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Intro
Welcome! You are listening to A POP of Psych, a chill and educational podcast about using psychology to give you more insight into the world around us.
I am Stacey, a rising junior from New Jersey and one third of your co-hosts. In today’s episode I will be talking about the lesser explored subtype of the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (or OCD) spectrum, particularly Pure O, its controversy, and depictions in short films shared via YouTube and other video streaming platforms.
Topic 1: What is OCD? What is Pure O?
Those with Obsessive compulsive disorder (or OCD) experience unwanted, intrusive thoughts or images, termed obsessions, and/or repeat actions or behaviors to relieve such, in what is coined compulsions.
Intrusive thoughts and repeated actions severely interfere with daily life in someone with Obsessive compulsive disorder
Obsessions may be acknowledged as unreasonable or illogical, but intrusive thoughts cannot be halted by the patient and there are an innumerable amount of reasons and outlets only supporting why they are thinking this, rather than their feasibility
Compulsions are carried out typically with the intention of either preventing or relieving stress, sometimes from these obsessions, and are sometimes actually prompted by these obsessions. In other words, some may perform these compulsions to prevent a bad situation from unfolding they fear may unfold if they do not perform these compulsions, where some may do such to alleviate an urge, not much to prevent something from happening.
Rituals may take up a lot of time (time consuming), also affecting daily life, making OCD something the person is not really able to separate themselves from
A person with OCD may repeat behaviors, like sitting or passing a landmark, in intervals
Touching things
Having to get out of bed on the proper footing
These rituals really vary by the person
Pure Obsessional OCD or Pure O is a form of OCD in which a person experiences intrusive, unwanted thoughts without actually visible compulsions being performed
This subtype of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not as explored by the media and Unfamiliarity with Pure O in someone may be Undiagnosed, already-manifested OCD, he or she is just unaware that such may exist because of the common misconception of what Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is.
Again, Pure O is solely Obsessions, Compulsions are not visible but because of this
Pure Obsessional is very much stigmatized by society by the media by those maybe close to you, far to you, as is any other mental illness or disorder. Especially because sufferers do not have visible compulsions, and a lot of everything is happening in thought form or abstract form, not physical form, only he or she knows what’s going on.
There is a lot of controversy about what the term Pure Obsessional OCD or Pure O constitutes because of the fact it is defined by no visible compulsions. Key word here is visible. This controversy will be more explained in the next segment of our podcast.
Non clinical persons can dismiss these intrusive thoughts
Patients of Pure O and/or other subforms of OCD suffer from a significant amount of distress
Intrusive thoughts are designed to garner a REACTION, someone with Pure O will attempt to repress thoughts, but failing and only increasing their frequency, and potential to resurface, etc.
It plays on your Fight or flight response
The Fear network in your brain is stimulated -> you realize something needs to be settled ASAP -> and then bam! this spiral of seemingly never ending thoughts
He or she may think “What should my brain be?”
“Shouldn’t I have Control?”
“I can control this.” -> “I have to live in this shell of the person that I cannot control?” “What should my brain be?” in circles
But, again, it is of utmost importance to note that OCD is not the same monster for everyone. Obsessions and/or the absence or presence of physical compulsions, indirect, invisible compulsions vary extensively.
Topic 2: Controversy?
Definition of OCD being either-or obsessions or compulsions
Pure O or Pure Obsessional is constituted by obsessions and the absence of visible compulsions.
Pure O or Pure Obsessional is actually kind of a misnomer, as in the name is PURE, but depending on the length of the spectrum of what someone may consider a compulsion the term Pure O may be inadequate in describing what is actually going on.
As in a study that was conducted, citations and further reading on our website: apopofpsych.wixsite.com, mental compulsions or reassurance seeking are behaviors that are associated with some patients with OCD and these behaviors are not necessarily visible. The term Pure Obsessional really implies the sole presence of the obsessional component to OCD in the patient, therefore not really bringing to light the mental compulsions or mental reassurance seeking behaviors like replaying thoughts or images that may be associated with someone with Pure Obsessional OCD.
Topic 3: Media
OCD in popular culture is treated as this minor inconvenience. Sometimes branded as this adjective or term synonymous to wanting something perfect, the effects of OCD and the illness itself is being downplayed. It is so much more than a few red pens in a jar designated for blue pens irking someone. Perhaps it is a few red pens in a jar for blue pens, but it is so much more than just irking someone. It’s rather consuming someone. Having to constantly check the jar. Counting the number of blue pens. Leaving the room, only to come back to check to make sure a red pen did not slip into the jar meant for the blue pens. Counting again. Leaving the room. Then going back to count the number of blue pens to make sure that there is no red pen in the jar meant for blue pens. Because if that is the case something bad will likely happen. Not likely, but will happen. It’s really this spiral of obsessions and intrusive thoughts, relieved by visible or invisible compulsions and disabling the ability to properly function.
OCD manifests differently in different people. Therefore, any depiction in the media is a projection of someone’s personal experience with the illness, rather than an objective perspective.
This short film
Pure O Undertones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6kjzXjo3QA
“OverLove” - [OCD Short Film] is a short film
Hello I am back, though from your perspective I never really left, but I am here with Julia. I saw this short film on YouTube, one among a few things that inspired me to cover this particular topic in a podcast episode. The short film is titled, “OverLove” and was directed by Lucas Helth. There will be a link.
Outro
Talked about the lesser known subtype of OCD, Pure O
& misnomer
Depictions of Pure O & OCD in short films
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