Some report thoughts of hitting pedestrians, ramming their cars into bridge abutments on the highway, or steering into the path of oncoming traffic. The urges they experience may involve pushing or throwing themselves or others into the paths of trains or cars, out of windows, or off balconies, buildings, or other high places. They may envision themselves using sharp or pointed objects such as knives, forks, scissors, pencils, pens, broken bottles, letter openers, ice picks, power tools, poison, their bare hand’s, or even their cars. These can include those in which people see themselves hitting, stabbing, strangling, mutilating, or otherwise injuring their children family members, stranger’s pets, or even themselves. Violent thoughts may involve both mental images and impulses to act.

I include thoughts of acting out sexually in this category as they really represent a form of violence and have little to do with sex. This is particularly true of those obsessions in this category that are violent in nature and include thoughts of killing or injuring others or oneself, or of acting sexually in ways that are against society’s norms. While all forms of OCD can be painful, paralyzing, repulsive, and debilitating one of the nastier and more startling is the type known as morbid obsessions. These would include intrusive unpleasant thoughts, unceasing doubt, guilt fears of being insane, and crushing anxiety. There are dozens of categories of different obsessions and compulsions that make up the disorder known as OCD, and while these cover a wide range of differing themes, they all share many characteristics in common. This article was initially published in the Summer 2004 edition of the OCD Newsletter. How I Treat OCD Killer Thoughts: Treating Violent Obsessions

Intrusive thoughts ocd