According to a new study, obsessive thoughts are common and not something to get alarmed at in most of the cases.
These thoughts that keep nagging a person throughout the day is mostly harmless and do not cause any mental distress. It turns out that majority of us always have some unwelcomed thoughts in our minds. Even though your thoughts are making you a little uneasy, they are actually about something realistically dangerous things, something that a lot of people would actually be scared to. Moreover, nobody even notices your rituals.
Obsessive-compulsive thinking is completely normal. According to an international study co-authored by Adam Radomsky, a professor of psychology at Concordia University in Montréal, Canada, about 94 percent of the population experiencing some kind of unwanted or intrusive thought at some point.
The research which is published in the Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, suggests that there are a lot of people in the world who also check whether they have locked their car doors or have they turned off their oven.
Researchers took a survey that included 777 participants in 13 countries across six continents. The participants were questioned whether they had experienced any kind of unwanted intrusive thought (UIT) in the last three months. These unwanted, intrusive thoughts were differentiated from lingering worries. Nearly every subject in the study reported they have experienced at least one unwanted thought during the previous three-month period, and more than 90 percent of subjects at most sites reported at least one kind of UIT.
What Causes These Thoughts?
The human is the most remarkable creation of nature. But sometimes it provides us with information that we don’t need.
“We are a thinking species. If you pause and look for a moment, you’ll probably notice that you’re experiencing all kinds of different thoughts. We get many thoughts during that day that we don’t even notice, but particularly these unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images and impulses are most of the times noticeable in part because they intrude into our awareness”, said Radomsky.
These unwanted thoughts are not random but have deep roots, going all the way back to our ancient ancestors and their will to survive.
Is it a disorder or an inconvenience?
Unwanted, intrusive thoughts may cause a little discomfort, but even the strangest thoughts that cross our minds are really quite common.
UITs are a common occurrence and are experienced by a lot of people but they are usually harmless according to the study. It’s how people react to these thoughts that are of the greatest concern. Most of the people are able to get past these irritating yet benign thoughts, but for those with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), brushing off these intrusions can be much more difficult.
Reducing these Obsessive-Compulsive Thoughts
Unpleasant or strange thoughts generally come and go for most people and last for a short time, but for those whose thoughts repeatedly bug them, therapy can provide much-needed relief. Doctors consider cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as the treatment of choice for such condition, which focuses heavily on talking through issues, to combat obsessive thinking.
Almost everyone has experienced some outrageous or upsetting thought, but to understand how to react to these intrusions can help people to get on with their lives in a normal way and learn to not to jump to any conclusions and sweat the “what ifs.”
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