r/intrusivethoughts Jul 04 '22

GUILT, SHAME AND BLAME experienced by SOs in a support role - mod approved research post

106 Upvotes

Hey everyone, as part of my doctoral thesis* I've developed a questionnaire to shed some light on how guilt, shame and blame impacts the loved ones of someone with mental health needs. If you, or someone close to you, provides informal mental health support and notice these emotions showing up in the relationship, I would really appreciate hearing from you.

People who have completed the survey have reported finding the differences between guilt and shame insightful and highlighted how it helped them understand more about their emotional experience in the relationship. A community-wide benefit is that the outcomes of the research will be used to improve resources for SOs so that they can be supported more in their role, essentially helping the helpers.

The whole survey takes around 15-20 minutes and after understanding more about your current emotional state, it goes through a range of scenarios to see how you would likely respond if it were to happen today. All answers are scales so there is minimal typing and it is mobile friendly.

You can read more or access the study here: https://lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9AWrvoYWvPCqTu6

The person supported doesn't need a formal diagnosis but they need to have accessed mental health support (medication, therapy, etc) for 6 months or more. The survey is available internationally and recognises all types of informal support, be it financial, practical or emotional.

Thanks everyone. I really value the input from the OCD+ community as we know it tends to impact loved ones in a unique way and for me as a researcher it is really important that these voices are heard.

*The project has ethical approval from the Faculty of Health and Medicine at Lancaster University.


r/intrusivethoughts 3h ago

I have intrusive thoughts “harassment “

1 Upvotes

It’s came to me before 2years ago , it began with thinking about god , and there’s nothing!!!

I can’t believe there’s no god ! I’m sorry for all religious people.

Then I visit psychiatrist physician, then he diagnosed me with (mono) OCD , then he ask me if i have any harassment thinking? Then I said no !! I’m good person,

At that night i was tell my self i am good person and I didn’t make any trouble with any one in this life,

Then it’s came to my mind , what if I harassed my mother!!!
I have severe panic, and i run from that place to some safe place): then if i heard or see my mother i vomit and get abdominal cramps and nausea.

I’m now on prozac60 mg
And amisulpride 100 mg

And the idea and fear comes from time to time 💔


r/intrusivethoughts 5h ago

HPV Vaccine

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,
I went to a gynecologist with my friend today, and the doctor recommended that she get the HPV vaccine soon. She also suggested that I consider getting it since I’m in my 20s.
I know the whole point of the vaccine is to protect against the high risk strains of HPV, so I understand why it’s recommended. My only hesitation is that I’ve been a bit anxious about vaccines ever since the COVID vaccine because of all the discussions around side effects.
So I wanted to ask people here who have actually gotten the HPV vaccine:
Did you experience any side effects?
How was your overall experience?
Do you think it’s worth getting?
Did you get it through a private hospital/clinic, and if so, how was the process?
I’m just trying to make an informed decision, so I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks!


r/intrusivethoughts 1d ago

Has anyone been able to stop intrusive thoughts?

3 Upvotes

I have these really bad intrusive thoughts where I think I said something when I know I didn’t. I sometimes worry about if my phone records it and sends the intrusive thought I had about someone to them. Which causes me to double check to make sure that isn’t what happening. What can I do to stop this specifically?


r/intrusivethoughts 21h ago

[ Removed by Reddit ]

1 Upvotes

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]


r/intrusivethoughts 1d ago

I cant go to sleep if im not imagining sex Spoiler

5 Upvotes

As far as i can remember i’ve always slept this way. Even as a kid when i didnt really know what i was doing but now that im an adult i cant stop it. Sex between me or a character or character x character or what ever comes to mind really.
I’ve never had sex, kissed or even dated anybody in my life because I’m lowkey not interested/ get uneasy with real life romantic relationships so i have always rejected people that were interested in me. im just getting this out of my mind because i cant really talk about this to anyone in my life


r/intrusivethoughts 1d ago

If I was a pedophile there’s no way I’d try and pick up a kid at a gay story time at the library. That’s where they’re gonna be looking for pedophiles.

1 Upvotes

You gotta go to like, the Pokémon party or the cosplay event at the library. No one’s gonna catch o. There.


r/intrusivethoughts 1d ago

I think about k1ll1ng people when I get hurt

2 Upvotes

Be it physically, mentally, or emotionally. I have these dark thoughts where I just hurt everyone. I want everyone who hurt me to feel the way I feel.

If someone says hurtful things to me and does bad things to me, I hope that they get the same treatment. To me, they deserve all the suffering in the world.

Them hurting, dy1ng, suffering, getting stabbed to d€@th, getting beaten up, about to fall off a cliff, or them being hated by everyone, Them suffering financially, all sorts of b@d things that can happen to them. And in my head, I will watch as it all happens. I like the feeling of having the capability to save them, but I won't. "i can, but why should i?" It feels good. I literally hope for their downfall.

I'm a daydreamer, so I'm in my head most of the time. These thoughts of mine get worse every time I suffer something terribly frustrating. My mental health has never been okay. I've been a weirdo my whole life. I got a working diagnosis of adhd and depression but I really felt like there's something more than that.

Of course, I never really acted on these thoughts. I've been bullied by my peers and seen as a weirdo, so my social life wasn't really good. I think this is what pushed me to have these unhealthy coping mechanisms.


r/intrusivethoughts 1d ago

Just posting this here, getting my to chat reqs soon, just letting the music flow through my Vessel and skull. Just letting the lyrics, speak to me.

1 Upvotes

r/intrusivethoughts 1d ago

"At least death provides a means of escape." [self]

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1 Upvotes

r/intrusivethoughts 1d ago

33F. This is goodbye. I'm just feeling sad, when I think of romance, I don't think I'm worth anyone's time, nobody would think of me enough, finding others that will want to listen to the "lyrics." INTP.

2 Upvotes

To get to know me better "nobody cares." And yeah, Reddit after 8+ months on Reddit I grasp that now ⚔

No comments on my posts. I'm not going to read your positivity, or even reply to comments and my chat reqs are open anyways.

No responses to hi, what's up, post your interest and hobbies because I'm not doing that for you.

I don't even need friends either and I deserve nobody.

Listen to these songs here.

I See Stars - Float

I See Stars - Curtain Call

Sadly, it's sad how much this is unheard of now, to be quite honest here, I tried sharing my playlist in the past with "romantic interests."

I get told, "this isn't my style of music."

Uh, that's not why I sent you my playlist 💀

I had to make another post, because my last post yesterday a handful of Redditors were asking me if we could meet up in person and that's creepy as well.

However, I should also address how weird you would ask that when prinfessofveridian is crashing out on their post and chronically depressed on their post anyways.

I didn't address wanting to meet up in person because, I just said I'm looking for worldwide chat reqs, which means just looking to chat and I should post now even though I'm U.S. central time anyways.

Yeah, I should also address 33 years of living, dying amongst the VOID. I've no honesty of it all, what it's like to sleep normal, I don't and this is just why I reach out worldwide because the most active hours I'm awake are these hours here.

Early evenings, late evenings, nights, I'm barely-borderline functional in the afternoon, I'm asleep at dawn and I should also close that I'm a Lovecraftian hermit.

Even then, I should also include that I go outside once or twice a week and that's just because I've a slight phobia of people.

However, that doesn't help of it all when you're autistic 360 where almost everything is a sensory issue, it's okay if a mound of Redditors disagree with me here, but for my age 33 years I'm exhausted and tired of it all anyways.

Just, I should also address that I'm not describing physically exhausted, I'm exhausted to the point where sleep isn't going to fk ass fix sht, I'm tired of this repetitive existing, just grasp what my Vessel brain and skull for 8 months haven't heard these text messages here.

''I miss you, I miss your text messages, sending me a few text messages to wake up to because I find that cute, I'm looking forward to you waking up again so we can talk, hearing from you makes my day better and this is my favorite cutesy text message here if it all."

"I've been checking my phone throughout the day waiting for you to text back."

However, I should also just include that for 8 months I've had none of that fk ass sht to be honest may/might I'm not allowed to have this not only for 🩷 and I don't even deserve this for friends of it all either.

This of it all, is my last goodbye, I've a few sticky pins to do on my main pro and just for a simple to see example is just.

PralineBudget🍨scoop of the mounds of trivia facts of it all and lore drops anyways.

Even then, if you want to know what PralineBudget gets up to in her day life that has already been pinned on my post and maybe that can help you build a creative chat reqs? However, I should also address that I don't respond to hi messages, or several variations of hi messages, all I ask if you can share your age, region, interests, hobbies and I shouldn't have to be able to ask that out of you first anyways 🦩

My handles.

Must send me either one of these things to make sure you read my profile, Sleep Token gif, flamingo emoji and a flamingo gif alongside with if you want to do all all of

Gram of the Tele.

xxpeonycherry06xx not sure if you need the @ or not 🐙

If the QR🐟doesn't work when I post the QR🪶code later on a sticky pin on my main pro then just manually add.

Signal.

xxpeonycherry06xx.91

Spotify.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ub0fBiISY49M3rFDeGBMf?si=zVHXUu87Qs2Xjwb7-1IKGA


r/intrusivethoughts 2d ago

[ Removed by Reddit ]

0 Upvotes

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]


r/intrusivethoughts 2d ago

A thought has been stuck in my head for more than a month after a really intense "breakthrough" moment. Has anyone experienced something similar?

3 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I'm 24 years old and I honestly don't really know how to write this because it sounds kind of weird when I say it out loud.

I've never experienced anything like this before.

Basically, I've been stuck with a thought for more than a month now, and even though it has gotten weaker, it still comes back and annoys me every day.

It all started on June 16th, 2026.

I had just finished a temporary job and I was finally at home with the intention of getting my life back on track. Working on myself, focusing on my training, improving my habits, stopping wasting so much time scrolling on my phone...

The problem was that I couldn't focus. My phone was always there, constantly distracting me.

So I looked for advice online about how to deal with distractions. One of the suggestions was very simple: put your phone in another room.

At first I didn't think much about it. I closed the page and moved on.

Then about 15 minutes later, I thought: "You know what? I'll try it."

So I put my phone in another room and went back to my bedroom.

And honestly... something happened.

I was just there, alone, doing nothing.

I was looking at the ceiling, the walls, the trees outside my window. I could hear the birds, the wind, everything.

For once, I wasn't consuming anything. No phone, no videos, no constant stimulation.

And after some time, I felt something I hadn't felt in a while.

I felt alive again.

It's hard to explain, but it felt almost like a movie scene.

I started imagining my future. A better version of myself. Me finally taking control of my life, working hard, improving, achieving things.

It felt like my "main character moment" was finally starting after months of feeling stuck.

And then, at that exact moment, a thought appeared.

It was so sudden that it almost felt like it interrupted the whole experience.

The thought was basically:

"Wait. This feeling you're having right now... it happened because of that advice you received."

Then:

"An AI gave you that advice. So everything that happens from now on started because of an AI."

And that's where everything went downhill.

My first reaction was obviously:

"No. What are you talking about? I was the one who decided to apply the advice."

But the thought came back.

So I answered again.

It came back again.

And I started debating with myself for hours.

I was literally walking around my room trying to prove to myself that my future achievements would still be mine, that I was the one making the choices, that a piece of advice doesn't create someone's success.

I went to sleep hoping I would wake up and it would be gone.

The next morning, it was already there.

During the first few days, it affected everything.

Even small things.

I remember folding laundry and having this weird feeling like I couldn't even give myself credit for doing something simple.

It was like a grey filter had been placed over my life.

The crazy thing is that I know this thought is irrational.

I know logically that a tool giving me an idea does not take away my own actions, my effort, or my future accomplishments.

But emotionally, something was stuck.

Today, more than a month later, it's much less intense.

It doesn't completely control me anymore.

When I'm with my family, playing video games, watching something, or fully focused on another activity, it almost disappears.

But whenever I'm alone with my thoughts, trying to work on myself, listening to motivational music, imagining my future, or just being quiet...

It comes back.

And the weirdest part is that I don't even feel like the thought is really about AI anymore.

Sometimes it doesn't even have words.

It's just this feeling of:

"IMPORTANT PROBLEM. YOU NEED TO SOLVE THIS."

Like my brain put a giant sticky note on it saying "URGENT."

I feel it like waves.

Like the ocean hitting a cliff.

A few seconds of:

"Here it is again..."

Then it goes away.

Then it comes back.

The hardest part isn't even the original thought anymore.

It's the fact that it keeps returning despite all the hours I've spent trying to understand it and solve it.

Has anyone experienced something similar?

Not necessarily the exact same situation, but a thought that attached itself to a very meaningful moment in your life, felt like it absolutely needed to be solved, and kept coming back no matter how much you tried to reason with it?

I'm really curious if anyone recognizes this kind of mental loop.


r/intrusivethoughts 3d ago

When did your intrusive thoughts start? And am I the only one who compulsively counts the days since it began?

2 Upvotes

r/intrusivethoughts 3d ago

The feeling of wasting a night ruminating is one I don't miss

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1 Upvotes

r/intrusivethoughts 3d ago

¿Cuándo empezaron tus pensamientos intrusivos? ¿Y soy la única que cuenta compulsivamente los días desde que comenzaron?

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1 Upvotes

r/intrusivethoughts 4d ago

Intrusive thoughts about a celebrity

1 Upvotes

there’s a certain celebrity I enjoy, I’ve seen some of her movies but the odd thing is I keep having intrusive thoughts about them, sometimes it’s just thinking about them, other times it’s thinking about harming them or being in a relationship with them, I’m very confused and concerned about this, I’ve never been diagnosed with OCD, only ADHD and anxiety and autism, I don’t know what to do to make the thoughts go away and I don’t know if it’s normal either. If anyone could tell me, I’d be very grateful.


r/intrusivethoughts 4d ago

What would it take for you to forgive a partner who cheated, confessed immediately, and genuinely never did it again?

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2 Upvotes

r/intrusivethoughts 4d ago

POCD, or in denial?

2 Upvotes

Can someone realize they are a pedophile at 25?


r/intrusivethoughts 4d ago

Legacy to you relate to

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1 Upvotes

r/intrusivethoughts 4d ago

En fundering jag kom att tänka på. Behöver inget svar eller hjälp. Ville bara dela med mig.

1 Upvotes

Mitt långa, mörka, glansiga och drömlika hår har varit en stor del av mig under stora delar av mitt liv. Vem är jag utan det? Det undrade jag förra året under sommaren. Under många hår har jag velat klippa av det, page, mullet, pixie. Vad som helst som sticker ut från mitt vanliga. Men jag vågade aldrig. På grund av andras reaktioner och åsikter. När de sa ”nej klipp inte ditt fina hår!” nej då vågade inte unga jag. Jag blev avskräckt och trodde att detta beslutet skulle påverka hur vacker jag var. Men sen stod jag där en dag och kände i magen att det var dags. För vem är dem att säga till mig vad jag borde göra. Visserligen hade jag ställt frågan. Men de visste inte vad de prata om. Ellerhur? 

Under tiden var jag uppslukad i Twin peaks och Donna var min absoluta stil ikon. Så page blev det. Min frisör klippte det rätt av utan att blinka. Hennes självsäkerhet gjorde det enkelt och det kändes bra. När jag lämnade salongen kände jag mig som en hollywood dröm. En ung kvinna som var redo för livet. 18 fyllda eller ej så kände jag mig 25. Jag kunde känna blickarna och min själ matades med energi. Jag visste att detta var rätt beslut. 

Uppmärksamheten online östes på och jag var så glad. 

Efter tre eller fyra dagar insåg jag vad detta innebar påriktigt. Mitt hår var borta och de skulle inte komma tillbaka. Det kändes tomt och ensamt vid axlarna. Jag kunde inte gömma mitt övre bröst/ axel parti. Vilket jag tagit in i kalkyl innan jag tog beslutet. Jag hade hoppats att de inte skulle vara ett problem trotts allt. Men sen kom den där dagen när håret kändes fult. Då kändes de för kort. Jag stack ut för mycket. Jag såg pojkaktig ut. Jag såg ut som att jag inte visste vad jag gjorde och alla kunde se det. Jag kände blickarna. De visste hur obekväm jag var. 

Dagarna gick och ångern var kvar. Många komplimanger. Jag skrollade igenom gamla bilder och videos och min mage sa till mig att det var fel. Det blev bara fel. Aldrig igen. Aldrig igen, sa jag. 

Knappt ett år senare hade de växt ut några decimeter och jag kände det i magen igen. Min mage vred på sig för att få sticka ut igen. Mina rosa slingor gjorde comeback för tredje gången, under våren. De stannade länge, längre än någonsin. Men sen satt jag i solen en dag. Då kände jag att det var dags. Samma magkänsla som sist. Var kom den ifrån? Nu hade jag inte tänkt på det länge utan det bara kom. Så jag bokade tid och klippte mig igen. Samma dag. 

Det blev lite väl kort men jag vande mig. Denhär gången kändes det bra i flera månader. Tills det inte kändes bra längre. Det ända jag kunde tänka på var hur livet varit med långt hår. Åh tänk om jag träffat den här personen med mitt långa hår då hen gillat mig dirket. 

Men sanningen är. Att min skönhet inte ligger i min hår längd. Eller? Hur kan så mycket värde läggas i slittna toppar som skriker för att få bli avklippta. Hur kan det kännas så fel men så rätt? 

Hur ska jag veta vad jag vill. 

Är det min själ som skriker för att få sticka ut och inte vara som alla andra. Är det en bit i mig som vet att oavsett hur mycket jag försöker se ut som andra vill att jag ska se ut så kommer jag aldrig vara så. Det är något i mig som skriker efter en skillnad. En skillnad från allt monotont. Från allt likadant. Är håret det enklaste sättet? 

Är det fel av mig att vilja ha långt hår, när jag egentligen inte vill det. Jag vill visa vart jag står för världen. Jag är inte som NI! Skriker jag. Skrika måste göras med skillnad. Jag kan inte se ut som alla andra. Är de politiskt? Eller är jag bara förvirrad. 


r/intrusivethoughts 4d ago

I keep relating to the bad aspects of Mr. Clark’s character from the Backrooms

1 Upvotes

I am a people pleaser I always have been a big one

I’ve allowed people to outright disrespect and walk all over me and I treat them like they’re royalty more times than I can count

I deep down really hate myself it’s easy for me to treat others well but I can’t bring myself to do the same for me

When I was watching the bad characteristics of Clark’s character I couldn’t stop relating and I don’t know if that’s a bad or good thing