Which category do persistent, intrusive, and repetitive thoughts belong to in a clinical sense?

Persistent, intrusive, and repetitive thoughts are classified as obsessions in a clinical context. Obsessions are unwanted and distressing thoughts that repeatedly occupy an individual's mind, leading to significant anxiety or discomfort. Individuals experiencing these thoughts often attempt to suppress or ignore them, but this can be a challenging task.

Obsessions commonly occur in conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), where they can contribute to the development of compulsions, which are the behaviors or mental acts that individuals feel driven to perform in response to the obsessions. The distinction between obsessions and compulsions is important in understanding the nature of OCD and similar disorders.

In contrast, the other categories presented do not define persistent thoughts in the same way. Anxiety disorders encompass a broader range of conditions characterized by excessive fear or anxiety, but do not specifically refer to the repetitive thought patterns highlighted in the question. Neurodevelopmental conditions involve disorders that typically manifest in early development, affecting personal, social, academic, or occupational functioning, and include conditions like autism spectrum disorders, which are not defined by the presence of intrusive thoughts.