This is likely the result of the personal significance that those with OCD attribute to intrusive thoughts, at least to some degree. People with OCD, however, are likely to respond to obsessions by performing compulsions. Intrusive thoughts don’t typically result in any kind of behavior done to reduce the anxiety they cause or prevent some bad event associated with them from occurring. #2: You perform compulsions to feel better While it’s normal to feel a little unsettled by intrusive thoughts, getting stuck on what they might mean or say about you can suggest that they’re a sign of something more. This is due to a phenomenon known as thought-action fusion (TAF), where one thinks having an intrusive thought is just as meaningful or morally bad as doing the thing they are thinking about. People with OCD are more likely to attribute great significance to their intrusive thoughts, feeling they must mean something terrible about themselves. “In OCD, the problem begins when you believe that you shouldn’t have intrusive thoughts, or that intrusive thoughts are a sign of something bad or wrong happening,” shares Dr. #1: You believe that having intrusive thoughts means something is wrong with you Here are three signs that the intrusive thoughts you’re experiencing are a symptom of OCD. There are several important distinctions between intrusive thoughts when they occur in individuals with OCD and those without the condition. How Can I Tell if My Intrusive Thoughts Are a Sign of OCD? These are known as obsessions, and they cause a great deal of distress or anxiety, causing people with OCD to feel a persistent, strong urge to engage in compulsions in an attempt to alleviate anxiety or prevent unwanted outcomes from occurring. People with this condition experience intrusive thoughts about a variety of topics, from contamination and morality to pedophilia and harm. Though intrusive thoughts are typically not a sign of mental illness, they are one of the primary symptoms of OCD. Of course, because intrusive thoughts often involve topics such that some may not want to admit to having them, the real proportion is likely even higher. For example, one study found that 94 percent of participants admit to experiencing intrusive thoughts. “Then they realize they aren’t the only ones with these experiences.” “Everyone starts looking around and gets this weird look on their face, and suddenly you start to see a bunch of hands going up,” he shares. Slowly though, people realize their intrusive thoughts are common. At first, people are reluctant to admit it. McGrath’s educational talks on OCD, he asks attendees to raise their hands if they have ever experienced an intrusive thought (e.g., an urge to drive their car off a bridge). He elaborates with a story: in many of Dr. McGrath, emphasizing the common nature of these uncomfortable psychological events. “Everybody in the world experiences intrusive thoughts,” shares Dr. In most cases, intrusive thoughts are not a symptom of any condition, and can be the product of a perfectly healthy mind. While intrusive thoughts are an important symptom of some mental health conditions, including OCD, having intrusive thoughts does not mean that you have a mental illness.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |