You’re going about your day, and suddenly you’re hit with a thought that’s bizarre, uncomfortable—even shocking. Maybe you’re talking to someone, and you suddenly picture yourself punching them in the face. Or you can’t stop picturing random people naked. You don’t want to think about this stuff, so why does it keep happening?
These are called intrusive thoughts, and just about everyone has them from time to time [1]. Usually, people are able to ignore these thoughts and move on. But sometimes, intrusive thoughts can get out of hand. If your thoughts are causing you a lot of distress or getting in the way of your daily life, it could be a sign of a mental health condition. Seeking treatment can help you learn to manage the thoughts.
Let’s look at a few different types of intrusive thoughts, and what they might mean.
Thinking about hurting yourself or someone else
Sometimes intrusive thoughts can be violent. You might think about hurting yourself or someone else. Usually, there’s no intent behind it—you don’t actually want to do those things; it’s just a random thought that pops into your head. But you might be afraid that deep down inside, part of you does want to act out, and that’s why you’re thinking about it so much.
Thoughts like these may be a sign of an anxiety disorder, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People experiencing postpartum depression may have intrusive thoughts about harming their baby.
If you do have any intent to follow through on these thoughts, or if you’re already acting out, that’s beyond intrusive thoughts. If you’re having trouble controlling aggressive behavior, you’ll need to learn how to manage your emotions in a more constructive way.
If you’re thinking of committing suicide, you can reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or using the chat box at 988lifeline.org. You can also text “MHA” to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. Warmlines are an excellent place for non-crisis support.
Intrusive sexual thoughts
Most people—regardless of gender—think about sex quite a bit [2]. It’s completely natural. But if you’re ashamed of these thoughts, or you think having them makes you a bad person, you can get fixated on them [3, 4]. Remember that thoughts are just thoughts—even if the thoughts are shocking or frequent, they don’t define who you are as a person.
It’s also common for people to have intrusive thoughts about their sexual or gender identity. Working out your identity can be a long and difficult process. It can be stressful, and it makes sense that you’d be thinking about it a lot. But it’s also common for people with OCD to obsess over thoughts that don’t seem to line up with their identity [5]. For example, you might identify as lesbian, but have intrusive thoughts about sex with a man.
Negative self-talk
Negative thoughts about yourself are a common symptom of depression. When you’re feeling down, it’s easy to get stuck on thoughts like “I’m such a loser,” or “I’ll never amount to anything.” The emotion behind these thoughts can be so strong that they feel like facts, rather than intrusive thoughts.
Negative thoughts often fall into common patterns, called thinking traps. These are mental shortcuts we take that can lead us to get stuck in our negative thinking. One way to deal with them is to reframe them—find new, more positive ways of thinking about the same situations. Click here for a list of common thinking traps and ways to reframe them.
Delusional thoughts
If your thoughts are bizarre or paranoid, you might be experiencing signs of psychosis. For example, you might feel like the FBI is watching everything you do, or that someone is trying to poison you. You might even see or hear things that no one else does. Psychosis can be a sign of a mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Sometimes drugs can also cause psychosis.
Other intrusive thoughts
These are just a few of the most common types of intrusive thoughts. There are many more. The important thing is to realize that intrusive thoughts are something that happens to you, not something that defines you. If you think you might be experiencing any of the types of mental illness discussed here, take one of our mental health tests to find out if you’re at risk.
- Radomsky et al. (2014). Part 1—You can run but you can’t hide: intrusive thoughts on six continents. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders 3(3), pp. 269-279. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2013.09.002
- Fisher et al. (2011). Sex on the Brain?: An Examination of Frequency of Sexual Cognitions as a Function of Gender, Erotophilia, and Social Desirability. The Journal of Sex Research 49(1), pp. 69-77. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2011.565429
- Weingarden & Renshaw. (2014). Shame in the obsessive compulsive related disorders: A conceptual review. Journal of Affective Disorders 171(15), pp. 74-84. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2014.09.010
- Melli et al. (2017). The role of guilt sensitivity in OCD symptom dimensions. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy 24(5), pp. 1079-1089. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2071
- Williams & Farris. (2010). Sexual orientation obsessions in obsessive-compulsive disorder: prevalence and correlates. Psychiatry Research 187(1-2), pp. 156-9. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.psychres.2010.10.019