And if your intrusive thoughts are related to a mental health condition, they will likely last as long as you have symptoms. In some cases, fear- or trauma-related intrusive thoughts may never go away completely. But with treatment, you can learn to manage them so they cause much less distress.
For some people, intrusive thoughts present as a short-term issue. For others, they're a daily challenge. Do intrusive thoughts ever fully go away? It's not always possible — or even necessary — to completely stop them.
For some people, intrusive thoughts go away almost as quickly as they came. For others, it can be upsetting to have these thoughts, and you may find yourself questioning who you are, where the thought came from, or if the thoughts reflect your true self.
Intrusive thoughts are often triggered by stress or anxiety. They may also be a short-term problem brought on by biological factors, such as hormone shifts. For example, a woman might experience an uptick in intrusive thoughts after the birth of a child.
So, it's understandable why people might hope it would simply go away after some time. Unfortunately, OCD doesn't just go away. There is no “cure” for the condition. Thoughts are intrusive by nature, and it's not possible to eliminate them entirely.
They're usually harmless. But if you obsess about them so much that it interrupts your day-to-day life, this can be a sign of an underlying mental health problem. Intrusive thoughts can be a symptom of anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Intrusive thoughts are not unique to people who are struggling with a mental health concern(s). They are also experienced by individuals who do not routinely struggle with anxiety. In fact, research has found that over 90% of the population experiences intrusive thoughts (Abramowitz, Deacon, & Whiteside, 2011).
Some potential causes include: Stress and anxiety: Having intrusive thoughts is typical when you're facing stress and anxiety. If you are going through a tough time, you may notice that you have more intrusive thoughts.
Find ways to distract yourself
Whether you change your environment or start a new activity, a simple diversion can often disrupt a negative thought cycle before it takes hold. Any sort of diversion can help you break out of obsessive thinking.
Intrusive Thoughts and Other Mental Health Issues. As we learned earlier, the occasional intrusive thought is completely normal; however, if you find yourself having recurring distressing thoughts or dwelling on your intrusive thoughts, you may be struggling with one of the disorders we mentioned earlier.
Anxiety can be so overwhelming to the brain it alters a person's sense of reality. People experience distorted reality in several ways. Distorted reality is most common during panic attacks, though may occur with other types of anxiety. It is also often referred to as “derealization.”
While anxiety disorders are typically characterized by excessive worry, OCD is marked by unwanted thoughts that lead to compulsive mental or physical reactions. A person with an anxiety disorder will experience excessive worry, but not engage in compulsive behavior to reduce their anxiety.
While psychologists are not entirely sure why some people have looping thoughts and others do not, they agree that some brains are wired differently than others. Those with looping thoughts tend to come from perfectionist families, struggle with trauma, have anxiety disorders, or depressive symptoms.
The good news is many intrusive thoughts can be considered normal and pass through a person's mind without leaving an imprint. However, Dr. Edwards says some intrusive thoughts may begin to stick in people's minds and bother them. They may ruminate on the idea and start to feel anxious.
The Relationship Between Thoughts and Urges
Jon Hershfield's text, Harm OCD, indicates, “people with harm OCD often describe their intrusive thoughts as 'urges' because it's difficult to find another word for the marriage of an intrusive thought and a sensation in the body that seems to indicated an imminent action.
Intrusive thoughts don't make you a bad person and they most certainly don't reflect your character. If you believe intrusive thoughts could be affecting your ability to lead a normal life, contact a local psychologist to start on your personal path toward healing.
Anxious Thoughts May Be Behavioral And Genetic
Examples of these how these types of irrational thoughts may manifest include: Health Fears - "My heart's beating fast - I may be having a heart attack!" General Worries - "I haven't heard from my mother. I hope her heart hasn't given out."
“I am going to lose my job. I may even end up homeless if that happens.” “People don't like me.” “People may notice my anxiety and think I am weak.” “I will have another panic attack.” “This time I could have a heart attack.”
Intrusive thoughts can occur due to various factors, including anxiety, stress, depression, trauma, or other underlying mental health conditions. They may be due to imbalances in brain chemistry, environmental stressors, or learned thought patterns.
Symptoms of OCD include often include obsessions and unwanted or intrusive thoughts, as well as compulsions, or urges to act out specific — and often repetitive — behaviors. Meanwhile, schizophrenia typically looks like: hallucinations: seeing or hearing things that don't line up with reality.