perfectionism and - Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation
perfectionism and - Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation
perfectionism and - Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation
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People <strong>and</strong> Places - Emotional Contamination in OCD<br />
6/14/13<br />
PEOPLE <strong>and</strong> PLACES: EMOTIONAL <br />
CONTAMINATION in OCD: A COMMON <br />
BUT MISUNDERSTOOD <br />
CONTAMINATION PHOBIA <br />
Katharine Donnelly, Ph.D. <br />
Sony Khemlani-‐Patel, Ph.D. <br />
Fugen Neziroglu, Ph.D., ABBP, ABPP <br />
_____________________ <br />
Bio Behavioral Instute <br />
Great Neck, New York <br />
www.biobehavioralinstute.com <br />
516-‐487-‐7116 <br />
WHAT IS EMOTIONAL CONTAMINATION <br />
• Subtype of contaminaon OCD in which: <br />
– person believes specific people <strong>and</strong> places are <br />
contaminated <br />
• Thought object fusion – Belief that thoughts, events, <br />
or feelings can be transferred onto objects <br />
• Feeling “morally polluted” by another person <br />
• Also called “magical” contaminaon <br />
• Characterized by magical <strong>and</strong> supersous beliefs <br />
WHAT IS EMOTIONAL CONTAMINATION <br />
• FEAR OF PEOPLE <br />
1. Fear of “catching” something from another person <br />
• Negave personality trait(s) <br />
• A disability or specific characterisc by contact <br />
– Blindness, mental retardaon, physical disability, <br />
becoming homosexual <br />
2. Aversion to a specific person – general sense of disgust <br />
3. Aversion to a specific person as a result of a significant <br />
traumac interacon <br />
• FEAR OF A GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION <br />
1. Due to a personal experience <br />
• Linked to a trauma or significant event <br />
2. General supersous reacon to a place <br />
• Contact will lead to bad luck, death <br />
COMMON COMPULSIONS AND AVOIDANCE <br />
• Compulsions similar to other OCD <br />
– Washing, checking <br />
– Ordering/arranging <br />
• Avoidance behaviors <br />
– Avoidance of contact with person or place <br />
– Avoidance of numbers, words, places associated with <br />
the person or place <br />
– A^empts to erase the internal thoughts <strong>and</strong>/or <br />
images of an event <br />
– Magical transmission of the contaminant <br />
• Photographs, conversaon <br />
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