Intrusive thoughts - definition ..?

[ladyinthelibrary]

I thought what I have are intrusive thoughts. But having googled the definition, which said they are thoughts about violence/doing harm/sexual/blashemphous I'm now not sure.

The kind of thoughts I experience are 'worst case scenario'. If I think of asking one of my kids to run out with a last minute thing for the binmen, I 'imagine/see' the bin lorry reversing over them as they haven't seen my DD; I was thinking about travelling to a friend's, and picturing the layby where I could stop en-route, and then thought that as I pull out of the layby I won't have seen a car coming, so it will crash into me.

Does anyone else have these kinds of thoughts? I have been on citaloprram for 4yrs now (40 then 20, now 10) and fluoxetine at various times in the past. I do mentally challenge these thoughts, but I feel as though they will never stop.

I have these thoughts frequently, I assumed they were just part of motherhood. My mum gets them too. I do have a history of depression but I would't say I am depressed now.

I think my various therapists have described them as 'intrusive thoughts'

When I first saw the phrase 'intrusive thoughts' it was like a lightbulb moment of ah! THAT'S what they're called. I just feel that what I'm imagining is way beyond what is likely to happen in reality. And it's only in certain situations. For instance if my DD3 (13) is a bit late home, I don't immediately assume she's been kidnapped etc ... I'd just like to get through my day with 'normal' thoughts!

Try saying "cancel, cancel" in your head every time one of these thoughts pops up. Try not to let the thought take hold, cancel it out the second it appears.

It worked for me.

I have these too. It's like a sort of fleeting worst case scenario thought, as you say. Always about things that could go wrong with DH and/or DS (ie my nearest and dearest), often to do with safety issues (transport, barbecues, swimming...list is endless actually).

It can be exhausting to give free rein to the thoughts, so I try to just label it "Oh I see I am feeling anxious about that" and then put it to one side as "my anxiety" rather than a rational fear.

I know when a thought is intrusive if it starts with the phase "what if"

I have the same about both dc, they tend to happen at the end of the day when they're safe in bed. I start to go over what we've done that day and what could have gone wrong. I visualise some horrendous things and don't know why I do it to myself. :(

They've been referred to as intrusive thoughts to me in the past and I've been advised to remind myself they're safe in bed and that's how the story really ends.

Yep I know what you mean. I call them my daymares. For instance when driving home with DH I have thought 'what if there's a burglar in the house?' In the space of about fifteen seconds I've had visions of him confronting DH, attacking him, DH dying, having to tell his parents, and the funeral... Freaks me out a bit...!

I have no medical expertise whatsoever but I do have diagnosed OCD. Intrusive thoughts are a feature of OCD and for me at least they were fairly easy to treat with therapy. In my case, if I had known how easy it would be to get rid of them I would have gone for help years ago.

Good luck OP!

I've had intrusive thoughts a lot coinciding with quite bad depression and now that I am lot more mentally healthy every so often when I'm feeling down. They're not 'what ifs' they are unstoppable reels of images, interspersed with me consciously trying to distract myself. I also have what-ifs about my son (like when he's ill, 'what if I go into his room and he's not breathing and my husband when he's back late 'what if he's dropped down dead, been in an accident etc') and to me the two things are completely distinct from one another. Having said that I've never spoken to a professional about this so it's purely my personal interpretation. My intrusive thoughts have always been directed at myself rather than regarding harm coming to my loved ones.

Babs - thanks for that link - I like that analogy.

Bananacrepe - yes - absolutely the same.

It's something I probably should talk to my GP about, but I do this 'holding it together' thing when I go to see him except once when I just broke down .I feel as though there is nothing that should be causing me so much anxiety, and then feel guilty for that!