Intrusive thoughts and why you are not (necessarily) a deviant
Have you ever been driving your car and randomly thought “I could just turn the wheel into oncoming traffic” or been sat talking to your boss at work and caught yourself suddenly imagining sucking his big, hairy, wrinkly… toe.
Not that you would ever do any of these things, or want to. These are known as intrusive thoughts, thoughts that enter your mind against your will. And they are a lot more common than you think.
An international study into Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) found that 94% of people experience intrusive thoughts in their daily life. A lot of these being people with a mental health disorder such as Anxiety or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.) When Intrusive thoughts become a big, debilitating problem for a person, affecting their daily life, that person may have OCD.
There are different types of intrusive thoughts. The most common are those of a violent or sexual nature. They can also be blasphemous/religious or manifest as unwanted memories. When they are prevalent in a person’s life they can cause huge feelings of shame and distress. But it is important to realize these thoughts, in moderation, are normal.
Do you ever encounter intrusive thoughts? What are your experiences?
http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/signs/intrusive-thoughts
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211364914000177
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