The Imp of the Mind: Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts

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Examine these and similar actions as we will, we shall find them resulting solely from the spirit of the Perverse. We perpetrate them merely because we feel that we should not. Beyond or behind this, there is no intelligible principle ... The difficulty for me, I told him, was that because of the rules of the study, I was not allowed to give anyone instructions about using behavior therapy for their symptoms (since behavior therapy is a highly effective treatment for obsessions and compulsions and could invalidate the results of the drug trial). However, I felt obliged to at least tell him that his understanding of the basic principles of behavior therapy were correct—although I could not give him any specific help in using these techniques while the study was going on. The Imp of the Perverse will try to torment you with thoughts of whatever it is you consider to be the most inappropriate or awful thing that you could do. It also shows that most people are to afraid to speak up about this. No mother wants to admit to having thoughts of killing her child, no boyfriend wants to admit to having thoughts of stabbing his girlfriend so unfortunately they live a life of trying to repress these thoughts, thinking they are evil people that will one day snap and commit these atrocious acts.

The Imp of the Mind: Exploring the Silent Epidemic of O… The Imp of the Mind: Exploring the Silent Epidemic of O…

The book covers the nature of the disease, illustrated with case histories, the type of people most likely to suffer from it and the main treatments, both drug and non-drug based. As you get to around half way this book switches gears and shows proven methods of how to "cure" yourself of these obsessive thoughts. It puts the solution into simple to understand means, things that when you read you think to yourself, "wow this makes sense, is that all there there is to it". Of course as this book points out, actually doing these steps to manage these thoughts can be more difficult that simply knowing or reading how to do it. Thankfully and encouragingly it does also show show examples of patients who have been "cured" of these obsessive thoughts by the methods prescribed in this book.

Most people who are thinking about committing suicide, know that they want to commit suicide on some level. In other words, it is THEIR IDEA. At that point in my illness I was devouring every bit of vaguely “OCD” media I could find: documentaries, news reports, reality TV, celebrity interviews, standup comedy, even specials about psych wards in general – anything that gave me some insight into the humanity of a person with mental illness. For some people, the way they react to the Imp of the Perverse can determine whether their bad thoughts will reach clinical severity, requiring treatment. More often than not, the OCD sufferer is seen as quirky and oh-so-endearing, not dissimilar to a dim pet that you look on lovingly but pityingly. Usually, their function in the story is funny and silly and, most importantly, their illness is something they want to do, rather than something they would do anything to get rid of.

The Imp of the Mind : Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD The Imp of the Mind : Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD

In 2019, the UK Channel 4’s comedy series Pure gave first-person insight into someone with extreme obsessional fears – not about germs or neatness, but sex. The importance of this landmark show to someone with invisible OCD can’t be overstated. Pure was the first time I’d seen OCD represented correctly on screen, maybe ever. It will have changed people’s lives. This book delves into the Imp of the Mind, that thing that makes people think of the worst possible thing they could do. Similar to driving down the road and having that intrusive thought of driving your car into incoming traffic. Most people who think that can think, "wow, that's a bit of a crazy thought", then just go on with their day. Others, especially those suffering from other mental issues put a lot of value or weight on this thought and start to obsess about it. And as this book teaches through examples, these thoughts don't define us. They are simply just a bad thought but the more you obsess about it, the more you try to repress the thought the more powerful the thought becomes.I have not read the book, but almost any reason that brings someone to admit to having suicidal thoughts is going to yield the response, "get help immediately". Even if suicidal intrusive OCD thoughts are like most other OCD thoughts (irrational), most responses are still going to be "get help immediately". Apparently, the Imp of the Perverse visits every one of us from time to time, with two possible outcomes: (1) We give the thoughts little attention and no credence and go on with our lives, or (2) we are strongly affected by the bad thoughts, so that the thoughts occur frequently during the day and interfere with our functioning socially or at work.

The Imp of the Mind by Lee Baer: 9780452283077

Before reading this book I simply thought that the problem of obsessive thoughts was merely a symptom of anxiety issues (I've dealt with anxiety problems and didn't realize it could be the core of the problem) and not the issue itself. But now that this has been brought to light, it makes perfect sense. Thoughts can be scary. It explored the fact that all people have these thoughts and while the majority of people can just let the thoughts pass and not worry about it, some people can not. These people usually spurned on OCD or postpartum depression, to PTSD and so on can latch onto these thoughts and obsess over them, thinking they are evil people. An early reference to something resembling the Imp of the Perverse (i.e., the human curiosity and inability to stop thinking about the very thing we are told not to do) is the Greek myth of Pandora: In bestowing their gifts on Pandora, the gods of Olympus gave her a box, warning her never to open it. But, inevitably, Pandora's curiosity finally overcame her, and she opened the mysterious box, from which flew innumerable plagues and sorrows for humankind. In terror, she tried to shut the box, but only Hope remained inside to comfort humanity against its new misfortunes.Sadly, many of my patients, when they first experience violent, sexual, or blasphemous bad thoughts, believe that there is deep down in them—like the ruthless Mr. Hyde living deep within Dr. Jekyll and waiting to be unbound—an evil murderer or molester, their "true" self, whose appearance is heralded by the appearance of the bad thoughts. For my patients who come to this conclusion, thought suppression seems to them the only logical If you have or suspect you have OCD, especially if it is primarily obsessional, this book may give you a lot of comfort and is a must read. The first part of the book is devoted to The Problem of Bad Thoughts. Recognizing the subjective isolation that almost everyone with disturbing thoughts feels, the author makes liberal use of case examples to convey the essential message that the reader who may be having disturbing thoughts and impulses is not unique. He parallels this with the admonition that individuals should not fear to seek help or even to attempt self-help because a great deal is understood about their condition and it is eminently treatable. This simple exposition in itself should go a long way toward motivating the concerned reader to stop trying (futilely) to suppress such thoughts, thereby exacerbating his or her subjective distress. Also included are guides for seeking help and importantly, in my opinion, for administering self-help. The presentation is direct and straight forward.

The Imp of the Mind - Google Books

So my question is: When she says get immediate help, does the author say so because she thinks that suicidal ideation can eventually lead to homicidal ideation? That's my fear here. Or does she say so because of those with suicidal intrusive thoughts? Overall, the text does a very well job normalizing intrusive thoughts. I appreciated the historical references made of past historical notes made referencing OCD thoughts and stories of modern day cultural icons that may have also experienced difficulties with obsessive symptoms. These are some quotes used by Baer from near the book's opening that set the stage for this deeply compassionate and insightful view by this excellent OCD psychologist. He confides to us that everything went well for several years after that: his crime had not been discovered, and he had, to all intents and purposes, got away with it. Indeed, he becomes convinced he’s invincible and his guilt will never be found out.

Some TV shows and films have dabbled in OCD storylines over the years, to varying degrees of prominence and accuracy. These range from the surprisingly good (Michael J Fox in Scrubs), to the unsurprisingly bad (Monk), to the questionable (Hoarders), to the totally fictional and outright saccharine (As Good As It Gets). As a research psychiatrist I found reviewing this book to be both enjoyable and challenging. The author makes effective use of what I presume to be literary techniques to demystify his subject. His anthropomorphic title, The Imp of the Mind, drawing on Poe’s “The Imp of the Perverse” (1850), conjures a dynamic homunculus residing in the brain (the orbital frontal cortex?), biding its time until a moment of frontal lobe vulnerability and then mercilessly disrupting executive function. Literary license notwithstanding, to many people it certainly feels like this is happening. Its occurrence in epidemic proportions (the subtitle of the book is Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts) is perhaps hyperbole, but undoubtedly attractive to the potential reader. Baer's look at obsessive bad thoughts is both illuminating and useful. For those who struggle with obsessions, The Imp of the Mind provides revelations and guidance.