In the process of treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, both therapists and patients will find a confusing phenomenon: the patient’s compulsive behavior is contrary to their beliefs at the time, that is, the patient’s behavior is not guided by their true beliefs.
A study published in Neuron by researchers at University College London revealed a common phenomenon exhibited by this OCD patient. Researchers from the university’s “Brain Decision Simulation Laboratory” asked participants to play an electronic game in which they needed to catch a coin appearing on the screen with a “basket”. Although both the OCD patients and the control group members were able to confidently state the location of the coin, the former would still shake the “basket” back and forth during the game, constantly changing positions, showing a clear inconsistency between behavior and beliefs, as if the two were not related.
The deeper the deviation, the more severe the obsessive-compulsive disorder. I believe my hands are still clean after touching the door handle, but I still need to wash them “,” I believe this idea is harmless, but I still need to counteract it “- similar words are often heard by therapists when helping people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. In this situation, any debate and persuasion have little meaning, which is often the fundamental reason why patients cannot gain understanding from their families.
Like many other patients, such as those with addiction, the psychological pain lies in the fact that the person involved knows that their behavior deviates from their beliefs and long-term interests, and still cannot control their behavior. The fundamental reason for this deviation in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder is that there are problems with the neural circuits inside the brain. Although scientific progress cannot accurately pinpoint where the problem lies, interested friends can refer to other articles related to this column or contact the author’s personal WeChat account maplelakenliuke.
This principle is like a person with impaired mental and physical abilities experiencing memory problems, it is not intentional lying or selective forgetting by the parties involved.
Repairing damaged neural circuits, or restoring consistency between beliefs and behavior, is achieved through the behavioral therapy component of ERP treatment strategies. The reason why compulsive ritualized behavior violates beliefs is that the psychological pain caused by the stimulus source overturns the patient’s rational beliefs in the present. The core of ERP treatment is to help patients gradually alleviate this psychological pain without resorting to compulsive behavior. Although the process is not easy, the psychological stability gained is down-to-earth and personally felt, which can be applied after treatment.