26 Feb What is Rumination OCD and How Do You Stop It?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental health condition that is characterized by intrusive thoughts. People with this condition engage in compulsive behaviors to overcome unwanted thoughts that become distressing for them.
For example, someone with OCD might have a fear of burning their house down. As a result, they may obsessively check if the oven is left on and unplug all electrical devices before they leave their home.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder affects about 1 in 50 adults in the United States. That said, there are different subtypes of OCD to be aware of. Some people with this condition experience something known as “rumination OCD”.
Rumination OCD causes someone to repeatedly think about negative experiences, past events, or concerns about the future. As a result, they engage in a sort of mental review to understand and solve their doubts and discomforts.
The best way to overcome rumination OCD is to receive professional treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an incredible tool used to treat this type of OCD. Contact Florida Recovery Group today to learn more about how to overcome rumination OCD.
What are the Main Types of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?
When you think of obsessive-compulsive disorder, you probably imagine someone cleaning or washing their hands excessively. While some people with OCD experience this, it is only a specific subtype. OCD can cause a wide variety of obsessions and compulsions, with many of them having nothing to do with cleanliness.
The main types of OCD include:
- Checking- involves obsessions like checking locks, alarm systems, ovens, and light switches, or believing you have specific medical conditions and checking for symptoms
- Contamination- having a fear of things being dirty or unclean or mental contaminants such as feeling like you are being “treated like dirt”
- Symmetry and Ordering- having an uncontrollable need for things to be lined up in a certain order
- Intrusive and Ruminating Thoughts- obsessions with certain thought patterns. For some people, these thoughts include violent or disturbing themes. It is important to note that these thoughts are unwanted and distressing and not acted upon.
OCD often co-occurs with other mental health conditions. People with OCD might also experience generalized anxiety disorder or eating disorders. For example, OCD obsessions could align with eating disorders in the manner of obsessively counting calories.
What are the Symptoms of Rumination OCD?
To understand rumination OCD, you need to know what the term “ruminating” means. By definition, ruminating is repetitive thinking or obsessing over negative feelings and distress over the causes and consequences.
Rumination OCD causes people to have frequent intrusive thoughts that are difficult to overcome. Usually, the thoughts they have are unwanted and a direct contradiction to their morals and beliefs.
The symptoms of rumination OCD involve a set of possible obsessions and compulsions, including:
Obsessions
The obsessions caused by rumination OCD experience can vary from person to person. With that being said, certain thought processes are common among people with this subtype of OCD.
The common obsessions associated with rumination OCD include:
- Thoughts regarding cleanliness
- Brooding over negative emotions
- Fears of harming someone they care about
- Disturbing thoughts of inappropriate sexual activities
- Intense obsessions with perfection
- Philosophical or existential obsessions
While people with rumination OCD might experience violent or sexually inappropriate thoughts, these are not actions they actually want to take. These thoughts occur because they are against the person’s morals, making them all the more distressing. In other words, people who experience ruminating thoughts are not planning on acting on them.
Compulsions
People with rumination OCD will engage in compulsions to make their intrusive thoughts go away. This is a maladaptive form of problem-solving, as many compulsions are not healthy for the individual.
The common compulsions associated with ruminating OCD include:
- Going through mental checklists to ensure cleanliness
- Checking to make sure they did not harm anyone around them
- Avoiding certain places, people, or things to prevent an obsession from being triggered
- Spending long periods reviewing memories or events
- Spending a lot of time thinking about philosophical or existential topics
People with this subtype of OCD should seek professional support. To stop rumination, you must undergo treatment for OCD that involves various types of therapies and counseling.
How is Rumination OCD Treated?
Rumination OCD treatment usually involves evidence-based therapies. In other words, people will undergo counseling using techniques that are proven effective in reducing OCD symptoms.
The main types of therapies used to treat this condition include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)- helps clients deal with problematic thoughts, behaviors, and emotions by altering them into positive patterns of thought and behavior
- Exposure With Response Prevention (ERP)- involves exposing the client to triggers to teach them how to deal with them without using compulsions
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy- teaches patients that everyone experiences intrusive thoughts and that using compulsions gives their thoughts more power
Most clients will engage in a combination of the above-mentioned therapies. In addition to therapy, medications might be used to address anxiety caused by intrusive thoughts. For example, fluoxetine and sertraline are commonly used.
Treating rumination OCD can allow you to regain control over your thoughts, emotions, and life. At Florida Recovery Group, we believe in empowering our clients to make positive changes through clinically proven therapy models.
Tips for Coping With Rumination OCD
If you are looking for short-term relief from rumination OCD, there are some coping skills you can use. For example, many people find distracting themselves from their thoughts helpful. You might engage in exercise, yoga, reading, drawing, or any other activity to stop obsessing over an intrusive thought.
Other ways to cope with rumination OCD include:
- Avoiding triggers that are harmful to you
- Setting boundaries with people who cause stress in your life
- Setting “worry timers” to only allow yourself to ruminate for a certain amount of time
- Use mindfulness to stay in the present moment
- Have a set schedule for each day to keep yourself busy and focused on life
- Eat a balanced diet, exercise frequently, and have a healthy sleep schedule to improve stress levels
- Have set times for self-care each day, engaging in calming activities like meditation, taking baths, or even reading a book
While these coping skills can help you deal with your symptoms, they are not a replacement for treatment. You should always seek professional help to create long-lasting relief from your OCD symptoms. Some people find success in outpatient therapy, while others might need a more intensive treatment program like inpatient rehab.
Get Connected to a Top-Rated Mental Health Treatment Center
If you or a loved one suffers from rumination OCD, Florida Recovery Group is here to help. We can offer compassionate, effective, and evidence-based care for any subtype of OCD. Additionally, if you have co-occurring disorders, we can help you address those as well.
Contact Florida Recovery Group today to learn more about our mental health treatment programs.
