How to Deal with Intrusive Thoughts - Mental Health

What are Intrusive Thoughts?

Intrusive thoughts are unwanted obsessed or distressing thoughts or images that come into your mind out of almost nowhere and have difficulty managing or getting past them. 

We all experience some kind of intrusive thoughts but some are more affected and develop complex PTSD or OCD which can wreak havoc on their lives. Although these thoughts are like other thoughts, our attachment to them causes a real disturbance.  For instance, inappropriate images popping into the head, fear of the future,  unpleasant memories of past events, and a variety of disturbing thoughts are all forms of them.

Intrusive thoughts are completely normal brain functioning and around 94% of the population experience them on a daily basis. Though invasive thoughts can be jarring, they ain't a sign of apprehension or mental disorder only if they're severe or incredibly persistent, therefore, it's when they become obsessive that the real damage is done.

One example of obsessive thoughts is every time you wash your hands, you keep washing them for 10-15 mins as if bombarded by invasive thoughts that your hands are still not cleaned or too fixated on unwanted thoughts. These thoughts are often a symptom of a deeper issue such as anxiety, stress, or a personal history of trauma and could point to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Causes of Intrusive Thoughts:

It's always been a bit of a mystery as to what causes intrusive thoughts, however, some experts believe that these unpleasant and intrusive thoughts are caused by an imbalance of Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) - a brain neurotransmitter that inhibits the activity of particular brain cells. It is an amino acid that functions as the brain's primary inhibitory neurotransmitter and as a significant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord.

While it's not entirely known what causes an imbalance of GABA, it may be that a combination of factors like genetics, prolonged stress, not having time to exercise, a lack of certain nutrients and/or poor gut health contribute to this imbalance.

Also, Intruding thoughts can be caused by a variety of mental health conditions, including:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition in which a person is plagued by intrusive thoughts that they are unable to control. Those ideas compel people to carry out particular acts in the hopes that they will go away.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after a traumatic event. In this disorder, the person struggles to come to terms with what happened which causes a lot of emotional distress.  Intrusive thoughts are a common symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Eating disorders develop when people are unable to cope with their feelings, they may develop an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. In most cases, people with these disorders are attempting to fight intrusive thoughts that repeat and dominate their minds.
• Addiction develops to cope with issues, many people turn to drugs, alcohol, or certain activities such as gambling. They eventually develop addictions, which might alter their thinking. Intrusive thoughts are typical in people with addictions due to the way they think and act compulsively.

5 Tips on How to Deal with Intrusive Thoughts: 

#1 Don't Fear the thoughts:

Avoidance is one of the coping methods by many people for dealing with intrusive thoughts. Most of the time, you'll ignore these intense ideas since you don't know how to handle them, however, when intrusive thoughts are fear-based, it’s key not to push them away.

Make you feel better by talking to yourself and telling you that everything is alright. Accept that the obsessive thought is present and do not strive to avoid it. It's possible that you'll feel tense all throughout your body, but this will pass. These are nothing more than thoughts, and they only have the power we give them. Trying to run and hide from a fearful thought with your own feelings of apprehension qualifies it.

It's vital to remember that these pesky notions are just bits of our own imagination and have nothing to do with reality. When intrusive thoughts are rare or If there are no mental health issues present, letting them go is the best option but keep in mind that recurring obsessive intrusive thoughts should not be let go. It is important to talk about them with a professional before they become worse as they could turn into an addiction, anxiety, or another mental health issue.

#2 Don't take intrusive thoughts so seriously:

Often, intrusive thoughts are not real but some tend to believe them to the extent that they’ll apologise for the things that have never happened. It’s important not to mistake your thoughts for the person you are. An emotional response to how you think simply prolongs the experience.

Repetitive thoughts might become a reality, but the possibilities are minimal so you don't need to worry about them and everything is fine at the moment.

#3 Stop Altering your Habits:

When you try to change who you are depending on the intrusive thoughts you have, compulsive behaviour can emerge. Because OCD thoughts ain't real, changing your reality to try to get rid of them isn't a viable option.

With self-help, you can lessen the impact of intrusive thoughts. This includes being mindful in the wake of intrusive thoughts such as not giving reactions to them as they aren't real and accepting them rather than figuring out what it all means.

Compulsions are mental behaviours to make yourself at ease or certain about intrusive thoughts, for instance, you may eschew parties if you have intrusive thoughts about kids but this won't stop triggering upsetting thoughts and this strategy just keeps the vicious cycle going on. 

#4 Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT):

CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) is a talking treatment that aims to change the way you think and carry out so as to help you manage your problems. It is based on the concept that your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are all linked and most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for other mental and physical health conditions such as PTSD, OCD and so on.

Research has shown that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is 70% effective in patients with OCD. Through CBT, patients have to deal with their fears and unwanted thoughts which helps them to alleviate compulsions. 

During the CBT sessions, the patient works with a therapist to break down their problems into separate parts, such as thoughts, physical feelings and actions. The patient and therapist will analyse areas to work out if they're unrealistic or unhelpful as well as to see how they link with one another and with you.

A therapist assists the patient in determining how to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. After that, the patient will have figured out what they can change, the therapist will ask to put those practices into day-to-day life, and the patient will talk about how it went in the following session.

The ultimate goal of therapy is to educate how to apply what have learned in treatment to everyday life. Ask your GP if concerned about incredibly persistent thoughts that are affecting your daily life.

#5 Medications to Treat Obsessive Thoughts:

OCD ruminations and anxiety are interconnected. If a medicine makes you feel less worried, it's likely to lower the desire to contemplate.

Ruminations = Panic = Depression=Anxiety

Intrusive thoughts are harmless, but they have the potential to harm depending on how you react to them. It's not always possible to control impulses or deal with the worry that invasive or intrusive thoughts cause, therefore, medication along with CBT is recommended. However, there are mixed views that come with medicines for intrusive thoughts as they're an opportunity to relax the nervous system and help with holistic development. On the other hand, they cause drug addiction, thus worsening the situation.

Anxiety medication for intrusive thoughts can help in relaxing and coping with the feelings. This can assist OCD patients in reducing the triggers that produce their compulsive behaviours but the heightened nervous state leads to the fight or flight response which leads to poor sleep and unhealthier choices. 

Serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SRIs have generally been found to be the best medication for managing OCD intrusive thoughts and other symptoms of OCD. Zoloft also works effectively as an indirect intrusive thoughts treatment but won't stop them though help you deal with the aftermath. There have been reports of people taking Prozac for intrusive thoughts medicine reporting that their symptoms worsened. Others stated it helped them relax and clear their minds of unwanted thoughts.

Both NHS or Private healthcare for employees covers Mental healthcare plans. It costs around £150 -£400 for initial consultation or assessments. It may be covered by insurance or will be free of cost on NHS. Also, you can talk to a therapist online anonymously or choose betterhelp online counseling or a service of your choice.

Charity List UK:

There are a number of organisations that provide help and support. These include UK carers,  children carers, support groups, the national society for autism, charities in UK, Mind UK, UK helpline, Vita Health Group, mental health support, Mental Health Matters, health charities UK,  charities that support mental health, disability support groups UK, social anxiety support groups online, depression support groups UK and so on. 

Know more about Self Help UK for a list of charity organisations and their contact details.

Related Posts:

Depression and Anxiety: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment 
7 Mental Health Tips That are Approved by Therapists. Don't Ignore Your Mental Health  

How to Get a Better Night's Sleep 

How to Stop Binge Eating at Night

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Headspace is a very useful website for guidance and support, you can also install the Headspace app on the phone to keep things handy.

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