{
  "id": 10096739,
  "title": "Half of new parents have unwanted, intrusive thoughts of harming their infants. Research suggests most aren't dangerous.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/half-of-new-parents-have-unwanted-intrusive-thoughts-of-harming-their",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-27T00:30:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-parents-unwanted-intrusive-thoughts-infants.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Many new parents experience unwanted, intrusive thoughts of accidentally or intentionally harming their infants. This phenomenon affects nearly all new birthing parents (99%), with around half reporting thoughts of intentionally harming their child. These thoughts are common when parents are stressed, preoccupied with their newborn, and focused on keeping their infant safe.\n\nResearch has found that unwanted, intrusive thoughts of harming an infant are not a risk factor for actual physical aggression toward the baby. Even in cases where parents do harm their infants, this is usually associated with postpartum psychosis—a rare condition affecting about 1-2% of birthing parents. Postpartum psychosis involves more severe symptoms, including delusions and hearing voices, which are not present in unwanted, intrusive thoughts.\n\nHealthcare professionals often misinterpret these thoughts as a sign of abuse or danger, potentially leading to unnecessary interventions like contacting child protective services. This can cause distress for parents and might even increase their risk of developing obsessive-compulsive disorder. Parents are also often unaware of unwanted, intrusive thoughts and may be too afraid to disclose them due to potential judgment or having their child taken away. More education and understanding are needed to differentiate between these thoughts and actual threats to infant safety.",
  "summary": "Imagine you are standing near the railing of a seventh-floor balcony with your infant in your arms when a sudden thought crosses your mind: You could drop your baby over the edge. How does that make you feel? What are you likely to do?",
  "key_points": [
    "Nearly all new parents (99%) experience unwanted intrusive thoughts of harming their infants.",
    "Half of these parents report thoughts of intentionally harming their child.",
    "These thoughts are not a risk factor for actual physical aggression toward the baby."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Misinterpretation of common, unwanted thoughts as a sign of danger can lead to unnecessary interventions and distress for new parents, highlighting a need for better understanding and education among healthcare professionals.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}