WHAT ARE INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS?

Here is a general list amongst many others, of intrusive thoughts.

• Impulse to hurt or harm someone.
• Impulse to say something nasty and damning to someone.
• Thought of causing harm to, or the death of, close friend or family member.
• Thought of acts of violence in sex.
• Impulse to crash car, when driving.
• Thought “why should they do that? They shouldn’t do that,” in relation to people “misbehaving.”
• Impulse to attack or strangle cats or kittens.
• Thought “I wish he/she were dead, with reference to persons close and dear.
• Thought of harming partner with physical violence.
• Impulse to attack or violently punish someone, for example, to throw a child out of a bus.
• Impulse to engage in certain sexual practices that involve pain to the partner.
• Thought” Did I commit this crime?” When reading reports of crime.
• Thought that you might go berserk all of a sudden.
• Thought wishing and imagining that someone close to you was hurt or harmed.
• Impulse to violently attack and kill a dog that you love.
• Impulse to attack or harm someone, especially your own child, with bat, knife, or heavy object.
• Thought of unnatural sex acts.
• Thought of hurting someone by doing something nasty, not physical violence. ” Would I or would I not do it?”
• Impulse to be rude and say something nasty to people.
• Thoughts of putting obscene words in print.
• Mental image of stabbing a passer-by.
• Mental image of stripping in church.

Some general Common obsessions in OCD

Excessive concern with exactness, order or symmetry.

• Obsessions with the body or physical symptoms.
• Religious, sacrilegious or blasphemous thought.
• Sexual thoughts/images e.g. being a homosexual.
• Thoughts or images of violence or aggression ( e.g. hurting your baby)

Reading material suggestion of being one of the best books on the market: Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder By David Veale & Rob Willson