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| Happy to skip these tracks |
So here we are. I've seen articles on music related to mental health before, and there are certainly some great songs about what it's like to have mental illness. I also know that music can be therapeutic.
Still, given music's power to inspire feelings, it was interesting to consider how the traumatic parts of OCD would SOUND.
My mind immediately went to horror film soundtracks. This is fairly logical, as OCD and anxiety play on fear, but certain songs seem to capture this kind of fear better than others (The Exorcist has a great theme, for example, but it doesn't match). That said, here are my top three picks for songs that capture the feeling of experiencing OCD.
3. Halloween Theme
One of the best horror movie themes of all time, the progression of the song also really fits the feeling of when anxiety and OCD combine. The song starts out frantic, reminding me of that alert that comes over me - the general sense that something is wrong. Then a more sinister sound drops, just like the feeling in the pit of your stomach when your OCD finds a target and the worrying begins.
2. Psycho Theme
The incessant, alarm-like sound of the classic Hitchcock theme captures the discomfort of being hit by an unexpected OCD trigger and feeling unable to get the thought out of your mind. The thoughts are repetitive and feel inescapable, just like the loud blaring of this song.
1. Jaws Theme
If there is a song that better captures OCD's sense of impending doom, I haven't heard it. Like OCD, the theme starts out slow and foreboding and builds to nightmarish panic. Intrusive thoughts can work the same way. One frightening thought comes along like a beat. It would be harmless on its own, but soon your mind repeats and builds up the thought until you feel barraged and overwhelmed by worry, questions and concern.
I'd love to hear other people's opinions on this subject. If you have OCD or suffer from any other mental illness, can you think of a song that sounds the way it feels?
