gynoidgearhead
Having intrusive thoughts about, e.g., murder, does not inherently actually make one a murderer.
Accusing someone of actual murder, when they only admitted to intrusive
thoughts about murder, does literally no good to anybody.
There is literally no good outcome of conflating thinking about some horrible act and actually doing the thing. That way lies Orwellian thought-crime-policing absurdity.
Why the hell are people acting on the opposite assumption?
(Ironically, many of the people throwing around claims like this will then go and throw around actual death and violence threats / wishes, among other things - which seriously undermines their credibility, to say the least.)
eponinejosette
We have to be strong as hell to deal with intrusive thoughts and impulses that could be violent and we control them and we’re still attacked for something we *don’t* have control over. Impulses/thoughts (if not acted on) are NOT the same as actually doing it or making threats, AT ALL. People need to get this shit through their heads.
tser
Here’s the thing:
Intrusive thoughts generally happen because the person is so horrified by them. Intrusive thoughts generally happen because they are so contrary to that person’s nature.
Almost everyone has casual horrible thoughts once in a while. It is part of being human! But most people know they’re utterly ridiculous, “I’d never do that,” so they dismiss them as quickly as they come without even realizing it. They might even find it amusing that it even crossed their mind.
However, for someone with OCD or other anxiety disorders or depression or other mental illness, they have that thought and they’re horrified. And then they think about it again, and they think, “Oh no, what if I do that? Why did I have that thought? I’m a horrible person to even consider that!” and it becomes a vicious cycle of dwelling on the thought.
OCD is the most common disorder linked to intrusive thoughts, which makes sense because it is literally obsessive compulsive disorder. The thoughts are obsessions. Many people with OCD develop compulsive behaviors to deal with the obsessions – essentially behaviors meant to keep the intrusive thoughts from happening (even though the person wouldn’t actually act on those thoughts).
I have dealt with intrusive thoughts all my life. I have a form of OCD called scrupulosity. For a while, my intrusive thoughts were about committing blasphemy. The problem with blasphemy is we are taught even thinking certain things is blasphemy, so it’s a very hard kind of OCD to treat. My obsessive thoughts are no longer religious in nature, but still fall into the “scrupulosity” category of OCD. I must be “good”. My other intrusive thoughts come in the form of self-mutilation and suicide.
To be honest though, I think a lot of the people attacking people for having intrusive thoughts with things like death threats and telling people to commit suicide are perfectly aware these people will not act on those thoughts, but are trolls preying on vulnerable people. Therefore, they don’t really care about the truth behind intrusive thoughts.
meettheghost
neurotypicals often operate under the assumption that thoughts are voluntary, and that dwelling on a thought is voluntary. if people dwell on thoughts about murder or suicide or something equally uncomfortable to think about, they must like it or want it to happen, right? WRONG.
it’s in the name - INTRUSIVE thoughts. no one WANTS to think about murder or suicide or other equally uncomfortable things, but it happens anyway. these thoughts are INTRUDING on us.
it’s deeply unsettling to have to deal with intrusive thoughts on a regular basis. i guarantee you that not a single one of us LIKES thinking about the sorts of things that occur in our intrusive thoughts. intrusive thoughts dont make us bad people. it’s a part of our mental illness and disorders.
rogueoftimeywimeystuff
This is what I meant. Right here. Just so people are aware.