Imagine a thought suddenly pops into your head: “What if I jump in front of this train?” or “What if I accidentally offended my friend when we were talking earlier?” It’s unsettling, but you brush it off and move on.
Now imagine that same thought won’t leave. It loops in your mind, growing louder and more distressing, demanding your attention. Soon, other thoughts begin to pile on: “Did I mean to hurt my friend’s feelings?” “What if I secretly wanted to upset them?”—even though you know deep down that’s not true. The more you try to dismiss the thought, the stronger it feels, leaving you questioning why it’s there in the first place. What does it say about you? What if it’s a sign of something terrible?
For someone living with OCD, this is a daily reality. Intrusive thoughts—unwanted, distressing, and relentless—are at the heart of OCD. In the video below, young people open up about the intrusive thoughts they experience and how these thoughts have impacted their lives.
What are intrusive thoughts?
Everyone experiences random, unwanted thoughts from time to time—brief moments of imagining something unsettling, strange, or out of character. Most people dismiss these thoughts quickly and move on.
In OCD, intrusive thoughts take on a much heavier weight. They stick, looping endlessly in the mind, and feel urgent and overwhelming. These thoughts are often referred to as obsessions—the “O” in OCD. While the terms “intrusive thoughts” and “obsessions” are often used interchangeably, obsessions in OCD usually describe patterns of recurring intrusive thoughts that cluster around specific themes, such as:
- Your relationships
- Your safety
- Your values and identity
For example, someone might not just have one fleeting thought about harm coming to a loved one but experience persistent doubts, scenarios, and “what-ifs” that revolve around this fear, causing significant distress.
Intrusive thoughts can also take the form of vivid mental images, troubling urges, or even physical sensations, which can make them particularly confusing and hard to dismiss. Rather than brushing the thought aside, a person with OCD might start questioning why it happened, what it means, and whether it reflects something terrible about them.
This constant need for certainty can lead to behaviours called compulsions, which temporarily soothe the anxiety but reinforce the importance of the thoughts over time.
TABOO INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS
Intrusive thoughts can focus on any topic, but many people with OCD experience thoughts about subjects society considers unacceptable or “taboo.” These might include fears about harming others, unwanted sexual thoughts such as fears about paedophilia or bestiality, or thoughts about blasphemy or other religious doubts.
These thoughts can be uniquely confusing and upsetting. The content of the thoughts, combined with fears of being judged or misunderstood, can make it feel incredibly hard to open up about them. Many people worry that sharing these thoughts might lead others to see them as dangerous, which can add to the distress and isolation they feel.
It’s important to understand that these thoughts are not a reflection of someone’s character, intentions, or desires. They are a symptom of OCD, and the distress they cause comes from how much they go against a person’s values and sense of self. OCD tends to fixate on what matters most to a person or what feels especially unacceptable to think about, which could be why so many people with OCD struggle with intrusive thoughts of this nature.
Taboo intrusive thoughts are a common experience in OCD, though they are often misunderstood. If you are experiencing these kinds of thoughts, know that you are not alone.
Connecting with others who experience similar intrusive thoughts can help you feel seen and supported. OCD Action offers online peer support groups where you can meet people who understand what you’re going through.
👉 Learn more about our support groups here.
Do Intrusive Thoughts Lead to Action?
There is no evidence that intrusive thoughts in OCD indicate risk or are a sign that someone will act on them. In fact, intrusive thoughts are distressing precisely because they clash with a person’s values, beliefs, or sense of self. For someone with OCD, the anxiety comes from trying to make sense of the thought—“Why did I think this? Does it mean something terrible about me?”
In society, we often place a lot of weight on our thoughts, seeing them as windows into our character or intentions. This can lead to the assumption that a thought must reflect who we are or what we want. For someone with OCD, this belief can feel overwhelming and add to the distress caused by intrusive thoughts.
In OCD, what matters most isn’t the thought itself but the meaning a person attaches to it. Without context or an understanding of how OCD works, it’s easy to misinterpret these thoughts as significant, when in reality, they are simply a symptom of the condition.
The role of social media trends
On social media platforms such as TikTok, phrases like “I let my intrusive thoughts win” have become popular to describe impulsive or spontaneous actions, such as cutting a fringe, smashing ice, or tattooing yourself on a whim. While this trend may seem lighthearted, it misrepresents intrusive thoughts in the context of OCD and reinforces harmful misconceptions.
Understanding the Difference
Intrusive thoughts in OCD are not playful ideas or fleeting whims but distressing mental intrusions that conflict with a person’s values, creating intense anxiety. Social media trends often confuse these with impulses—spur-of-the-moment actions that don’t carry the same emotional weight. For someone with OCD, intrusive thoughts feel terrifying precisely because they go against what the person believes in. Unlike impulses, intrusive thoughts aren’t something a person acts on; they are something a person feels compelled to avoid at all costs.
The impact of Misrepresenting Intrusive Thoughts
This trend trivialises the experience of OCD and perpetuates harmful myths, such as the idea that intrusive thoughts are dangerous or likely to lead to action. OCD is already a highly misunderstood condition, often stereotyped as being about neatness, perfectionism, or quirky habits. For people living with OCD, trends like this one can be particularly troubling as they create even more confusion about what the condition truly involves, making it harder for others to understand the real challenges they face.
👉 You can learn more about OCD myths and stereotypes here.
Breaking the cycle of intrusive thoughts
While intrusive thoughts can feel overwhelming, it’s important to remember that they are just thoughts—they don’t define you, your actions, or your character. What makes them so powerful in OCD is the cycle of anxiety, doubt, and compulsions, which reinforces their significance over time.
If you’re struggling with distressing intrusive thoughts, it doesn’t have to be this way forever. There is treatment available that can really help. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard treatment for OCD. ERP helps you change your response to intrusive thoughts, reducing their impact over time. While it can feel challenging, with the right support, it is possible to feel less burdened by intrusive thoughts and to build a life that feels freer, lighter, and more focused on the things that truly matter to you.
👉 Find out more about getting help.