Normal Intrusive Thoughts The table below shows the results of research findings from a survey of 293 students (198 female, 95 male), none of who hada diagnosed mental health problem. The column on the i left shows the type of intrusive thought and the 2 columns on the left show the percentage of ‘men or women who said they had expérienced that particular thought. “This research is from.- C. Purdon and D.A. Clark (1992). Obsessive Inirusive Thoughts in ‘Nonelinical Subjects. Part 1 Content and relation with depressive, anxious and obsessional symptoms. Behaviour Research and Therapy 31, 713-720 item Female% | Male% 7__Driving into a window 3 16 2. Running car off the road 4 36 '3._Hitting animals or people with car 46 34 “4. Swerving into traffic 35 52 5. Smashing into objects 27 40 6._ Siting wristthroat 20 22 T._ Cutting off finger 18 16 ~ “6.~-Jumping off a high piace ~ = 38 % ‘9._ Fatally pushing a stranger a7 4 10, Fatally pushing friend 8 22 711. Jumping in front of train/car 25 28 712, Pushing stranger in front of trainicar = a] 20 13. Pushing family in front of train/ear 5 14 74, Hurting strangers 78 8 15, Insulting strangers 50 59 76, Bumping into people 37 43 77. Insulting authority figure 34 a8 78. Insulting family 58 55 719, Hurting family a2 50 — —["20. Choking family member 10 22 21. Stabbing family member 6 tt 22, Accidentally leaving heat/stove on 78 66 23, Home unlocked, intruder there 77 6 24. Taps left on, home flooded 28 24 25, Swearing in public 30 34 26. Breaking wind in public 3 Ed 27. Throwing something 28 26 28, Causing a public scene a7 4 29. Scratching car paint 26 a 30. Breaking window 26. a 31. Wrecking something 32 33 32. Shoplifting 2 3 33. Grabbing money 21 38 34, Holding up bank 6 2 35. Sex with unacceptable person 8 63 36. Sex with authority figure 38 63 37. Flyiblouse undone 27 40 36. Kissing authority figure 37 rr 39. Exposing myself 3 2440. Acts against sexual preference 79 20 ‘41. Authority figures naked A Ba 42. Strangers naked Gl 80, 43. Sex in public. 43 78 44, Disgusting sex act, 43 5 45. Catching sexually trans. disease 60 3 ‘46, Contamination from doors 35 24 47. Contamination from phones 28 18 48. Getting fatal disease from strangers 22 19 49. Giving fatal disease to strangers 25 7 50. Giving everything away 52 Ex} 51. Removing all dust from the floor 35, 24 ‘52. Removing dust from unseen places 4 23