Episode 66. guilt

We feel guilty when we do something wrong, driving us to fix it, apologize or repair. Sounds great, doesn't it? As helpful as guilt can be sometimes, extreme levels or pathological guilt can drive symptoms of many mental health issues such as OCD, depression, PTSD or prolonged grief. In this episode, we discuss what guilt is, what pathological levels of guilt look like, and tips for yourself or loved ones to address problems with guilt.

Resources:

• ​DBT Handout on Emotions (guilt on page 10)
• Stewart, S. E., & Shapiro, L. (2011). Pathological guilt: A persistent yet overlooked treatment factor in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 23(1), 63-70.
• Cherry, M. G., Taylor, P. J., Brown, S. L., Rigby, J. W., & Sellwood, W. (2017). Guilt, shame and expressed emotion in carers of people with long-term mental health difficulties: A systematic review. Psychiatry research, 249, 139-151.

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