"Intrusive thoughts"
The entry where the science is stronger - and kinder - than the meme: unwanted intrusive thoughts are near-universal, on evidence from six continents. Having them is not a symptom of anything.
We have not finished checking this source. No judgement either way. how we score evidence
Unwanted, horrible thoughts arrive in almost every human mind. A 19-author study across six continents found intrusive thoughts are near-universal. Having them is not a symptom of anything.
Significant findings
The clinical term means unwanted thoughts, images or urges that clash with your own values. Clinicians call that ego-dystonic - against who you are. Often the theme is the thing a person finds most abhorrent, which is exactly why it sticks.
Six continents. Near-universal. That is the finding.
What separates a clinical problem from an ordinary Tuesday is not the thought. It is what happens next - the distress, and the things you do to neutralize it.
The meme version, "let the intrusive thoughts win", describes a whim you half-want. Real ones are the opposite. Nobody with harm-themed intrusions wants them to win.
The comedy is harmless. The cost is that someone tormented by the real thing may not recognize it in the phrase.
Worth asking
If your thoughts are unwanted and distressing, and you act to neutralize them, ask a clinician about OCD. Ask whether exposure-based treatment fits you.
The content is not what alarms them. The six-continent finding is exactly why.
Source
Part 1 - You can run but you can't hide: Intrusive thoughts on six continents — Radomsky AS, Alcolado GM, Abramowitz JS, et al. (2014)
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2013.09.002
DOI: 10.1016/j.jocrd.2013.09.002
How this was scored
- Study design
- not recorded
- Funding
- not recorded
- Published in
- not recorded
- Sample size
- not recorded
- Preregistered
- not recorded
- Conflicts disclosed
- not recorded
- Independent of proponent
- not recorded
- Retracted
- No
We have not finished checking this source, so there is no scoring to show yet. “We have not checked this yet” and “this is disputed” are different statements, so no scored band is shown rather than a low one.
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 31, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "not yet assessed". We have not finished checking this source. No judgement either way. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Part 1 - You can run but you can't hide: Intrusive thoughts on six continents — Radomsky AS, Alcolado GM, Abramowitz JS, et al. (2014). DOI: 10.1016/j.jocrd.2013.09.002. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.