing when people experience these kinds of
thoughts, because they often feel so scared and ashamed that
they can't bring themselves to confide in anyone about the
awful thoughts they're experiencing. They struggle and worry
with only brief periods of relief.
So I'm going to write about this now, while it's fresh on
people's minds, to offer some help to those who live in dread
of these thoughts, and just don't understand them.
These kinds of thoughts are called obsesssions, and are
surprisingly common. For instance, surveys suggest that 40%
of depressed women with children under the age of three have
thoughts of harming their children. For women who are not
depressed, the figure is 7%, still rather high. Overall, it
is believed that at least 1% of the population in the U.S.
experiences horrific obsessions and becomes very upset and
troubled by them - that's nearly 3 million Americans.
Studies also suggest that millions more experience the same
kinds of thoughts, but are able to dismiss them as nonsense,
rather than become preoccupied with them.
Obsessive thoughts are persistent, intrusive "what if?"
thoughts about terrible events which the individual doesn't
want to happen. When a person who experiences these thoughts
reads about some brutal, inexplicable crime, they tend to
assume that the killers were people with thoughts like
theirs, who just "snapped" one day and went on a murderous
spree. And they worry that they might do the same.
For people who become fearful of such thoughts, it's common
for them to take all kinds of "protective" measures. For
instance, fearful parents will often avoid solo contact with
their child. People with obsessions about harming others
will avoid knives and sharp objects. People who fear
running over a pedestrian will circle the same block, again
and again, trying to satisfy themselves that nothing happened.
People who suffer with these thoughts often think that the
solution is for them to somehow become perfectly certain that
they will never commit such crimes. This isn't the solution
because it's impossible to become certain about future,
hypothetical events. You can be "pretty sure" about a lot of
things, but feeling absolutely sure about the future is just
not possible. And when these efforts to be sure fail, as
they must, the person usually feels more afraid.
How can you tell the difference between harmless (however
upsetting) obsessive thoughts, and thoughts which predict
dangerous behavior? Here's how I do it.
When I discuss obsessive thoughts with a client, I take any
of the following four signs to be a sign of potential danger.
1.If a person is not upset by the thoughts, but regards them
as okay, or even enjoyable.
2.If a person has a history of actual violent acts against
people or animals.
3.If a person sees and hears things which are not actually
present, and seems unable to tell the difference between
fantasy and reality.
4.If a person feels, not fear, but strong anger accompanying
these thoughts.
On the other hand, if I'm working with a person who experiences
these awful "what if?" thoughts and who doesn't meet any of
these four criteria, I'm generally satisfied that the problem
is obsessive, not criminal or psychotic.
If this helps you see that obsessive thoughts are your problem,
then your next step might be to consult with a psychologist who
has expertise in treating obsessive thoughts. A good place to
find one is the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, at:
http://www.ocfoundation.org/.
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THE ANXIETY COACH®
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The Anxiety Coach® is a publication of the Anxiety
Treatment Center, Ltd. The Center is a small group of
clinical psychologists who specialize in the treatment of
anxiety problems. The Center has offices in Chicago and
several nearby suburbs.
Dr. Carbonell, a licensed psychologist, is the founder and
director of the Anxiety Treatment Center.
The information contained in this publication is not a
substitute for consultation with healthcare professionals.
Each individual's health concerns should be evaluated by a
qualified professional.
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SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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To unsubscribe, follow the link at the very end of this issue.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
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David A. Carbonell, Ph.D.
Anxiety Treatment Center, Ltd.
E-mail: dcarb-@anxietycoach.com
Web: http://www.anxietycoach.com
5105 Tollview Drive, Suite 103
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
847.481.5251
© 2007, Anxiety Treatment Center, Ltd.
All rights reserved.
Anxiety Coach® is a registered mark of Anxiety Treatment
Center, Ltd.
Distribution Rights: The above material is copyrighted,
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may not copy it to a web site without prior permission.
Reprint permission will be freely granted, upon request,
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