Should I tell my psychiatrist about intrusive thoughts

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My psychiatrist has so far been okay with lowering the dose of my antipsychotic medication. But I once told him I was begining to have memory problems and he asked if I thought it was because my medication had been scaled back. I have felt better since my medication was scaled back. But recently I have had two intrusive thoughts that I was doing harm to myself and one where I was doing harm to someone else. These thoughts that appeared out of nowhere scared the crap out of me. It's not that I have the desire to do harm to others or myself. Most people have intrusive thouguts but I'm still disturbed by them. The only time I hurt someone was when me and mom were arguing and she started throwing pots and pans at me. Not directly at me it was at the wall right beside me. So I hit my mom. I was having delusions my parents were abusive but my parents were being kind of mean to me because they didn't like that I moved back home. My dad has also been rough on me pysically so there you go. Maybe thats where the delusions came from. But it's why they want me to take antipsychotics. So I don't want the dose to go back up. But because of the intrusive thoughts I've had recently, I don't want it to go down any further. I'm probably going to tell my psychiatrist about the intrusive thoughts but I'm terrified he will want to up the dose.

How are these intrusive thoughts affecting your life?

Have you noticed any pattern as to their occurrence?

I had ones along the lines you describe from age 13 to a few years ago: truly terrifying.
I figured out that what was causing it in me was stress & anxiety from living in sequence of hostile environments.

I never saw a psychiatrist or took medication though, just struggled on in silence... so I don’t have any idea what’s best to do there.

Hope knowing there’s at least one other person who’s had such mini-visions is a solace to you.

They haven’t effected my life just scared the hell out of me.

I seem to remember that I was feeling very lonely and depressed and thought my life was pointless when I had the self harm intrusive thought. The violent intrusive thought popped into my head when I was feeling frustrated and stressed out. It could be a sign I need to take it easy I guess.

Yeah sounds like it. Self-TLC in order!

Didn’t affect my life directly: but I was scared for others safety around me for a long time.
So indirectly intensified my social anxiety and awkwardness.

Mine stopped happening a couple of years after I starting re-organising my life in manner that’s better suited to what I can cope with, although that was a hard thing to do and meant accepting a few bitter truths I didn’t want to face up to.

Maybe keep a diary/log to make sure you know what’s what with them and then discuss it with your psychiatrist?
(Like I said above I’ve never had anything to do with that particular profession, so I’m a bit in the dark as to how to proceed there)

I would definitely mention it to your psychiatrist, but make it clear what your position is. That you feel so much better being on the lower dose, and that you would like more time to see if they dissipate. Considering your history, and knowing that your environment is having a significant impact on these thoughts, needs to be taken into consideration. You have the right to be heard though. People who are more sensitive to anxiety are more likely to experience intrusive thoughts.

These are naturally terrifying to most people who have them. Important to remember that intermittent intrusive thoughts are common and normal. In investigating this phenomenon, one study by Hames and colleagues (2012) suggested that over 50 percent of people with no history of suicidal thoughts have had the sudden urge to jump when standing on a tall building or bridge. Psychologists call this the “high place phenomenon." Similarly you see this in new mothers. A 2008 study by Fairbrother and colleagues showed that half of the healthy mothers had intrusive thoughts of harming their infants by four weeks after birth. A recent meta-analysis of 50 studies showed that nearly all women have had intrusive thoughts of harming their baby at some point after birth (Brok, 2017).

Importantly, these thoughts do not seem to predict an increased risk of carrying out the feared thought or urge. When intrusive thoughts become severe, recurrent, and anxiety-provoking, we call them obsessions. It's only when they reach this level that medications should be considered. Any such treatment, should also include anxiety management strategies. For you to be properly helped, would mean that your parents would need to recognise and alter their behaviour toward you. Failing that, if you cannot live elsewhere, then there is a risk that your psychiatrist may suggest increasing the doasage again. So sorry that life is so stressful for you at home. xx