WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS AND HOW TO HANDLE THEM

Disturbing ideas occur to all of us. But what happens if you're struggling to let those thoughts go?

- JAMES LLOYD

Have you ever been unsettled by an odd, scary or ridiculous thought? One that popped into your head out of nowhere and stopped you in your tracks? Perhaps you were walking across a bridge and felt a sudden urge to hurl yourself off it. Or you were in a busy town centre and wondered what would happen if you took all your clothes off. I've worried that I have a multitude of deadly diseases, that I might stab someone I love, or that I might be evil.

The truth is, most of us get unwanted, intrusive thoughts like these from time to time, but they're not always easy to talk about. They can feel frightening and distressing, especially if we're unable to let them go. It's perhaps no surprise that an excessive amount of intrusive thoughts is associated with a whole host of mental health conditions - in my case, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

But as unsettling as intrusive thoughts may be, we are starting to talk about them more a quick search on TikTok reveals hundreds of videos of people disclosing their deepest, darkest ruminations.

Meanwhile, a growing body of research is shedding light on why we get these thoughts, what's going on in our brains when we do and how we can deal with them offering hope to all those who struggle with them..

BEING HUMAN

Broadly speaking, an intrusive thought is any sudden thought that pops into your mind. They can be positive, such as a happy childhood memory, but it's the unwanted ones that tend to cause issues. We might also have intrusive images, urges, doubts or physical sensations.