Obsessional problems with COVID-19: how they arise and how to manage them.

Obsessive-type thoughts can be triggered in a pandemic context.

Our way of thinking, feeling and interpreting reality is not something that depends solely on us. As unique as each person is, mental processes are never entirely individual phenomena, and are constantly relating to the context around us.

Precisely this idea has been evidenced by the coronavirus crisis. This global pandemic has not only had economic, political and medical implications, but has also brought about changes in the psychological realm on a massive scale, including in the field of mental health. These include an increased vulnerability to obsessive thinking problems associated with the anxiety produced by the COVID-19 crisis..

What are obsessive thoughts?

Obsessive thoughts are mental contents (either in the form of sensory representations or ideas structured through language, and often both at the same time) that tend to "invade" again and again people's consciousness, making them unable to avoidThey tend to "invade" people's consciousness again and again, making them unable to avoid focusing their attentional focus on them. It is relatively frequent that these thoughts end up producing discomfort, either because of their emotional charge (for example, if they are distressing memories) or because of the mere fact that they are repeated over and over again.

A clear case of how obsessive thoughts can damage people's mental health is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, a psychopathology in which the person struggles to "keep those images away" from his or her mind by performing ritual behaviors, such as washing his or her hands.

Of course, the context in which the context in which one is in greatly influences the ease with which people fall into obsessive thoughts.. In a situation of constant stress it is very likely that a large number of individuals will develop this kind of psychological disturbance, which is why a pandemic such as the coronavirus also gives rise to this. These are mainly anxiety problems, generated by the activation of the nervous system that is produced by focusing our attention on these recurring thoughts.

The main problems due to obsessions in a pandemic context

These are some of the main forms that obsessive thoughts can take in the COVID-19 crisis.

1. Fear of contagion

This is one of the most common causes of obsessive thoughts in pandemic contexts. In these situations it is not necessary to tend towards hypochondria to be afraid of getting sick, of transmitting the pathogenic agent to loved ones, etc. Also, when leaving home there are many interactions with the outdoors that technically lend themselves to doubt about whether there is danger: riding on a crowded bus, using the office restroom, etc.

2. Exposure to others' own suffering

Situations of loss of loved ones, seeing elderly people fall ill.... are experiences capable of leaving a powerful emotional mark that becomes recurrent memories.

3. Fear of losing one's job

Economic instability produces job insecurity, something that keeps many people on alert and prone to try to anticipate the worst-case scenario, even at the cost of their own mental health. even at the cost of their own mental health.

4. Fear that society will collapse

This is a somewhat more abstract fear than the previous ones, and has to do with obsessions about the end of welfare states as we know them. It is not difficult to imagine a dystopian future based on the changes we experience when going through a period of pandemic.

5. Fear of breaking the rules

Along with measures to prevent the risk of contagion and to adapt economically to this challenge, new rules are appearing which, if broken, can lead to severe penalties. For some people, the feeling that they may be unknowingly breaking these rules produces a sense of unease that takes the form of obsessions..

6. Anxiety about the feeling of surveillance

This is a source of obsessions associated with the previous one: in addition to applying new rules that have been limiting certain freedoms, many States have also started to monitor more the activity of their citizens: controls at airports, reviews of economic activities, supervised quarantines, etc. In the medium and long term, this can lead to a state of alertness in many people..

Do you want professional psychological support?

As we have seen, emotional and behavioral problems arising from the context of the coronavirus crisis can give rise to mental health problems that should not be neglected.

Therefore, if you are looking for psychotherapy services if you are looking for psychotherapy services, I invite you to get in touch with me.. I am a psychologist specialized in cognitive-behavioral therapy and I attend to the adult and adolescent population, both in person in Castellón de la Plana and through the online modality by video call. Through this modality of intervention it is possible to overcome the alterations associated with obsessive thoughts based on scientifically validated therapeutic techniques and strategies.

Bibliographical references:

• American Psychiatric Association -APA- (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Madrid: Panamericana.
• Avia, M.D.; Ruiz, M.A.. (2005). Recommendations for the Treatment of Hypochondriac Patients. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 35(3): pp. 301 - 313.
• Fallon, B.A.; Qureshi, A.I.; Laje, G.; Klein, B. (2000). Hypochondriasis and its relationship to obsessive-compulsive disorder. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 23(3): pp. 605 - 616.
• Santos, J.L. García, L.I. ; Calderón, M.A. ; Sanz, L.J. ; de los Ríos, P. ; Izquierdo, S. ; Román, P. ; Hernangómez, L. ; Navas, E. ; Ladrón, A and Álvarez-Cienfuegos, L. (2012). Psicología Clínica. Manual CEDE de Preparación PIR, 02. CEDE. Madrid.