When it comes to contamination In obsessive compulsive disorder (doc), we refer to that unpleasant feeling that denotes dirt potential, pollution, infections that can create damage to itself or others, following direct or indirect contact with a stimulus.
There contamination It can be distinguished in two dimensions: the contamination that originates following physical contact with external elements, (such as touching a handle and having the doubt that it can be contaminated by bacteria harmful to the person or for others), and the other type, called mental contamination, which originates typically from the absence of direct physical contact. Generally the latter is evoked by man, rather than by inanimate objects, through images or thoughts (for example, the mere fact of speaking with a person deemed disgusting can lead to experimenting with this condition). Often in these cases the feeling of dirt is more pervasive and there is no hypothesis of real damage.
It emerged that this type of condition is often associated with Post traumatic symptomsincluding those due to sexual trauma. For example, some authors have found that about 60% of individuals who have experienced this type of episodes report symptoms relating to mental contamination. The explanation refers to the fact that during these terrible events the person felt violated, unworthy, immoral for having suffered or “having left” that the episode happened.
There mental contamination Correla with negative emotional states such as disgust, anxiety, guilt and shame. It emerged how there is a reasoning error that reinforces the association with these emotions: the person, in fact, following the presence of a negative emotional state can begin to think that he has done something wrong and consequently acting mental contamination. In addition, the individual can incorrect negative emotional states incorrectly, as significant of one dirty feeling.
In both these possibilities, the possibility that mental contamination can be related to negative evaluations on emotional states such as disgust, fault, shame, increases. So the ability to tolerate negative emotions could be an important aspect to work on therapy to moderate the outcome that images, thoughts and memories can have on mental contamination.
To understand this relationship, some studies have investigated the relationship between the stress tolerance and the mental contamination: stress tolerance is defined as the series of assessments and expectations compared to negative emotional experiences, including the perception of being able to tolerate some emotions (“I can’t be with my anxiety!”), Error of evaluation and regulation of efforts to manage them. It therefore seems that individuals with low stress tolerance have a greater predisposition to experiment mental contamination following activating stimuli.
From studies it is actually emerged that the poor stress tolerance It can intensify the experience of mental contamination and, vice versa, tolerance to stress moderates the intensity of the sensation of mental contamination following evocative stimuli.
In particular, in a study in which a specific scenario was proposed (imagine to perpetuate or be the victim of unacceptable actions) useful to evoke mental contamination, this emerged with a high level only when it was associated with a deficit in the ability to tolerate negative emotions.
One of the reasons why the poor stress tolerance can amplify the mental contamination It can be related to emotional reasoning: those who mistakenly believe they have done something wrong following negative emotional states, are more likely to mental contamination. This could also apply to the relationship with i Post traumatic symptoms.
In particular, sexual trauma elicit negative emotional states, with greater probability that individuals can infer dangers from expanding these states. For example, the individual can interpret his behavior as unacceptable based on the emotion of proven disgust or consider it threatening and dangerous after experiencing fault.
To summarize the increase in Symptoms of mental contamination It could be particularly high for those individuals who have difficulty to tolerate negative emotions, given that a decrease in stress tolerance correlates with a greater negative and threatening interpretation of emotions.
This has important clinical implications, as the treatment for DOC where mental contamination present should not be separated from a work on beliefs and tolerance to emotions.
Fergus, ta, (2018). Tolerance of Negative Emotion Moderates the ampli ๏ฌ cation of Mental Contamination Following An Evoking Task: A Randomized Experimental Study. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry.
