What would happen if I took the car off the road? It’s a thought that often comes to mind while driving. It comes and passes away. Similarly, there are many unwanted, unpleasant thoughts or visuals that come to our mind during specific moments that are associated with harm or embarrassment that fades away themselves. Such thoughts are termed as intrusive thoughts, and for most people it’s normal.
However, stopping driving a car due to such repeated thoughts is something different. These are called OCD intrusive thoughts. They stay longer, repeat the cycle multiple times a day, cause extreme distress, and start impacting life.
If you struggle to find whether you experience spontaneous negative thoughts or have OCD, this guide helps you.
What is the Actual Meaning of Intrusive Thoughts?
Intrusive or obsessive thoughts are sudden pop-ups of distressing or violent images, or simply negative thoughts. They cause unease because they can lead to unfavorable ideas that can be frightening, harmful, religious, or violent, such as intrusive sexual thoughts, unanswerable philosophical questions (Existential OCD), relationship doubts, etc. Some people with these feelings feel low self-esteem and guilt, thinking what comes to mind are their hidden desires, which is a major misconception.
The good thing is that such thoughts are short-lived. In most people, they pop up, cause a little distress, and fade on their own. However, some people may find it hard to ignore or push these unwanted thoughts. But instead of wiping away, more and more thoughts from nowhere enter the mind. For such people, they can be a sign of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Are Intrusive Thoughts Normal?
Yes, intrusive or disturbing thoughts are very common. According to studies, 90% of people experience these at different points in everyday life. In fact, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) and the Harvard Medical School highlight that around 6 million of the US population are affected by this.
So, experiencing occasional intrusive thoughts is truly normal. On the other hand, if you have intrusive thoughts that meet the criteria of OCD, such as the presence of obsessions, compulsions, disruption, and cause major impairment in life, you are not alone, too. According to PubMed Central (PMC), managed by the National Library of Medicine, around 2.3% of US adults are affected by OCD, which is absolutely treatable.
How Normal Unwanted Thoughts Are Different From OCD-Related Intrusive Thoughts?
Normal thoughts are just random ideas. No doubt, they are distressing and feel overwhelming, but are harmless. They come and go.
On the other hand, OCD intrusive thoughts are prolonged and make people more anxious and disturbed in their actual lives. Experiencing OCD attacks, people often repeat the cycle of obsession and compulsion.
Obsession means continuous thoughts causing anxiety, whereas compulsion is described as repetitive behaviors to seek relief from anxiety/irritation that thoughts provoke.
Here, a very common question comes to people’s minds as we say “behaviors to seek relief”. The question is:
Do people act on their intrusive thoughts?
No! Opposed to individuals’ true values and personality, people have no intention and do not act on intrusive thoughts, so they don’t go against their will. In simple terms, they do not act on their thoughts; it’s compulsion, which means physical behaviors or mental acts to avoid thoughts.
Common Compulsions Triggered By Intrusive Thoughts
- Rumination
- Mental reviewing
- Excessive praying
- Reassurance-seeking from others
- Avoidance of people, places, or objects
Understand it with an Example.
Let’s take the car example from earlier at the beginning of this guide. If persistent, worrisome thoughts of losing control of the car persist, a person will not actually do so to get relief; the most likely physical compulsion they will have is to avoid driving. Similarly, the mental compulsion would be repeating the visual of checking brakes and steering in mind or thinking good, etc.
How Do You Know If Your Intrusive Thoughts Are From OCD?
If thoughts stay in your mind for longer and repeat often. Also, if they result in uncontrollable distress, anxiety, and avoidance of specific situations, your intrusive thoughts may be from OCD. People whose intrusive thoughts are linked with a mental health disorder don’t feel comfortable. They engage in mental and behavioral compulsions to get relief, unlike normal ones that remain for a minute or two and are dismissed. This engagement or repeat activity worsens, as it has the risk of turning into a habit.
How often do normal people have intrusive thoughts?
Normal people may experience intrusive thoughts occasionally. Means the intrusive thoughts are not too frequent. According to many other verified sources, such thoughts are very common in the general population.As per the International Intrusive Thoughts Interview Study (IITIS), that is performed by 19 researchers from 13 different countries, a normal person usually experiences at least one intrusive thought in the time duration of every three months.
Intrusive thoughts can be one of the major OCD symptoms if it feels like the following:
- Stuck in a loop: The unwelcoming thoughts can be OCD when they come in a loop. You try to ignore them, but the more you focus on shifting your mind, the harder it becomes. Thoughts connected with mental health conditions like Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder cause intense anxiety because they persistently overwhelm the mind and cause unease due to repeated cycles.
- Ego-dystonic thoughts: Thoughts that completely oppose your actual character, your beliefs, and personal values. Such thoughts are contradictory to ego-syntonic thoughts, and they can either provoke harmful ideation or sudden thoughts that impact relationships and cause violence.
- Severe interruption in life: Struggling or being stuck in intrusive thoughts can cause severe life impacts. It can lead to avoidance, disrupt daily life schedules, and result in major setbacks in different aspects of life, including academic and professional. If uncontrollable, unpleasant thoughts start interfering with daily life routines, it can be OCD thoughts.
These are some of the signs indicating repeated thoughts linked with OCD. Understanding this helps differentiate whether you have OCD or are simply experiencing normal thoughts. If the signs of OCD-related thoughts are noticed, it’s necessary to get professional support. Because this condition, if left untreated, increases the rate of co-occurrence of other mental health disorders like anxiety, which can impact life badly.
Can You Have Intrusive Thoughts Without OCD?
Yes, it is absolutely possible to have intrusive thoughts, even if you are not diagnosed with OCD. In fact, 90% of the population, as we discussed earlier, experience such strange, meaningless thoughts, and rarely do most of them have a mental disorder.
What Other Mental Illnesses Can Give Intrusive Thoughts?
Many people misunderstand that intrusive thoughts are only OCD, which is not always the case. Despite this, continuous distressing thoughts can also be a symptom of other mental conditions or occur alongside them. These include:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Eating Disorder
- Major Depression
Is It Possible to Get Rid of Intrusive Thoughts?
Normal intrusive thoughts often disappear on their own. They usually don’t require any treatment, as people easily recognize them as random thoughts with no meaning. This acceptance and instant shift to the present helps people avoid them from impacting their lives. However, OCD intrusive thoughts are severe and require on-time, appropriate treatment to prevent them from aggravation. Some factors, such as anxiety, avoidance, and many other factors, worsen OCD, which can result in self-harm/suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, and more.
How to Stop OCD Intrusive Thoughts?
OCD-related negative thoughts can be effectively treated with several treatments. For treatment, psychiatrists often use therapies and medication as a combined approach, helping reduce symptoms and ensuring quick relief.
Here’s how Renewed Mental Health Group helps individuals to relax their minds from unwanted, negative thoughts:
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a well-recognized treatment method used to treat several mental health conditions. It’s a multi-step, collaborative approach between the patient and the psychiatrist to treat conditions, focused on identifying, understanding, and treating symptoms. Psychotherapy offers patients a space to speak openly, because some thoughts are so out of character that people feel guilt in sharing them with others. By ensuring a private, confidential space, it allows individuals to be real in explaining or expressing thoughts.
Although psychotherapy, also known as “talk therapy”, includes several therapies, intrusive thoughts from OCD can also be effectively treated with:
- Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT)
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy
ERP is one of the widely used treatments for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to reduce OCD cycles. It is a specialized form of CBT, focusing on reducing symptoms by direct exposure to fearful, distressing situations that trigger intrusive thoughts in a controlled environment. People undergoing ERP therapy notice significant improvement in symptom reduction. With repeated exposure to the terrifying situation or objects, the brain recognizes that it’s just thinking, not an actual threat. Over time, you stop performing rituals, resulting in calmness. The few initial sessions may be challenging for some people, as done consciously can increase anxiety and distress.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
It is also a great treatment approach for OCD. Unlike other therapies that focus on changing the thoughts, ACT’s goals are acceptance and learning. It teaches individuals to accept the distressful thoughts, rather than running away from it as thinking of them as a real threat. Psychiatrists help patients in processing thoughts with support and encourage them to remain calm. This gradually builds psychological flexibility in people by passing through several therapy stages, including acceptance, cognitive defusion, awareness, personal values, and more. With Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, patients perform actions that value their characteristics or what they love to do when distressing thoughts arise. It can involve spending time with family, going for a walk, etc, rather than engaging in compulsions to seek relief.
Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT)
A specialized form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, I-CBT is a result-driven technique to help patients get relief from repeated OCD thoughts. The purpose of this therapy type is to remove all the doubts caused by OCD from the root. Its main goals are to fix the inferential confusion, preventing patients from being trapped or tricked by OCD thoughts. I-CBT makes sure the individual recognizes “what if” anxiety-driven scenarios as much imagination, not a possibility in real life.
These are some of the most effective therapies for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Although ERP is a top-of-the-list preference, numerous studies prove its effectiveness in reducing OCD symptoms. As per our research across several studies of ERP for OCD, we found that significant symptom reduction and mental health recovery symbols are noticed in many people. Different sources highlight different success rates, ranging from 60% to 80%
ACT and I-CBT are also great alternatives for those who don’t get relief from ERP. However, the selection of the appropriate treatment depends on the individual’s condition. At that point,finding a certified psychiatrist is necessary to help better understand your condition and deliver care accordingly. If you want a licensed therapist’s support throughout the treatment for great therapeutic relationships and long-term recovery. Meet our team and book your appointment with a matched healthcare professional.
Medication Management
Medications are also used to treat patients with intrusive OCD thoughts. It’s not a standalone treatment; it’s often prescribed to individuals alongside therapy after a thought clinical evaluation. However, not everyone diagnosed with compulsive behaviors requires medication.
Renewed Mental Health Group offers medication management treatment services to patients under licensed psychiatrists’ supervision. Our professionals attentively prescribe medication and regularly monitor progress with follow-ups to ensure patients’ safety and compliance with federal and state regulations.
When to Seek Professional’s Help for OCD Obsessive Thought Treatment?
Understanding whether you experience normal intrusive thoughts or have OCD is the foundation. Seeking professional support on time is the first step, and the early you take it, the faster you will achieve your goal.
When intrusive thoughts become persistent, cause severe anxiety, and consume time in compulsions for relief, it’s necessary to get expert support. Also, notice whether your life, such as academics, professional, and relationships get interrupted by it. Because when these thoughts continue to repeat the cycle, people often become significantly impaired in their daily life schedule, become anxious, and face several challenges, like social isolation and hopelessness.
Wherever you notice such signs, don’t delay. Consult with our mental healthcare professional, discuss feelings, and receive care.
Find the Right OCD Therapists in California!
Renewed Mental Health Group is now accepting new patients and offers them quality OCD treatment services with ongoing support. If you want personalized care delivered by certified professionals, schedule your appointment. We deliver in-person care and also offer online psychiatric treatment across California. Call us today at +1(714)361-0898 for more info on how we can help in reshaping your life.
Regain Your Path To A Healthier Mind
Get access to expert advice and personalized consultations.
