98. Understanding Perinatal OCD: Symptoms, Treatment, and Support with Conal Harpur

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October 2, 2023 • 28 mins

Bringing a child into the world is often described as one of life's most beautiful and transformative experiences. However, for some new mothers, this journey can be clouded by a silent intruder that lurks in the shadows of their minds – Perinatal Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). As the world celebrates the arrival of a precious bundle of joy, these mothers find themselves battling intrusive, distressing thoughts and compulsive behaviors that threaten to shatter the blissful facade of motherhood.

In today’s episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, we are delighted to have Conal Harpur. Conal is a psychotherapist specializing in anxiety disorders and OCD during the perinatal period.

During our conversation with Conal, we discussed perinatal OCD symptoms, including intrusive thoughts related to the baby's well-being. Conal explains the thought process and distress experienced by individuals with OCD and emphasizes the importance of finding a therapist who understands OCD and the transition into parenthood. We also discuss different therapeutic approaches for OCD and the correlation between stressors and OCD symptoms. We conclude our conversation by touching on public vs. private practice and the importance of individual readiness for transformative growth.

In This Episode

[01:22] What is Perinatal OCD how is it different from OCD?
[01:55] Symptoms of Perinatal OCD
[05:25] Emotional avoidance in OCD
[07:28] Understanding and managing OCD with a focus on specific obsessional topics.
[08:03] The unpredictability of OCD and the importance of finding a therapist
[09:03] CBT and medication as treatment options.
[09:56] Analytic psychotherapy and understanding the sense of self.
[14:04] The psychological and therapeutic perspective on perfectionism and its connection to OCD.
[18:17] The correlation between stress and OCD symptoms
[18:39] The overlap between OCD and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
[22:27] The importance of understanding childhood experiences in OCD treatment
[25:50] The core emphasis of public practice: Symptom reduction and stress management.
[26:49] The transformative journey vs. disorder treatment
[27:37] The importance of being in the right emotional space and readiness for therapy,

Notable Quotes

[04:36] “ If I have an intrusive image about me approaching my baby or walking down the stairs and dropping my baby on the stairs is a very common one, I might be more inclined to not engage with my baby for fear that I may act on it.”- Conal
[14:09] “An individual may develop kind of perfectionistic traits as a defense mechanism in psychoanalytic terms against the kind of reoccurring unacceptable impulses or thoughts they may have growing up.” - Conal
[22:28] “Whenever there's a massive rise in responsibility, there's going to be a massive rise in intrusive images, and that's going to fuel the OCD.”- Conal

Our Guest

Conal Harpur, a seasoned mental health professional currently completing his doctorate in psychotherapy, specializes in anxiety disorders and OCD, particularly during the perinatal period. He manages the CBT department at a Dublin maternity hospital and runs a private practice for moderate to severe mental health issues, passionately improving lives through psychotherapy.

Resources & Links

Kristina Orlova, LMFT

Conal Harpur

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