Negative thoughts and unpleasant images fall into three categories: inappropriate aggressive thoughts, inappropriate sexual thoughts, or blasphemous religious thoughts. People at one time or another in their lives have entertained these kinds of thoughts. When associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or depression, they may become paralyed, anxious and persistent.

• Description

Many people have previously entertained bad or unwanted thoughts. For most of them bad thoughts are a “fleeting annoyance”. London psychologist Stanley Rachman conducted a survey of healthy college kids and all respondents said they would entertain bad thoughts once in a while which include obscene sexual acts, sexual violence, blasphemous or obscene images, unnatural sex acts, violence aagainst animals or children and impulsive behavior.

When you entertain intrusive thoughts and these thoughts are mixed with the obsessive compulsive attitude, patients are not able to recognize the unpleasant thoughts. The thoughts can convert to obsessions which are severe, persistent and debilitating. These intrusive thoughts when combined with obsession-compulsion may cause anxiety and other unpleasant behavior.

How Each person’s reaction to unpleasant thoughts will determine whether these thoughts will turn into obsessions, will become severe of may require treatment. Lee Baer, a specialist in OCD at the Massachusetts General Hospital said that, stifling those unpleasant thoughts only makes them stronger. A step in overcoming them is to acknowledge that it does not make you evil even if you entertain bad thoughts. Studies show that patients who were asked to suppress their emotions felt more stressed and depressed after the experiment.

OCD used to be known as “the doubting sickness; the “pathological doubt” that accompanies OCD can make it harder for a person with People who are obsessive-compulsive cannot distinguish “normal” intrusive thoughts making them suffer quietly, ashamed about their illness because people might think they are crazy.

Patients who suffer from embarrassment, anxiety and guilt are different from those who actually act their bad thoughts. Violent criminals are those who do not feel guilty or remorseful. Baer further states that a patient should be aware that unpleasant thoughts can be dangerous if he is not affected by those thoughts.

• Depression

People who are in state of depression constantly entertain bad thoughts making them feel worthless and sinful. The depressed patient’s suicidal thoughts must be differentiated from unpleasant thoughts, because suicidal thoughts can be dangerous unlike sexual aggressiveness or blasphemous religious thoughts.