Word for that certain fear, worrying you might involuntarily jump from a cliff?


Is there a word for the following fear: being afraid of doing something you don't want to do and you know you shouldn't.


For example: if you're on a high place, you don't want to jump, but you're afraid that you'll randomly do it anyway. I have this feeling sometimes and I wonder if there's a name for this fear/phobia.



Answer



Those are called "intrusive thoughts" and are typical, but not exclusive, of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).




  • Intrusive thoughts, in the spectrum of OCD, are where a person generally suffers with obsessional thoughts that are repetitive, disturbing and often horrific and repugnant in nature. For example, thoughts of causing violent or sexual harm to loved ones. Because the intrusive thoughts are repetitive and not voluntarily produced, they cause the sufferer extreme distress - the very idea that they are capable of having such thoughts in the first place can be horrifying. However, what we do know is that people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are the least likely people to actually act on the thoughts, partly because they find them so repugnant and go to great lengths to avoid them and prevent them from happening. Intrusive thoughts can cover absolutely any subject: sexual, religious, relationships, violence, etc. OCD



Edit: As I said before, intrusive thoughts are not exclusive of OCD. Many people do have them occasionally. The difference is that in OCD they are repetitive.



Examples of common intrusive thoughts (from Wikipedia)



  • causing harm to elderly people

  • imagining or wishing harm upon someone close to oneself

  • impulses to violently attack, hit, harm or kill a person, small child, or animal

  • impulses to shout at or abuse someone, or attack and violently punish someone, or say something rude, inappropriate, nasty, or violent to someone.



For a complete text on the subject, Wikipedia


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