Pathological Doubt

Distinguishing Obsession from Other Thinking

Normal thinking :
· arises in the mind in a transitory manner
· changes according to the task in progress
· is associated with a variety of emotions
· elicits voluntary, considered reactions.

Obsession :

•  arises in the mind and stays there against one’s will
• does not naturally change according to the task in progress
• is associated with a state of anxiety
• provokes a strong, spontaneous reaction such as fear or disgust
• causes a need to take immediate action to prevent a particular outcome
• goes against one’s personal values or beliefs
• leads one to perform rituals.

Examples :

• Here is an example of normal thinking :
  
  When you leave the house, you think to take your keys with you as you go out, and you lock the door when you shut it. As you go down the stairs, you think about the fact that it’s time you repainted them.
  
  Here is an example of obsessive thinking in the same situation:
  
  After leaving the house and locking the door behind you, a thought occurs: perhaps you didn’t lock your door properly.
  After that, you think, “If it isn’t locked properly, I could be robbed...”
  Then you think about the fact that if you are robbed, it will be your fault. That would be awful!
  So you turn around and go back to check if the door is locked properly.
  
  
• Here’s another example of normal thinking :
  
  You’re putting away your son’s toys. You hear the kettle whistling and head to the kitchen, thinking about what kind of tea you’re going to make. You turn off the heat under the kettle.
  
  Here is what obsessive thinking might be like in the same situation:
  
  You’re getting ready to go to bed. You’ve been sipping your herbal tea for 15 minutes. You wonder if you turned off the heat under the kettle. After checking that the heat is turned off properly, you take care of putting away your son’s toys.
  
  You think about the stove again, because if you didn’t really turn it off, a fire could start during the night and your son could be burned alive in his bed.
  
  You stop putting away the toys and go back to the kitchen to check that the stove is really turned off.

Anxiety :

• is related to the future
• is based on feasible possibilities
• develops over time
• leads one to seek solutions.