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As a clinical psychologist, I probably think about suicide more often and in different ways than most. I’ve read the research. I’ve been trained to ask the hard questions. I am all too familiar with the frustrating gaps in our knowledge base: what causes it, who is at risk, how do we prevent it?

Unwanted intrusive thoughts are stuck thoughts that cause great distress. They seem to come from out of nowhere, arrive with a whoosh, and cause a great deal of anxiety. The content of unwanted intrusive thoughts often focuses on sexual or violent or socially unacceptable images.

Step 1: See Through OCD’s Scare Tactics

Whether my patients have OCD, social anxiety, a phobia, panic, or are just generally anxious about life, they come into treatment wanting to be free of the uncomfortable feelings associated with anxiety.

The fear of vomiting can become so all-consuming and terrifying that eating becomes a struggle and weight loss becomes dangerous. As sufferers try to protect themselves from throwing up, their world shrinks until it becomes impossible to work, go to school, or to socialize.