Intrusive Thoughts

Unwanted, distressing thoughts, urges, or images that enter a person’s mind involuntarily and are typically experienced as ego-dystonic (contrary to the person’s values or intentions). Intrusive thoughts are the defining feature of the obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), where they trigger compulsions intended to reduce the resulting distress, but they also occur in post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, and — less distressingly — in the general population.