Adults are not the only ones who experience intrusive thoughts, they can also be present in children. When children experience intrusive thoughts, they are often scared and overwhelmed. They do not understand where the thoughts are coming from and have a hard time coping with them. Luckily, if your child is suffering from intrusive thoughts, there are ways to help them.
What Are Intrusive Thoughts?
Intrusive thoughts are negative or unwanted thoughts that enter a person’s mind without warning. These thoughts can take many forms, including being violent, suicidal, or sexual in nature. They may also simply be thoughts of self-doubt, such as not feeling good enough or like a failure. These are just examples. Any thought which is unwanted and causes negative feelings can be considered an intrusive thought.
Root Cause
Not all intrusive thoughts have the same root cause. Intrusive thoughts can be caused by a number of different factors, including:
- Lack of Sleep: Not getting enough sleep is linked to many mental health issues, including intrusive thoughts.
- Stress: High stress levels caused by issues in school, deaths in the family, or any other life-changing event can cause intrusive thoughts. It is believed that stress may be the most common cause of intrusive thoughts.
- Hormonal Shifts: Changes in hormone levels, such as those experienced by teenagers during puberty, can cause intrusive thoughts to form.
- Mental Health Conditions: Intrusive thoughts can be caused by a number of mental health conditions, especially depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
With so many causes, intrusive thoughts can happen to anyone, including children who otherwise seem happy and healthy.
What Intrusive Thoughts Feel Like
Children who experience intrusive thoughts describe them as feeling unwanted. They don’t want the thought in their head, but regardless of how hard they try, they can not rid their mind of it. Intrusive thoughts are also said to feel controlling, as if the thought is in control of you instead of the other way around. Finally, having intrusive thoughts feels repetitive. If you manage to wipe the thought from your mind, it will only come back. This can happen again and again, like the thought is playing on a loop.
How to Deal with Intrusive Thoughts
Fortunately, there are ways that an adolescent suffering from intrusive thoughts can deal with them. These techniques can help them to cope with their thoughts so that they can still function day to day. The intrusive thoughts may even be silenced completely.
Recognize Unwanted Thoughts
Simply recognizing that these thoughts are unwanted can help a child deal with them. Once a thought is identified as unwanted and intrusive, the child should tell themselves that this is an intrusive thought. Depending on the nature of the thought, they should then try and tell themselves that the thought is not true, they will not act on it, or it will not happen.
Talk with a Therapist
Speaking with a therapist can be one of the most useful ways of dealing with intrusive thoughts. A therapist can help their patient identify what is causing these thoughts. The therapist can then teach them additional techniques to help manage or silence the intrusive thoughts. When speaking with a therapist about intrusive thoughts, it is important for the child to be honest and specific. A therapist is most effective when they have all of the details.
Accept Intrusive Thoughts
Accepting intrusive thoughts really comes down to understanding that they are only thoughts, and are not necessarily true or dangerous. It is important to note that accepting intrusive thoughts is not the same as focusing on them. After it is acknowledged, the thought should not be paid anymore attention, and attention should be diverted elsewhere. This includes not spending mental energy trying to suppress the thought. This will often cause the thought to stay at the forefront of the mind.
Practice Mindfulness
Practicing mindfulness is when someone is aware of their thoughts, feelings, and surroundings in the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness can help to greatly reduce the frequency of intrusive thoughts, by helping the person having them to accept that the thoughts are there, but they are not going to cause any damage. Practicing mindfulness alongside your child can help them to make it a part of their regular routine.
Reduce Anxiety
Anxiety is one of the more common triggers for intrusive thoughts. Thus, lowering anxiety levels in your child can also lower the frequency of their intrusive thoughts. Ways to reduce anxiety include:
- Frequent exercise.
- Living a healthy lifestyle, including eating well, reducing caffeine intake, and getting enough sleep.
- Discussing your feelings with a close friend or family member.
- Building self esteem.
If anxiety persists even after taking these steps, then professional help may be needed to treat anxiety.
Seek Mental Health Treatment
Having intrusive thoughts is a mental health condition and should be treated as such. Many times, the best way of dealing with intrusive thoughts is to seek professional treatment. This is usually best done through an intensive outpatient program. This will allow the child to receive the treatment they need, without disrupting their day-to-day life.
Intrusive Thoughts and Mental Health
Certain mental health conditions are known to lead to intrusive thoughts. This includes depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Oftentimes, people focus on treating intrusive thoughts instead of the mental health condition which is actually the underlying cause. When intrusive thoughts are present, it is important to look for signs and symptoms of these mental health conditions in your child. This can ensure that proper treatment is provided, leading to the intrusive thoughts becoming less frequent and eventually ceasing completely.