Intrusive Thoughts and Impulses of OCD are Widespread

Researchers at Concordia University discovered that unwanted thoughts and images of obsessive compulsive disorder are widespread and 94 percent of people experience the same.

The result of this international study is based on the examination of people from six continents.  Led by psychology professor Adam Radomsky, the researchers found that unwanted thoughts, images and impulses symptomatic of OCD were widespread and not limited to certain groups as previously thought.

"This study shows that it's not the unwanted, intrusive thoughts that are the problem -- it's what you make of those thoughts," Radomsky said in a statement. "And that's at the heart of our cognitive and behavioral interventions for helping people overcome OCD."

The authors of the study hope that their findings can help therapists apply effective treatment across various cultures.

The study was based on 777 university students in 13 countries across continents that included Canada, Argentina, Australia, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Iran, Israel, Italy, Sierra Leone, Spain, Turkey and the United Sates.  

As a part of the study, the participants were surveyed on whether or not they had experienced unwanted, intrusive thoughts in three months prior to the start of the study.  In order to confirm that the thoughts reported were indeed intrusive, the researchers helped participants distinguish between lingering worries and thoughts about past events and unwanted intrusions.

A few of the intrusive thoughts reported by the participants included aggression, doubt and contamination.

"Confirming that these thoughts are extremely common helps us reassure patients who may think that they are very different from everybody else," Radomsky pointed out,

The study was documented in the Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders.