Los Angeles, CA, August 17, 2013 --(PR.com)-- The most common psychological disorders are not entirely the result of "chemical imbalances" but rather unacknowledged anger and rage, says Dr. Stephen A. Diamond in an interview conducted for A User's Guide to Harm OCD (http://harmocd.blogspot.com/).

The author of "Anger, Madness and the Daimonic: The Paradoxical Power of Rage in Violence, Evil and Creativity" states that "we are all potential criminals and artists." Whether that rage is expressed in violence largely depends upon the individual, Dr. Diamond believes. "How we choose to deal with the daimonic determines, to a large extent along with innate talent and other genetic predispositions, whether we become evil or creative creatures."

Rollo May, an existentialist psychologist, was one of the first to focus on the daimonic side of our nature, which he described as "both creativity on one side, and anger and rage on the other side, as coming from the same source. That is, constructiveness and destructiveness have the same source in human personality. The source is simply human potential." May, as well as Dr. Diamond, saw that by denying anger and rage, we also deny ourselves the creativity with which to handle and express anger and rage in healthy ways.

Instead, says Dr. Diamond, society encourages us to deny the daimonic, "Which is to say that we become more prone to being possessed by neurotic anxiety, like GAD, OCD or Panic Disorder. We humans have a primal, innate fear of the daimonic, and feel great anxiety about our daimonic impulsions or tendencies, which is why we avoid them... There are certain things about ourselves we cannot admit and don't want others to see. Especially the daimonic."

Dr. Diamond's work suggests that both individuals and the culture at large must profoundly change their views regarding mental illness, for denying the "dark side" also denies us the better angels of our nature: "So rather than rushing to suppress such symptoms pharmacologically or by other means, it can be helpful to really look at them, to listen to them, to allow them to speak to us."

The entire interview can be read at A Complete User's Guide to Harm OCD, http://harmocd.blogspot.com, a support site for those who experience unwanted, intrusive and repetitive thoughts involving violence against oneself or others. Harm OCD is just one of many OCD manifestations, the most commonly known being compulsive cleaning and hoarding. A User's Guide to Harm OCD, the first book to specifically address Harm OCD, is available for Kindle, Nook, iBook, and other ebook formats at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/345823.

Dr. Stephen A. Diamond is a forensic psychologist formerly for Santa Clara County Superior Court and the Los Angeles County Superior Court Approved Panel of Psychiatrists and Psychologists. He is the author of "Anger, Madness and the Daimonic: The Paradoxical Power of Rage in Violence, Evil and Creativity" (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGVT3KK/ref=cm_sw_su_dp) and the Psychology Today blog Evil Deeds (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evil-deeds).

Source Material: http://harmocd.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-return-of-repressed-interview-with.html