Mental Health OCD & Suicidal Obsessions
OCD related to fears of severe mental illness, insanity, or suicidal ideation
Mental Health OCD
At the risk of stating the obvious, mental illness isn’t typically depicted accurately in popular culture. Portrayals of serious mental disorders are often inaccurate, oversimplified, and exaggerated. At worst, mental illness (and its sufferers) are treated as something to be terrified of. (See A Beautiful Mind or Split)
As a result of this media, many of us are needlessly frightened of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, mood disorders like bipolar disorder, or dissociative disorders such as dissociative identity disorder. This of course contributes to further stigmatization and creates treatment barriers for those suffering from these conditions.
However, for some individuals, fears of developing or having a serious mental illness can escalate into a never ending cycle of obsessive worry and compulsive reassurance seeking. They may be terrorized by endless thoughts about whether or not they have a serious psychiatric condition. Or they may agonize over whether certain thoughts, feelings, or sensory experiences are symptoms of a developing condition.
Being in a good mood and worrying “Am I about to have a manic episode?”
Making an impulsive decision and worrying “Am I manic right now?”
Feeling in a low mood and worrying “Am I developing depression?”
Worry that you may be delusional
Feeling socially anxious and worrying “Are these negative symptoms of schizophrenia?”
Experiencing transient hallucinations (often during the onset of sleep) and thinking “Am I psychotic?”
Having trouble remembering certain aspects of one’s childhood and thinking “Was I traumatized so badly that I repressed it and now have Dissociate Identity Disorder?”
Feeling a shift in emotions and thinking
“What if I just switched to one of my alters?”
“What if I become so depressed that I kill myself?”
“What if I lose control and impulsively harm myself?”
“What if I am more depressed than I realize, and I’m too numb to tell?”
Suicidal OCD
While some individuals with Mental Health OCD might fear depression itself, some might fear the possibility that they will try to complete suicide, while others struggle with both of these themes simultaneous (i.e. fearing depression because it might “ruin” your life AND because it “could” lead to suicide).
For individuals whose primary theme is suicidality, the term Suicidal OCD (or S-OCD) is often used. To be clear, the term Suicide OCD does NOT mean that someone has OCD and is suicidal; rather, it refers to individuals with OCD whose obsessions center around a fear of suicide.
What’s particularly troublesome about this specific theme is that sufferers often go “looking” for positive emotions to disconfirm their fears. The problem here is that feelings are shy, and when we go looking for them, they seldom turn up. (If you don’t understand what I mean, try to “make” yourself happy right now)
Ready to start?
I offer specialized treatment for Mental Health OCD, suicide-related obsessions, and other Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) presentations both in-person in Lake Charles, Louisiana, as well as online throughout Louisiana. Reach out now to schedule a free consultation.