Intrusive thoughts can occur at any time and are just as they sound—intrusive! Intrusive thoughts are thoughts that come out of nowhere, are involuntary, and can be difficult to get rid of. Common examples of intrusive thoughts include wondering if the doors are locked, if the stove or curling iron is turned off, or if people like you.

Everyone experiences intrusive thoughts at some point in their lives. For most people, intrusive thoughts come into their mind and seem to leave almost as quickly as they arrived. They can recognize the presence of the intrusive thought, acknowledge it, and take care of it, whether that’s by cognitively or behaviorally disproving it. They may check to make sure the door is locked and then don’t give the thought any more attention. Or they may simply remind themselves that “of course the door’s locked” and focus their thoughts on other things. For most people, intrusive thoughts are nothing more than a huge annoyance.

For some people, however, intrusive thoughts can be a symptom of a deeper issue. Intrusive thoughts can be characteristic of several mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In these cases, the intrusive thoughts are more than just annoying; they may cause severe emotional distress to the person or cause them to behave in erratic ways. For a person with OCD, for example, instead of dispelling the intrusive thought that the door is not locked by checking the door, the intrusive thought persists and can become a compulsion. For these individuals, the intrusive thoughts simply won’t go away.

Intrusive thoughts are different from hallucinations because they occur as thoughts and will typically present the way the person speaks. Hallucinations, on the other hand, sound as if someone else is speaking in your mind. Regardless of if you experience an occasional intrusive thought or experience them frequently as a symptom of a larger mental health issue, there are some things you can do:

• Acknowledge the thought and identify it as intrusive. When people try to ignore the thoughts or push them away, they typically occur more frequently. Has anyone ever told you not to think about something? I remember being told not to think about ice cream once. Suddenly, ice cream was all I could think about!
• Remember that you are “normal” and everyone has intrusive thoughts from time to time.
• Continue with your usual behavior.
• Practice mindfulness and meditation to help practice “refocusing” your thoughts. Many people find “grounding” – a therapeutic approach where you focus on connecting to the earth – helpful. This can be accomplished by simply looking around the environment for things you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell.
• Learn and practice Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) or another approach to reframe distorted thoughts.
• Receive professional treatment if intrusive thoughts persist or become bothersome. During your initial meeting, the clinician will usually ask about the frequency and intensity of the intrusive thoughts. They will also ask other questions to determine if the intrusive thoughts are symptomatic of an undiagnosed mental health condition. Sometimes a clinician will decide that medication may be the most appropriate way to treat intrusive thoughts.

Written by Rayeann Milne, Counseling Intern. If you’d like to schedule an appointment with Rayeann, please call us at 412-322-2129.

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References: 

Bilodeau, K. (2021). Managing intrusive thoughts. Harvard Health Publishing. 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/managing-intrusive-thoughts

Sreenivas, S. (2021). What are intrusive thoughts? WebMD. 

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/intrusive-thoughts