How do I drop the distressing intrusive thoughts?

[Polkdotblue]

I’m in a state of panic daily at the moment.
I have a 5 year old son and I’m terrified something will happen to him. At the moment I’m convinced he has a terminal brain tumour. The thoughts that enter my head regularly are too distressing to even type out.
They also involve him walking into the road and being hit by a passing vehicle. In my mind the images are so clear and feel so real. The thoughts are also non stop, I’m convinced the more I think about these things, the more likely they are to happen too 😢

I’m living my life in total fear.

Go to the GP. This is a mental health issue and interfering with your life. And it could snowball so go get some help and get it under control asap.

ps. Everyone has this to some extent but as fleeting thoughts and be able to push them away. Sounds like you’ve gone beyond the normal.

CBT and antidepressants temporarily to help with the intense anxiety ❤️

Please see your GP, this is a common (but scary) mental health issue.

see the GP. Mine were debilitating but they are under control now

Agree with PP you need to go to the GP.

I had this, when I was very depressed and heading for a breakdown. Especially things like your car example. It would pop into my head and just be there cycling over and over again. It was truly awful, I really sympathise.

I found saying 'No!' loudly, the second it started, and consciously pushing the thought out of my head and thinking about something else that took all my attention - shopping list, what to cook for tea, counting something bizarre from memory - like how many shoes I own or something - really helped. Yes sometimes I said 'No!' in the middle of the street and got some weird looks, but tbh by that point I really didn't care.

GP OP asap.
Drugs have really helped me. You'll be ok. Perhaps a break from work, if you are working, and long walks too, and whatever helps you relax,if you can.

I could have written this. I’m in such a bad way and having a bad day with this. I have been on antidepressants for a long time and they have it mostly under control but it’s really bad at the moment for some reason.
sending lots of love to you xx

Thoughts are just ideas that flash through your mind, they are not facts and don't hold any truth, none.

The simple explanation as to why these thoughts occur is that our mind is constantly coming up with hundreds, maybe thousands of possible options in every situation.

Some neurologists even theorise that intrusive thoughts are our mind practising the job of recognising the difference between the things we want to do and the things we don't. So the thought of your son walking into traffic is so horrible you will do everything in your power to make sure it doesn't happen.

Think of it this way. Before we go to the cinema we need to decide which film
we want to see. To do this we might view a few trailers. There will inevitably be some we want to see and very probably a far greater number that we don’t. In the same way, our mind has to contemplate certain actions before it can decide whether or not to take those actions. We ponder leaping off the building because we need to understand the consequences of doing that, so we know to stay well away from the edge.

When it comes to intrusive thoughts, think of them as trailers for films you have no desire to see. Nothing more.

I'm struggling with similar intrusive thoughts lately. I'm already on anti-anxiety medication so not sure what more a doctor can do.

Get help from GP. CBT will be end goal.

But in the meantime try not to obsess over them. That's the worse thing you can do.

When one pops up, consider it junk mail and put it in the junk mail box in your mind. And then distract yourself with work or whatever. Let them come and go without giving them attention.

That's a really good way of looking at it

Intrusive thoughts are a common symptom of OCD (though obviously I’m not diagnosing anything). Mine were horrid in that they were often ‘harm’ based as in what if I harm my loved ones. For years I genuinely thought I was an evil person until I discovered it was OCD, and more common than I’d have expected. I didn’t ever dare tell anyone so suffered alone for years and years.

You definitely should see your GP, anti anxiety meds saved my life, but they also enable me to live a ‘normal’ life now. ERP (exposure and response) therapy is thought to be extremely successful, alongside CBT. Just so you know, you’re not alone and it can get better.xx

Amazing

Och, you poor thing. I had intrusive thoughts when my now 18 year old was a baby. The worst thing was that I thought I was capable of harming her I'm not joking when I say that I lived in a state of terror for about a year.
I found a book that really helped me. It's called The Imp of the Mind by Lee Baer.
Please remember that everything is going to be alright.
Very best wishes xx

It’s ocd I would think. Lots of helpful books on Amazon re stopping intrusive thoughts. You have to see them but not panic. Observe them neutrally like a cloud going across the sky. They do not mean anything and cannot hurt you, they’re just thoughts.

citalopram helps in highish doses (lower does for depression, higher for ocd), as does cbt.

you can get through this x

@JMSA theyre often thoughts that are the very last thing you’d do, so as you say, harming your child, or (if you’re religious) sleeping with the priest, or harming an animal etc etc.

it’s really hard to understand that having a thought does NOT mean you want to do the thing, it’s usually the very opposite.

the terror they bring is horrible. Mine were especially bad during and after both pregnancies x

I am exactly the same. I'm on medication but it doesn't stop the intrusive thoughts.
It stems around people I love. For example, DH is currently out as he is every Wednesday evening playing snooker. He's due back any time, however the thoughts have started and I'm in a really high state of anxiety. My eldest child is going on a school residential trip soon and I am making up all kinds of situations in my head. It's awful. Just know you're not alone. X

Thank you x
I have a much better understanding of them now ... I wish I had back then!
Sometimes I still get the odd one (and I may always do) but they have lost their power and are more fleeting. I can deal with them much more easily. In fact, they barely register.

@Peachesandfizz

Yes mine are very similar, about my son as I said in the OP and when my DP goes out, particularly at night time I panic something has happened, especially if he’s a tiny bit late.