Understanding OCD Through the Lens of Gifted Overexcitability

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a complex and multifaceted mental health condition characterized by persistent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Harm OCD, a sub-type of OCD, involves intense, unwanted thoughts about causing harm to oneself or others. While traditional psychological perspectives often focus on the pathological aspects of these symptoms, an alternative interpretation considers the potential cognitive strengths underlying these experiences. This paper explores how harm OCD, particularly in individuals with a high level of spatial giftedness and overexcitabilities, may represent an advanced form of mental modeling that lacks appropriate outlets for expression.

A recent guest on my podcast provided a compelling narrative that illustrates this perspective. As a teenager, he was deeply engrossed in studying World War I and World War II, displaying an exceptional ability to absorb and analyze vast amounts of historical data. This intense focus coincided with the onset of harm OCD, characterized by intrusive thoughts about violence and harm. Rather than viewing this as merely a pathological response, it is crucial to consider the possibility that his spatially gifted brain, combined with imaginative overexcitability, was engaging in complex mental modeling driven by the historical…