Origins of Obsession

In chapter 1, Davis goes over the origin of the word obsession, where he points out the terms various meanings throughout history. He begins this chapter by saying how an obsession involved a battle of one’s self, where a compulsive self struggled with an observing self. He says how this described war and even demonic possession! I never thought that this word could have ever had so much meaning to us back then. He then sheds light upon the mental illnesses of the eighteenth century, which were either under the melancholy, lunacy, or idiocy grouping. Davis then mentions recognized mental conditions of hysteria, hypochondria, spleen, and vapors, from which the last two mentioned I knew nothing about. Davis’ general breakdown of the word obsession helped me to gain a better insight to our current meaning of obsession. It just shows us how long the word obsession has been around and how it has been redefined.

Freud: Notes Upon a Case of Obsessional Neurosis Rat Man

Looking at the title, I thought that this would be about a man hoarding rats like Willard. Boy was I wrong! This actually turned out to be Sigmund Freud’s only known case study about one of his patients who suffered with obsessive-compulsive disorder. One can see how his patient felt obligated to fulfill his obsessive thoughts and behaviors. He would dream and “could not help believing in the premonitory power of his dreams.” The name “Rat Man” was given to him after the patient had a terrifying story told to him by an officer where as punishment, criminals had a pot turned upside down on their buttocks where rats in the pot would then chew their way into the anus. This made him fear rats. He then started to experience compulsions, where he would imagine something dreadful happening to his father, who happened to be dead and a lady he admired, such as: having to endure the same torture criminals experienced with rats. The patient also had a strange history with masturbation. All of his obsessive fantasies and ideas, according to Freud, had reason for coming about. I thought it was crazy how the patient fantasized about marrying Freud’s daughter! “Rat Man” definitely had OCD.

OCD: Now and Forever

In “OCD: Now and Forever” Davis explains how obsessive-compulsive disorder shifted from being an unknown and rare disease, to currently one of the most common mental illnesses of our time. It’s crazy how OCD suddenly went from 1 out of every 20,000 to 3 out of every 100 to 1 out of 10 in less than thirty years. Davis argues that there is no true explanation as to how this was all able to happen so rapidly and overnight as it did. He claims that the media was partially involved with this increase. Davis also emphasizes how one must understand the mechanisms of the brain in order to become familiar with characteristics that pertain to OCD. He says that this is vital. Exact areas of the brain and how they work are still not clear enough for professionals to decipher whether or not the behavior and thought patterns being seen are in fact associated and consistent with OCD alone. Every statement or claim that has been made thus far still has to be explained in greater detail to make sure there is no overlapping of any other mental disorder. The Broken Brain area of the chapter showed me how more in depth exploring must be done when it comes down to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

“Obsession is everywhere, in all of us.”

–Paul Adams

Obsession. Obsessive. Obsessed.

Tormenting Thoughts & Secret Rituals: The Hidden Epidemic of OCD

All I can say is wow! Prior to this reading, I was only aware of a few compulsions and rituals people with OCD dealt with. Thanks to True Life: I Have OCD, I gained some knowledge about the washing, the checking, the ordering, the repeating, and the rubbing, touching, and tapping issues these people suffer with. I now have a whole new outlook on people with OCD and I have to say that I give them a lot of credit. Obsessive-compulsive disorder actually turns out to be the most common of all mental illnesses out there. Surprisingly, many people suffering with this disease stay in silence. The Filth, Harm, Lust, and Blasphemy Chapter helped me to better understand the severity of this disorder. Never having suffered from the negative effects of obsessions and compulsions, the clinical cases really opened my eyes to the torment that OCDers thoughts put them through on a day to day basis. Sherry’s personal account about her obsessions with harm made me realize why these people sometimes keep their torture a secret. It’s as if a monster was growing inside of her, feeding her these terrifying and disturbing thoughts. I totally understand why she became so overwhelmed, nervous, and exhausted. I honestly would not know how to fight thoughts about “throwing my daughter in a microwave.” How can someone live like this? Imagine not being able to run away from your own thoughts! What I found to be the most crazy about all of this was how if she tried to fight her thoughts, they would become worse. I guess it is relieving to learn that OCD is treatable.

21 things I am absolutely obsessed with ♡

1. Snoopy.

2. Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Caramel Latte.

3. Mac Makeup.

4. Photography.

5. French Fries.

6. Essie Nail Polish.

7. American Sign Language.

8. That ‘70s Show.

9. Mozzarella Sticks.

10. Baking.

11. Marilyn Monroe.

12. Scarves.

13. Youtube.

14. Laughing & SmilingJ.

15. Monkeys.

16. Root beer floats.

17. Forever 21.

18. Writing.

19. Ruby Tuesdays & Buffalo Wild Wings.

20. Trey Songz.

21. People with beautiful hearts.

Letter from Napoleon Bonaparte

I think that Napoleon Bonaparte is being obsessive in the letter that he writes to his wife, Josephine. When he says things like, “My beloved Josephine stands alone in my heart, occupies my mind, fills my thoughts” and “My heart, obsessed by you, is full of tears which prostate me with misery… You alone are the joy and torment of my life” I understand that he is emotionally fixated on “his” beloved Josephine. The letter sounds somewhat like a rant, especially when he mentions the five Vous! Napoleon is angry and frustrated with what his wife had been doing for the last four days and the irregular way she composed her letter. If I received a letter similar to the one that Josephine sent to Napoleon, I might have replied back in the same manner as he did, over reacting and being overly obsessive with the condition of their relationship. Not informing me as tu and failing to show any love while I am away at war would make me crazy too! This is why Napoleon’s letter comes across as obsessive.

“Got you all fired up with your Napoleon complex.”

Obsession & Infatuation

· These are recurrent, persistent and unwanted thoughts that cause the person much anxiety/distress.

· Besides coming under the form of thoughts, they can also be images or impulses that will repeat themselves and are experienced to be unwanted, intrusive and inappropriate.

· The person feels overwhelmed by the obsessions as they seem to intrude in every aspect of their thinking and are very disturbing thus triggering much anxiety and discomfort.

· They will try hard to suppress the thought/images/impulses and/or try to "neutralize" them by other thoughts or specific actions.

· They do realize the thought to be a product of their own mind.

http://understanding_ocd.tripod.com/ocd_obsessions.html