Suicidal Ideation vs. Intrusive Thoughts

Unfortunately, there are thousands of people dying due to suicide. It not only impacts the person who passes away but their family members and friends, too. With this being noted, there are many positive resources and treatments that can help someone prevent suicide and get their mental health back intact. For example, here at Blue Hills Recovery Center, we want to help people learn the difference between suicidal ideation vs. intrusive thoughts.

Self-Harm Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 

It is important that everyone understand self-harm, obsessive-compulsive disorder is a vicious cycle. At first, the person will experience disturbing, intrusive images or thoughts. These are the obsession parts of OCD. Then, they will have a long drawn-out process of trying to figure out if they are suicidal which is the compulsion part of this disorder. 

During this phase of the cycle, if you have self-harm OCD, you may think:

• Do I want to hurt myself? 
• What if I just wake up one day and decide to harm myself?
• Is this what being suicidal feels like?
• Am I going crazy? 
• Have I lost control over my life?

We know how difficult it can be to have these thoughts running through your mind and we never want you to have to deal with them alone. You can always reach out to our professional mental health and addiction treatment team here at Blue Hills to enroll in a treatment program. 

Dealing with Obsessive Thoughts and Seeking Certainty

In the depth of obsessive thoughts stands the 100% certainty chip. People who struggle with intrusive thoughts or suicidal ideations often fear that a specific outcome they want to happen won’t occur. Their mind plays tricks on them – telling them that everything is not okay. 

In the neurological side of this, the neurons and synapses that flow to the body from the brain and back again are helpful in some scenarios. For instance, say you left your house and didn’t shut your front door. You started questioning whether you shut the door and worry that someone will break in, so you turn around to check. You hadn’t shut the front door, so those worries actually came in handy in that situation. However, when these intrusive thoughts start taking over, so you can’t think of anything else or it’s too tough to focus on other things, that is where a problem begins. 

If you are dealing with intrusive thoughts or suicidal ideations due to seeking certainty at all times, here are some of the things that can help you to feel better:

• Remind yourself that harming your own body isn’t going to solve the problem
• Keep in mind that your support network is always just a phone call away
• There are therapy groups and meetings that you can attend which can help you to take back control of your thoughts
• There are people out there who care about you and want to see you live and succeed 
• Just because you have intrusive or suicidal thoughts, doesn’t mean you have to act on them (there are treatments that can teach you how to better cope with these thoughts)

If you or someone you know is constantly seeking certainty, you aren’t alone. The majority of people who struggle with OCD and even some people who don’t often want certainty in their lives. However, when it becomes this bigger problem, it is vital that you get treatment, so you can learn how to not let these thoughts control you. Reach out to our Blue Hills Recovery Center team for assistance today. 

ERP for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders 

There are numerous effective treatment options for obsessive-compulsive disorder, intrusive thoughts and suicidal ideations. One of the best treatments is known as ERP. This is a type of therapy in which the brain is exposed to things it is frightened of. It is done slowly and under the supervision of professionals, to ensure it isn’t far too much for the patient. The purpose of ERP is to help reduce negative behaviors, and anxiety related to your fears and to disengage you from any of your compulsions. 

The Truth Behind it All

Maybe you scrolled across this blog post when you were searching for ways to overcome suicidal tendencies. You may have come across it when you were looking for ways to help your loved one feel less depressed or obsessed over certain things. No matter how you came across this blog post, our Blue Hills Recovery Center team wants you to know the truth behind all this – and that is – you can recover and overcome suicidal ideations vs intrusive thoughts. Whichever is taking over your mind at any given time, there are tools, resources and treatments to help you through it. 

Treatments for Suicidal Ideation vs Intrusive Thoughts

Whether you are dealing with suicidal ideation vs intrusive thoughts, there are some similar treatments that can definitely help you to overcome these negative thought patterns and behaviors. Some of the treatments you may want to check into today include:

• Mental health evening treatment program
• Mental health day treatment program
• Inpatient substance abuse treatments (dual-diagnosis treatment)
• Outpatient mental health and/or addiction recovery programs 

In the treatment programs offered here at Blue Hills Recovery Center, we also have a variety of therapy options, holistic treatments and medication-based services to help each one of our clients through the toughest times of their life. 

Get Help for Your OCD or Suicidal Ideations Today

Do you struggle with OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)? Maybe, you don’t have a diagnosis of this condition yet, but you related to the signs of it. If so, you may want to reach out for professional treatment as soon as possible. Part of the reason you should do this is that many people who struggle with intrusive thoughts due to OCD end up having suicidal ideations. We don’t want you to go through that if you don’t have to. 

Contact us today, here at Blue Hills Recovery Center, to get help for your suicidal ideation vs intrusive thoughts and other OCD-related issues.