Throwing Away Knives
Most of us are familiar with phrases like “I’m so OCD” or “I’m OCD about that.” We know what “being OCD” implies—someone is very, very particular about the need for order or cleanliness in some area of life. When speaking of real OCD—Obsessive Compulsive Disorder— images of repetitive hand washing or meticulous arrangement of knick knacks come to mind.
Casual usage distorts what this confounding mental disorder really entails. While its common themes do include visibly precise arrangements and hygiene, its less visible form darkens the inner world of secret sufferers. This so-called “pure” variant assaults perfectly sane people with macabre fears or shocking, repulsive thoughts that they might be or do the very things they fear.
Most people dismiss fleeting, weird thoughts as brain blips, nothing to take seriously; but for OCD victims, these thoughts spur a non-stop cycle of examination and compulsions—efforts to make sure that the thoughts aren’t real threats. A heterosexual man may suddenly wonder if he’s gay; a Muslim woman might obsess over committing blasphemy; a mother may have unwanted thoughts of harming her children.
The key features of OCD is the unwanted, bothersome nature of the thoughts and the contrast between them and the sufferer’s real beliefs and desires. A person with OCD does not comport with their aberrant thoughts. This mismatch is frightening, and the emotions they generate can be disabling.
Getting rid of repugnant thoughts prompts a never-ending search for certainty. You just want to make sure you wouldn’t really ever do or be that horrible thing. The revolting idea of being a murderer, molester, addict, freak or blasphemer sends conscience-stricken victims into a panic. With OCD, you are compelled to find convincing assurance that these sick pathologies and dangers will never visit you.
But all efforts at certainty are in vain; No matter what articles, books, or trusted friends say, OCD doubts it. It screams of danger and demands immediate attention all day. Under the spell of its alarms, you take pains to avoid the offensive thought and the crippling fears it produces. That means avoiding every place, person or object that triggers it—but avoidance only reinforces the fear.
In the worl
Article from LewRockwell
