“Intrusive thoughts” has become a TikTok catchphrase for people describing random — sometimes fun or quirky — impulses, but the meaning of the actual mental health term is a lot more nuanced and misusing it has sparked a determined backlash on social media, Forbes reported Feb. 16. TikTokers have adopted the phrase “intrusive thoughts” to refer to random impulses, but some users have pointed out that the medical term is closely associated with obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD). Some viral videos of people doing something uncharacteristic — like pressing the alarm button on an elevator, touching a dirty pole on the subway or picking up a pigeon on the street — are captioned “my intrusive thoughts won.” The comment sections of these videos often contain users correcting these content creators, who fear the potentially inaccurate use of “intrusive thoughts” dilutes the meaning of a real mental health issue. Intrusive thoughts are commonly associated with OCD and other anxiety disorders and can manifest as unwanted impulses or mental images, often reoccurring, that may include disturbing thoughts about “harm/violence, sexuality/sexual behaviors, religion, and making mistakes/causing accidents,” according to officials with the OCD & Anxiety Center, with locations in Illinois and Georgia.