We want to discuss a widely reported news story that concluded yesterday. About a week ago a couple of kids were playing in an Albuquerque park. They spotted a tennis shoe sticking out in the sand. A 3 year old boy was found buried under the swing set. There were no reports of a missing child and no one came forth to claim him.
Help from the community, the police department, retired police officers, and other law enforcement professional all over the country swarmed in. After a frantic week of searching, they found the boy’s mother and she confessed to the crime. She was homeless and estranged from her family. After spending the night in a park, she decided that her son’s life should be taken. Apparently, she put her hand over his mouth until he stopped breathing. She then revived him using CPR she had learned as a student dental hygienist. His return to life was fleeting. She reported that she then suffocated him again. After waiting a few minutes, she dug his grave in the soft sand of a playground. The city responded with horror and broken hearts to the story of a little boy named Tyrus.
We ‘re writing about this gut wrenching news event because some people with OCD have obsessive thoughts about hurting a person they care about. Some parents with a specific type of OCD have horrible intrusive images of themselves hurting and yes even killing their kids. We want to repeat the message we have given before in our blog Baby Anxiety and throughout our OCD For Dummies book.
People with OCD are almost always highly moral, well controlled, and kind. They do not hurt others; especially when they have these obsessive thoughts. Their thoughts do not make them more susceptible to doing bad deeds. And having a “bad” thought is not the same as doing a “bad” deed. Thoughts are just thoughts.
But still, how do you know that you’re not in the category of a potential killer of your child? In other words, how do you know that’s it’s your OCD and not a true desire to kill your child? Generally speaking, when you have this type of OCD, the very idea that you could act out on your concerns causes you substantial distress. People who actually kill don’t usually spend lots of time worried about whether they will kill someone. Rather, they have major problems with impulse control and/or substance abuse.
Nonetheless, if you have OCD and the news story of a mother killing her child left you worried, your obsessions could increase. The increase in obsessive thoughts will likely escalate your stress, make you more anxious, and begin a vicious spiral of symptoms. If this is the case, and you are getting therapy, be sure to talk this over in your next session. And if you’re not getting therapy for these concerns, it’s probably a good idea to do so. Not because you’re likely to act out on your fears, but to help you stop worrying about the possibility.
We all mourn the sad story of a boy whose mother felt so helpless that she ended his life. There are too many stories like this one in the news. Do something nice for someone today.
Related Posts
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Overcoming Anxiety is Easy | Anxiety Tips Blog (May 25, 2009)
A&E covered this topic this last week on its new show, Obsessed. It is a scary but very real fear for some people suffering from severe anxiety disorders. Many people do not realize how many people suffer from these disorders, and the ways it can affect their lives.
Last reviewed: 23 May 2009
Copyright © 1992-2010 Psych Central. All rights reserved.
Site last updated: 30 Jul 2010
|
