How to overcome intrusive thoughts?

Hi doctor,

I have had an issue with intrusive thoughts. About five years ago, they manifested in the form of thinking in the first person, yet I do not control them, and they tend to affect my ability to function. It is difficult to explain, but it is as if they are my thinking but not me generating them. They get increasingly unsettling and sometimes disturbing. It started with preying on simple irrational fears but recently progressed to speaking of things I would never want to do or consider doing. They bother me enough that I am afraid they will spill over into my speech and damage me. Again they speak in the first person as if coming from me, but I have no control over them. I am appalled by them and would like to be rid of them as I sometimes obsess over them for long periods.

Please help me.

Thank you.

Hi doctor,

Thank you for your reply.

It took me a while to consult anyone about it because it used to be less challenging. But now it is tough. This occurs in a targeted way, like picking out specific things. I fear for people that I care about, and I either worry about something seemingly silly. Thoughts are directly distracting from intelligence or skills or saying something very wrong.

Thank you.

Hi doctor,

Thank you for your reply.

I do not have a problem with images most of the time. I can mostly act normally and function properly, but the real issue tends to be that it clouds my mind, and I will try to push it away through self-reassurance or something of that sort.

It has helped me a lot to describe this in detail to someone else.

Thank you for all your help. I have decided to best course of action for me will be to speak with my parents about it and see a local professional in person.

Thank you.