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Related Concept Videos

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder01:28

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by recurrent obsessions, compulsions, or both, which consume significant time and interfere with daily functioning. Obsessions involve persistent, intrusive, and unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that evoke anxiety. Common examples include irrational fears of contamination or harm. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions. For instance, individuals...
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Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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Content difference between normal and abnormal obsessions.

Eric Rassin1, Jesse R Cougle, Peter Muris

  • 1Faculty of Social Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands. rassin@fsw.eur.nl

Behaviour Research and Therapy
|August 22, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Normal and abnormal obsessions differ in content, with clinical obsessions more strongly linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms. This research distinguishes between everyday and pathological obsessions.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Traditionally, obsessions were considered solely a psychiatric symptom.
  • Recent literature suggests obsessions are also experienced by non-clinical individuals, blurring the line between normal and abnormal.
  • It has been debated whether normal and abnormal obsessions share similar content.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if normal and abnormal obsessions differ in content.
  • To determine the association between experiencing normal vs. abnormal obsessions and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptom severity.

Main Methods:

  • A sample of 133 healthy undergraduate students participated.
  • Participants rated their experience of 70 obsessions, sourced from both OCD patients and healthy individuals.
  • Self-reported obsession experiences were compared between normal and abnormal categories.

Main Results:

  • Participants endorsed significantly more normal obsessions than abnormal obsessions.
  • The content of normal and abnormal obsessions was found to differ.
  • Experience of clinical obsessions showed a stronger association with OCD symptom scores compared to normal obsessions.

Conclusions:

  • Normal and abnormal obsessions are distinct in their content.
  • The findings challenge the notion that normal obsessions are identical to abnormal ones.
  • Distinguishing between normal and clinical obsessions is important for understanding obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).