It's important to know that intrusive thoughts can be symptoms of mental health conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, and depression. So it's best to consult a mental health professional to figure out what these thoughts mean for you personally. Due to the shame and guilt that intrusive thoughts bring, you might not be willing to talk about them, but therapy is a place of no judgment, and finding the best therapist for you can make the experience more comfortable.
Intrusive thoughts are quite common. A study found that almost 94% of participants had dealt with an intrusive thought in the preceding three months. It's also good to know that while intrusive thoughts are disturbing, they are just that: thoughts. They're not an indication of your values or personality. As psychiatrist Gail Saltz, MD, explained to Women's Health magazine, "Someone may have an intrusive thought about harming themselves, but if you ask them if they actually want to hurt themselves, they would say no and that they're terrified."
She added, "Most of the time people don't want to do that intrusive thing that they're thinking." The specific reasons behind intrusive thoughts aren't easy to pinpoint. Sometimes, a stressful or uncomfortable situation can be the trigger. Others, it can simply be a random occurrence caused by generally disordered thinking, or even overthinking.
